Business Wire

NY-APTORUM-GROUP

Share
Aptorum Group Announces the Development of Microbiome Drug Candidate Targeting Obesity and Repurposed Drug Candidates Targeting Neuroblastoma

Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) (“Aptorum Group”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics to address global unmet medical needs, announces the development of two preclinical drug candidates which target obesity and neuroblastoma, respectively.

About CLS-1: Treatment of obesity via modulation of chemical signaling relating to gut microbiota

Under the recently-announced microbiota modulation platform operated by Aptorum Group’s wholly-owned subsidiary Claves Life Sciences Limited, we have commenced the preclinical development of macromolecule candidate CLS-1 targeting the treatment of obesity. CLS-1 is undergoing lead optimization and is expected to progress into the IND enabling stage in 2020.

The prevalence of obesity continues to escalate globally; however, there is no current optimal therapy for this condition1 . For the majority of obese patients, conventional medical therapies (i.e., diet, exercise, behavioral counseling) often have a high failure rate for the long term2 . We believe current pharmacotherapy has limited efficacy and is associated with substantial safety issues, and this will provide immeasurable market opportunity for CLS-1.

Chemical signaling of gut microbiota is known to be one of the major causes of obesity1 . CLS-1 is an orally administered non-absorbable macromolecule that modulates the metabolite excreted by gut microbiota with high affinity and specificity. In this way, we believe the absorption of this particular metabolite, which is linked to obesity, can be inhibited.

Aptorum Group is also pursuing two further indications based on the modulation of microbiota based chemical signaling involving the above large molecule technology, which we believe to be highly scalable and we hope to be making further announcements regarding our efforts in due course.

About SACT-1: Repurposed Drug Candidates for the Treatment of Neuroblastoma

Under the recently announced Smart-ACTTM computational drug discovery platform operated by our wholly-owned subsidiary Smart Pharma Group, Aptorum Group has completed computational screening of approximately 1,615 marketed drugs against 3 therapeutic target proteins to potentially tackle poor prognosis of neuroblastoma, i.e., a rare type of children’s cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue and most frequently in the adrenal glands as well as spine, chest, abdomen or neck, especially in children3 . For the high-risk group, the 5-year survival rate of this condition is around 40-50% as observed by the American Cancer Society.4 Aptorum Group has identified an array of repurposed candidates and has proceeded to evaluate them in cell-based and animal models in order to validate the candidates’ usage for such new indication and potential efficacies.

Aptorum Group is also pursuing two further indications under the Smart-ACTTM drug discovery platform and hopes to be making further announcements regarding our research in due course.

About Aptorum Group Limited

Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM) is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to tackle unmet medical needs. Aptorum Group is pursuing therapeutic projects in neurology, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, oncology and other disease areas.

For more information about Aptorum Group, please visit www.aptorumgroup.com .

About Claves Life Sciences Limited

Claves Life Sciences Limited is a wholly-owned therapeutics subsidiary of Aptorum Group Limited. Claves focuses on the clinical development of therapeutic candidates related to the field of gastroenterology. The potential candidates under review and potentially developed focus on the modulation of gut microbiota-derived metabolites, for the prevention or treatment of diseases. Claves is also exploring a gut microbiota modulation platform that can generate novel customized candidates capable of fine-tuning levels of gut metabolites, potentially treating a wide range of medical conditions.

About Smart Pharma Group

Smart Pharma Group includes Smart Pharmaceutical Limited Partnership, SMTPH Limited and its subsidiaries. The Smart Pharma Group is wholly owned by Aptorum Group Limited. Smart Pharma Group focuses on systematically repurposing existing approved drugs for the treatment of a large array of orphan diseases. Smart Pharma Group conducts both computational based screening and preclinical validations in advancing the development of its repurposed candidates.

For more information about Smart Pharma Group, please visit www.smtph.com .

Disclaimer and Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements concerning Aptorum Group Limited and its future expectations, plans and prospects that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. For this purpose, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Aptorum Group has based these forward-looking statements, which include statements regarding projected timelines for application submissions and trials, largely on its current expectations and projections about future events and trends that it believes may affect its business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, risks related to its announced management and organizational changes, the continued service and availability of key personnel, its ability to expand its product assortments by offering additional products for additional consumer segments, development results, the company’s anticipated growth strategies, anticipated trends and challenges in its business, and its expectations regarding, and the stability of, its supply chain, and the risks more fully described in Aptorum Group’s Form 20-F and other filings that Aptorum Group may make with the SEC in the future. As a result, the projections included in such forward-looking statements are subject to change. Aptorum Group assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

1 Protein Cell. May; 9(5): 397–403.

2 Obes Surg. 2012 Jun;22(6):956-66

3 https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms?expand=N

4 See https://www.cancer.org/cancer/neuroblastoma/detection-diagnosis-staging/survival-rates.html .

Link:

ClickThru

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

2026 Future of Fitness Report: Experts from Coherent Solutions Turn Years of Fitness Industry Software Engineering Work Into a Guidebook on Future-proof Digital Transformation in Fitness29.12.2025 18:48:00 CET | Press release

Coherent Solutions has released its 2026 Future of Fitness report, capturing years of domain knowledge from helping emerging and global fitness brands drive digital transformation, innovate, and improve member engagement. “The Future of Fitness: Winning with Digital Value Creation” takes lessons from real projects and fitness enthusiasts, turning them into a guidebook for the next era of fitness. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251229965712/en/ New Fitness Tech Whitepaper by Coherent Solutions While the global fitness market is on track to surpass $257 billion, and brands are expanding globally, pioneering new regions, and implementing new technologies, the report highlights the most effective growth trajectory in acknowledging the importance of technology as equal to supporting the fitness community. "Most people only spend 3–5 hours a week in a gym. That leaves 160+ hours where their choices and habits are i

Hanshow and the University of Cambridge Launch Joint Research on Augmented Intelligent Hybrid Wireless Technology25.12.2025 12:34:00 CET | Press release

Hanshow, a global leader in electronic shelf labels (ESL) and digital store solutions, has entered into a multi-year research collaboration with the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s most prestigious academic institutions. The partnership will focus on joint research and innovation in next-generation intelligent hybrid wireless technologies, marking an important milestone in Hanshow’s continued investment in core technologies and long-term innovation. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251225988816/en/ This collaboration leverages the University of Cambridge’s deep expertise in fundamental wireless technology research, alongside Hanshow’s extensive industry experience, to further strengthen multi-protocol integration capabilities and expand scalable applications across diverse retail scenarios. Guided by shared principles of innovation, collaboration, openness, and knowledge sharing, the two parties aim

Social Development Bank Highlights Strategic Partnerships and Global Initiatives at DeveGo 202524.12.2025 17:27:00 CET | Press release

The forum held in Riyadh witnessed the signing of 51 agreements aimed at strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem The Social Development Bank (SDB) hosted the second edition of the Entrepreneurship and Modern Business Practices Forum, “DeveGo 2025”, from 21 to 23 December in Riyadh. Held under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and Chairman of SDB’s Board of Directors, the forum brings together government leaders, global experts, investors, and entrepreneurs to shape the future of entrepreneurship and modern business practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251224036724/en/ From right to left: Ahmed Al Rajhi, Saudi's Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, H.E. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, and Sultan Al Hamidi, CEO of Social Development (Photo: AETOSWire) Opening th

Making Science Unveils ‘AWAKE’: The AI Venture Studio Industrialising Startup Creation and AI-First Innovative Solutions23.12.2025 20:51:00 CET | Press release

The disruption generated by AI enables the acceleration and industrialisation of the creation of internal solutions and start-ups through centres of excellence in Chicago, Madrid and Tbilisi.This model has already proven its commercial and innovative power through the acceleration of startups like ad-machina, which has multiplied its value by 10 since joining the Making Science ecosystem. Making Science, the global digital acceleration consultancy, today announced the launch of AWAKE Venture Studio. This "AI-first" model represents a new era in systematic innovation, designed to identify, prototype, and scale both internal proprietary solutions and independent AI-native startups with global reach. The launch of AWAKE is motivated by the significant efficiency gains of orders of magnitude that Making Science has already achieved through the internal integration of AI. By applying these methods, the firm has achieved a 2x acceleration in tech feature development reducing time in the depl

FDA Clears First Extended Depth of Focus Contact Lens for Presbyopia23.12.2025 18:07:00 CET | Press release

Deseyne® (vifilcon C) Daily Disposable Soft (Hydrophilic) Contact Lens for Presbyopia with Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) Delivers Continuous Vision at All Distances—Redefining Presbyopia Correction The Cataltheia Group and its U.S. subsidiary, Bruno Vision Care LLC, a leader in eye health innovation, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the first and only Daily Disposable Soft (Hydrophilic) Contact Lens for Presbyopia utilizing patented Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) optical design technology, enabling commercial distribution in the United States. Deseyne® delivers smooth, continuous focus across near, intermediate, and distance vision, providing clear, natural vision without compromise. This performance is enabled by Cataltheia’s patented hyper-refractive central zone, engineered to precisely redirect light in a controlled manner. The result is a clear clinical advantage over the only other available contact lens option for presbyopia, multifoc

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye