Benefit

Technology Description

Dr. Chaurasia and his team have developed a novel therapeutic strategy targeting Bone Morphogenic Protain 3 (Bmp3), a secreted protein to improve metabolic health while preserving lean mass. Metabolic disorders—including obesity, central adiposity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammatory states—affect over 50 million people in the United States and significantly diminish quality of life. While GLP‑1 agonists have transformed treatment options, they also contribute to undesirable loss of lean mass. Dr. Chaurasia has discovered that Bmp3 plays a critical role in regulating energy expenditure, glucose homeostasis, and lean versus fat mass.

Inhibiting Bmp3 increases lean mass, and improves glucose metabolism, offering a differentiated therapeutic approach for metabolic disease. Preclinical studies show that blocking Bmp3 activity restores healthy energy expenditure and adipose tissue function, while exogenous Bmp3 impairs these same processes. This invention positions Bmp3 inhibition as a promising new modality—alone or in combination with GLP‑1 therapies—to promote healthier weight loss, improve metabolic parameters, and address the unmet need for treatments that preserve or enhance lean body mass.

UIRF Case No. 2025-086

Stage of Development

This novel strategy has been validated in preclinical models with loss and gain of function mouse models and with shRNA and recombinant protein in cellular models.