MasterMetabolicSwitch

One Mechanism, Many Diseases

Obesity, type-2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and inflammatory bowel disorders are deeply interconnected. At a biological level, they share a common upstream driver: mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired cellular energy regulation. Yet most current therapies treat these conditions in isolation.

The HNF4α receptor - the master metabolic control switch - sits at the center of this disease network. Despite strong biological validation, no selective HNF4α agonist has reached clinical development - not because the target is weak, but because suitable molecules previously have been impossible to manufacture at scale.

From Nature to Molecule

From Natural Proof to Drug-Like Candiates

NCT provided the first compelling proof that selective HNF4α activation can drive meaningful metabolic effects. Building on this foundation, the eXoZymes platform enables the creation of new-to-nature analogs with improved potency, selectivity, and drug-like properties.

AI-supported enzyme engineering allows thousands of molecular variants to be explored rapidly. Crucially, the same cell-free system used for discovery is inherently compatible with scale-up, merging discovery, optimization, and manufacturability into a single workflow.

HNF4α

A Disciplined Path to Value Inflection

The pharmaceutical strategy is structured around clear, acquisition-relevant milestones. Early phases focus on composition-of-matter protection and lead optimization, followed by IND-enabling studies supported by scalable manufacturing from day one.

This aligns closely with current pharmaceutical acquisition behavior in metabolic disease, particularly as large players seek complementary mechanisms beyond GLP-1 agonists.