2025 Syntis Bio Classical Research Grant

Investigating the Therapeutic Potential of Intestinal Methionine Elimination via Oral Enzyme Therapy in HCU  

Principal Investigator: Vasu Sethuraman, PhD

Vasu Sethuraman

January 30, 2025

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HCU Network America has announced the recipient of its sixth research grant, awarding Syntis Bio, to develop new treatments for Classical Homocystinuria. The research, led by Dr. Vasa Sethuraman, aims to optimize oral dosing for a novel GI-Stable Methionine-Gamma-Lyase (MGL) enzyme to treat HCU. Dr. Sethuraman is the Head of Research and Development at Syntis Bio 

According to the principal investigator, Dr. Vasa Sethuraman, “the project aims to determine the most effective site for gut-restricted enzyme activity to maximize disease impact and uncover new insights into managing synthetic methionine and total homocysteine levels in HCU patients.”  

“We are honored to receive this award from HCU Network America,” said Rahul Dhanda, Co-founder and CEO of Syntis Bio. “We are grateful to be a part of their mission to improve lives in the HCU community, and this grant will help us advance a breakthrough therapy to do exactly that.” 

HCU Network America Board President, Margie McGlynn said: This project has the potential to advance the development of an orally active enzyme that could be administered to HCU patients with food, to break down methionine from that food in the gut and prevent it’s absorption and conversion to homocysteine, which would be expected to have a very beneficial effect on their clinical status and quality of life.”

Syntis Bio: Oral Enzyme Therapy
Syntis Bio is developing an oral enzyme therapy for patients with Homocystinuria due to CBS deficiency (Classical HCU). Learn more about their therapy pipeline here.

SYNT-202 (formerly CDX-6512) is a proprietary oral enzyme therapy for classical HCU designed to replicate the therapeutic benefits of a methionine-restricted diet by actively eliminating methionine from the intestines. The enzyme is non-systemically absorbed and specifically engineered for optimal performance in the digestive tract.

Previous research at the Kruger Lab at Fox Chase Cancer Center showed that when administered to HCU mice on a high-protein diet, SYNT-202 not only prevents plasma homocysteine spikes but also quickly restores elevated plasma homocysteine to methionine-restricted baseline levels within just a few days.

Syntis is also developing SYNT-212, a next-generation formulation that leverages its proprietary SYNT™ delivery technology to sustain enzyme activity in the digestive tract for up to 24 hours, potentially offering patients both maximum disease control and dietary flexibility. Learn more about their therapy pipeline here

About the SYNT™ Platform
Developed by MIT Professors and Syntis Bio co-founders Robert Langer and Giovanni Traverso, the SYNT™ (SYNthetic Tissue-lining) platform is a groundbreaking oral therapeutic technology that delivers a safe, temporary polymer coating to the small intestine. SYNT™ is highly versatile and can be tailored to achieve a variety of therapeutic objectives, such as regulating nutrient uptake, enhancing the efficacy of gut-restricted enzymes, and improving systemic drug absorption. With extended intestinal residence, these therapeutic benefits are intended to last up to 24 hours, offering a transformative solution to a wide range of therapeutic challenges.

About Syntis Bio
Syntis Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral therapies that harness the small intestine’s unique biology to provide more accessible, effective and sustainable solutions across the healthcare spectrum, from rare genetic disorders to the world’s most prevalent conditions. The company’s lead program, SYNT-101, is a once-daily oral pill for the treatment of obesity that mimics the effects of gastric bypass surgery. The company is also developing a portfolio of enzyme replacement therapies to treat orphan metabolic diseases and broad digestive disorders. For more information, please visit www.syntis.bio and follow on LinkedIn.


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