Kosuke Hitaka of the Translational Research Business Unit will deliver an oral presentation at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity and the 44th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for the Treatment of Obesity

2026.09.11

Kosuke Hitaka of the Translational Research Business Unit will deliver an oral presentation at the 47th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity and the 44th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for the Treatment of Obesity,  to be held at Light Cube Utsunomiya, Tochigi prefecture, Japan.
If you plan to attend the conference, we encourage you to join the session and hear the presentation.

Conference Name: The 47th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity and the 44th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for the Treatment of Obesit

Date & Time: October 3, 9:45-10:45, 2026 (JST)

Location: Light Cube Utsunomiya, Tochigi prefecture, Japan

Title: Anti-Obesity Effects of GLP-1-Related Peptides in Obesity model Mice and Development of a Rodent Model for Nausea and Vomiting Assessment

No: JSTO Oral Presentation Session 2

Presentation Summary
Melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R), expressed in the hypothalamus, plays an important role in the regulation of food intake, and its deficiency leads to hyperphagic obesity. In this study, multiple GLP-1-related peptides were evaluated for their biological effects in MC4R-deficient mice. Reductions in muscle mass and metabolic rate were observed, and the magnitude of body weight reduction was consistent with clinical findings (Int J Obes [Lond]. 2026 Apr;50928–937). Although GLP-1 receptor agonists frequently cause adverse effects such as nausea and vomiting, rodents lack the vomiting reflex, making it challenging to develop a clinically translatable evaluation system. To address this issue, we focused on salivary parameters as indicators of vomiting-related responses. Semaglutide administration in rats resulted in a marked reduction in salivary volume and an increase in salivary amylase activity. Although based on a limited number of cases, the reduction in salivary volume was consistent with clinical case reports. These findings suggest that MC4R-deficient mice may be useful for evaluating the efficacy of GLP-1-related peptides, while salivary parameters may provide useful indicators of vomiting-related responses in rodents and could serve as practical assessment markers for such responses.

Axcelead’s Soulution
At Axcelead, in addition to MC4R-deficient mice, we have a wide range of disease models and evaluation endpoints. With many researchers having more than 20 years of experience in the field of metabolic diseases, we can propose optimal drug discovery strategies tailored to your target and therapeutic objectives, helping accelerate your research projects.
The on-target nature of pharmacological effects can be rapidly validated using genetically modified mice. By integrating these models with histopathological and omics analyses, we can provide comprehensive support from mechanism-of-action (MOA) and disease characterization to safety evaluation.
If you have any challenges in your drug discovery research in obesity or metabolic diseases, please feel free to contact us.