[E-Daily Reporter NA EUN-KYUNG ] Obesity and Parkinson’s disease appear to be completely different conditions—one is a metabolic disorder, while the other is a degenerative brain disease. However, Glaseum links these two conditions through a single mechanism. Autophagy, which CEO Yoo Sang-gu has been researching for a long time, lies at the heart of this connection.

CEO Yoo, a graduate of Seoul National University’s Department of Chemistry, began his career in new drug research at LG Life Sciences (now the Life Sciences Business Division of LGCHEM,LTD(051910) ). After founding the biotech venture Irum Biotechnology and gaining experience in technology exports, he established Glaseum in 2014. Vutiglabridin, currently Glaseum’s core pipeline candidate, is also an extension of his long-standing research into metabolic diseases.

“Why Do We Gain Weight as We Age?” Curiosity Leads to New Drug Development

The areas that CEO Yoo had long been interested in were aging and metabolic diseases. He focused on the phenomenon where abdominal fat increases and the risk of various metabolic diseases rises as

people

age. His research began with an effort to understand why, even when eating the same amount of food, people gain weight and accumulate fat more easily as they age compared to when they were younger.

“Ultimately, I believed that obesity is not simply a problem caused by eating too much, but a phenomenon that arises as cellular function changes,” he said. “I believed that only by understanding why fat accumulates as we age could we explain both obesity and aging.”

At that time, the mechanisms for selectively reducing fat were largely unknown. Today, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) class obesity treatments dominate the market. However, when Glaseum began its research, there were few treatment options for obesity.

CEO Yoo began exploring various natural substances to identify the cause of fat accumulation. The most notable substance discovered during the research process was licorice extract. Based on the pharmacological effects he observed in licorice, he embarked on the development of new drug candidates.

The company name “Glaseum” also originated from this. It was inspired by “Glabra,” the scientific name for licorice. “We reviewed various natural substances to find a mechanism for reducing fat, and licorice extract proved to be the most effective,” he explained. “When founding the company, we took the name from ‘Glabra’ to remember that starting point.”

Of course, butiglabridine—currently under development—is not licorice extract itself. It is a synthetic new drug candidate whose chemical structure has been optimized based on the pharmacological effects of the natural substance to enhance its potential for drug development.

Discovery of ‘Autophagy’ While Researching Obesity

Glaseum’s direction shifted during the process of researching butiglabridine’s mechanism of action. CEO Yoo initially focused on determining why the drug reduces fat. As a result, he confirmed that autophagy was behind the fat-reducing effect.

Autophagy refers to a cellular cleanup system that removes damaged proteins and waste products from inside cells. CEO Yoo has continued his research on this topic, noting that impaired autophagy can lead to various problems, such as fat accumulation, insulin resistance, and increased inflammation.

“At first, I was interested in the phenomenon of fat reduction, but as I conducted my research, I realized that autophagy was the key,” he recalled. “I confirmed that as autophagy is activated, fat metabolism improves and various metabolic functions return to normal.”

CEO Yoo then shifted his focus beyond obesity. With the mechanism by which butiglabridin activates autophagy confirmed, the company expanded its indications to include degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. Glaseum selected Parkinson’s disease as one of the central nervous system (CNS) disorders in which autophagy plays the most critical role.

In fact, abnormal proteins such as alpha-synuclein accumulate in the brains of Parkinson’s disease patients. Autophagy is known to play a crucial role in removing these proteins. Glaseum is currently preparing for a Phase 2b clinical trial for Parkinson’s disease using butiglabridin.

Before founding Glasseum, CEO Yoo ran Irum Biotechnology, where he transferred technology for a class of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) inhibitor candidates to the South Korean company Pham Hannong and the global pharmaceutical company Janssen. Moving forward, he aims to transform the company into a platform company based on this experience.

“Although obesity and Parkinson’s disease may seem like completely different conditions, they ultimately share the common underlying cause of cellular dysfunction,” he said. “We aim to grow into a platform company capable of addressing various diseases based on autophagy.”