PMGC Holdings Unit Northstrive Biosciences Completes Preclinical Study Evaluating EL-32 Both As A Standalone Treatment And In Combination With Semaglutide; Study Identifies Preliminary Lean-mass Finding At Highest Dose While Informing Future Preclinical Development Strategy
Benzinga Newsdesk 1 day ago
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PMGC Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ELAB) ("PMGC" or the "Company") today announced the completion of a preclinical study evaluating EL-32, an engineered probiotic candidate being developed by its wholly owned
PMGC Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ELAB) ("PMGC" or the "Company") today announced the completion of a preclinical study evaluating EL-32, an engineered probiotic candidate being developed by its wholly owned subsidiary, NorthStrive Biosciences Inc. ("NorthStrive"), both as a standalone treatment and in combination with semaglutide, the GLP-1 receptor agonist that is the active ingredient in Ozempic® and Wegovy®.
The study was announced in the Company’s March 10, 2026 press release titled "NorthStrive Biosciences Announces Launch of EL-32 Preclinical Study Evaluating Muscle Preservation in GLP-1 Weight Loss Therapy" and was conducted by an independent contract research organization specializing in metabolic disease models. The eight-week study evaluated the effects of EL-32 on body weight, body composition, glucose regulation, and insulin sensitivity in a diet-induced obesity (DIO) mouse model, a widely used preclinical model for evaluating obesity and metabolic therapies.
The study identified preliminary findings of interest with EL-32 administered alongside semaglutide, including a statistically significant greater absolute lean mass at the highest tested EL-32 dose and an improved relative glucose response during insulin tolerance testing at the lowest combination dose, compared with semaglutide alone. However, these findings were limited to specific measures and doses, and the combination did not demonstrate a consistent additive metabolic benefit over semaglutide alone.
Key Study Findings
Potential lean-mass preservation: The combination of high-dose EL-32 and semaglutide demonstrated a statistically significant greater difference in body weight gain compared with semaglutide alone, a finding directionally consistent with NorthStrive’s muscle-preservation thesis. No significant difference was observed in relative lean mass, and the finding was not reproduced in the low-dose combination group.
Body weight reduction: Both EL-32 combination groups demonstrated significant reductions in body weight compared with untreated obese controls. Greater weight reduction was observed with combination treatment compared with semaglutide alone, reaching statistical significance for the high-dose combination on the final day of treatment, although these differences were not consistently statistically significant across the treatment period.
Insulin sensitivity and metabolic markers: Combination treatment with EL-32 and semaglutide improved insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance and metabolic markers compared with EL-32 alone and untreated obese controls. These improvements were generally comparable to semaglutide alone, with the low-dose combination showing a statistically significant improvement in the relative glucose response during insulin tolerance testing compared with semaglutide alone.
EL-32 monotherapy: Across the doses evaluated, EL-32 alone did not demonstrate meaningful improvements in body weight, body composition, or most metabolic measures, although the highest dose showed a modest improvement in an insulin sensitivity measure.
Next Steps for the EL-32 Program
The study accomplished its purpose as a proof-of-concept experiment, generating the first controlled in vivo data on EL-32 in a GLP-1 combination setting and identifying the dose and endpoints that merit further study. While semaglutide was responsible for the majority of observed weight loss and metabolic improvements, the contract research organization noted that the semaglutide dose used produced substantial effects on its own, leaving a limited window to detect an additional effect of EL-32, and recommended that the combination be re-evaluated with a lower dose of semaglutide.
Based on these findings, NorthStrive plans to design a follow-on preclinical study evaluating EL-32 in combination with a lower dose of semaglutide, with lean mass and body composition considered to be the primary endpoints, and expects to provide an update on the design and timing of that study in the first quarter of 2027. The results will also inform NorthStrive’s broader EL-22 and EL-32 development program, including the analytical characterization work with Charles River Laboratories announced on September 29, 2026 and the planned spaceflight study under the Orbit2Orbit term sheet announced on August 25, 2026.
Addressing an Important Need in Obesity Treatment
GLP-1 receptor agonists have transformed obesity management, but the loss of lean body mass during treatment remains an important area of clinical research and, the Company believes, a significant and growing market opportunity for muscle-preserving therapies that can be used alongside GLP-1 weight loss treatments.
EL-32 is an orally administered, investigational engineered probiotic designed to target the myostatin and activin A pathways, two negative regulators of skeletal muscle growth. NorthStrive’s research seeks to determine whether modulation of these pathways can support preservation of lean tissue alongside therapies that promote weight reduction.
The findings are preliminary, are limited to the conditions evaluated in this animal study, and do not establish efficacy or muscle preservation in humans.