Harbour BioMed’s AI Drug LET003 Shows Strong Obesity Preclinical Results

Harbour BioMed’s AI-designed antibody LET003 outperforms rival molecules in preclinical tests, boosting fat loss while protecting muscle when paired with semaglutide.

Harbour BioMed, a global biopharmaceutical company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, released preclinical data Sunday for LET003, its first antibody drug developed using an artificial intelligence platform.

The results are encouraging. Moreover, they position LET003 as a serious contender in the fast-growing obesity drug market. LET003 is a next-generation monoclonal antibody. It targets two receptors ACVR2A and ACVR2B which play a critical role in regulating the body’s balance between fat and muscle.

The drug was engineered using Harbour BioMed’s Hu-mAtrIx™ platform, an AI-powered antibody engineering system. Researchers used structural biology alongside this AI approach to optimize the molecule. In short, it is the first drug of its kind built entirely through AI-guided design at this company.

In animal models specifically human FcRn transgenic mice and cynomolgus monkeys, LET003 showed significantly slower blood clearance than all competitor molecules tested after subcutaneous administration. Slower clearance typically means the drug stays active in the body longer. That could allow for less frequent dosing or lower doses compared to rival treatments.

Furthermore, when combined with semaglutide the active ingredient in popular GLP-1 weight-loss drugs LET003 significantly enhanced fat reduction while also preserving lean muscle mass.

That combination matters. Most existing weight-loss drugs, including GLP-1 therapies, can cause patients to lose muscle along with fat. LET003 appears to address that gap directly.

LET003 achieved lean mass-promoting effects at a lower dose level comparable to bimagrumab at a higher dose. That finding highlights its potential to become a best-in-class therapy for obesity treatment.

Bimagrumab was the first antibody approved to target ACVR2A and ACVR2B. It had previously shown positive clinical results when combined with semaglutide. LET003, however, appears to deliver similar or better results with less of the drug needed.

ACVR2A and ACVR2B play critical roles in regulating muscle-fat metabolic balance in the body. Combining receptor-blocking antibodies that target these receptors with GLP-1-based weight-loss therapies has been shown to further reduce body fat while limiting lean muscle loss. As a result, the ACVR2A/2B pathway has become a key target for next-generation obesity drugs. Harbour BioMed is now among the companies advancing in that space.

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Dr. Jingsong Wang, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Harbour BioMed, said the Hu-mAtrIx™ platform built on data from the company’s proprietary Harbour Mice® systems integrates fine-tuned large language models for sequence generation along with AI models for drug classification and developability prediction.

We are highly encouraged by the favorable pharmacokinetic profile demonstrated by LET003. These findings further validate our capabilities in AI-driven antibody engineering and metabolic disease research. We look forward to advancing LET003 into clinical development.
Dr. Jingsong Wang, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Harbour BioMed.

The company did not announce a specific timeline for clinical trials. However, Harbour BioMed said it intends to move LET003 into human testing as quickly as possible. Given the preclinical results, analysts may watch closely for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application filing in the coming months.

Obesity remains one of the largest unmet medical needs globally. The success of GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) has intensified competition in this space. As a result, drugs that can preserve muscle while reducing fat and do so efficiently are in high demand from both patients and healthcare providers.

Harbour BioMed is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel antibody therapeutics across immunology, oncology, and other disease areas. It operates research and development centers in the United States, the Netherlands, and China.

Disclaimer: This news is based on publicly available information. NervNow has not independently verified any claims.

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