The once-daily pill could serve as a more accessible alternative to popular GLP-1 weight loss injections
Syntis Bio has raised $38 million to accelerate the development of a once-daily oral pill for obesity that works by mimicking the effects of gastric bypass surgery, potentially offering a less invasive alternative to injectable GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic.
The Boston-based biotech company announced Tuesday that it had closed a $33 million Series A round, led by Cerberus Ventures, with participation from W. R. Berkley, Mansueto Investments, Safar Partners, Colorcon Ventures, and others. The company also secured up to $5 million in non-dilutive grant funding from the National Institutes of Health.
The funding will help advance Synt 101, Syntis’ daily pill that temporarily blocks food absorption in the upper part of the small intestine and reroutes nutrients to the lower part, triggering the body to naturally release hormones that help regulate appetite and metabolism. The therapy is built on the company’s “Synt” (Synthetic Tissue-lining) platform, which uses a mussel-inspired coating to line the small intestine for up to 24 hours. While Synt-101 is focused on weight loss, Syntis Bio describes the technology as “highly versatile,” with the potential to achieve a variety of therapeutic effects.
According to the biotech company, recent preclinical data on Synt-101 showed consistent 1% weekly weight loss in rodent models, with 100% preservation of lean muscle mass. In early human studies, the pill demonstrated nutrient redirection and modulation of satiety hormones, and it appears to be well-tolerated, with no adverse events reported.
The capital will also support Phase 1 trials of Synt-101 and kick-start human studies for Synt-202, a first-of-its-kind oral enzyme therapy targeting homocystinuria, a rare pediatric metabolic disorder.
“We’re grateful for the continued support and enthusiasm of our new and existing investors, who share our vision to revolutionize both chronic and rare disease treatment through safe, effective oral therapies,” Syntis Bio co-founder and CEO Rahul Dhanda said. “This oversubscribed Series A round coupled with these non-dilutive grants validates and accelerates the promise of Synt-101 in obesity and, more broadly, our Synt platform technology to unlock the small intestine’s full therapeutic potential to meaningfully improve human health.”
In addition to the funding news, Syntis added two members to its board: Chenny Zhang, a director at Cerberus Ventures and Michael Nannizzi, director of investments at W. R. Berkley.
Zhang said the investment reflects confidence in the platform’s potential to shift how drugs are delivered.
“While high-cost, complex development processes continue to limit many Americans’ access to essential medicines, Syntis’ Synt platform represents a fundamentally novel approach to the oral delivery of biologics,” Zhang said. “We believe Synt, with its breakthrough technology and platform potential, is poised to significantly expand patient access and redefine what is possible in drug delivery.”
