Bob Langer–founded company to develop weight-loss pill

Bob Langer, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and serial entrepreneur, has teamed up with fellow MIT engineer Giovanni Traverso and former Sherlock Biosciences CEO Rahul Dhanda to launch a start-up called Syntis Bio. The firm’s lead compound, SYNT-101, is a daily pill that coats receptors in the upper part of the intestine, blocking nutrient absorption to help patients lose weight. Syntis also sees potential applications in metabolic diseases like homocystinuria and maple syrup urine disease, both of which are related to the body’s inability to process certain amino acids. Syntis has so far raised $15.5 million.