Cagrilintide

Cagrilintide is a long-acting analog of amylin (islet amyloid polypeptide) engineered with substitutions that prevent fibrillation and a fatty-acid acylation that mediates albumin binding for a once-weekly half-life. The compound binds amylin receptors (AMY1, AMY2, AMY3) — heterodimers of the calcitonin receptor with receptor activity-modifying proteins — and also the calcitonin receptor.

Amylin receptor activation slows gastric emptying, suppresses post-prandial glucagon, and engages area postrema and nucleus of the solitary tract neurons that signal satiety. Mechanistically, the amylin pathway is distinct from and complementary to GLP-1 signaling, which is the rationale for the CagriSema combination program with semaglutide.

Research Applications

• Amylin receptor pharmacology research in metabolic models.
• Combination research with GLP-1 agonists (semaglutide / CagriSema).
• Gastric emptying and post-prandial glucose regulation studies.