Biotech co-founded by entrepreneur Bob Langer is testing a new approach to developing obesity treatments

A new company founded by a group of biotech veterans, including Bob Langer, came out of stealth mode Tuesday with plans to create pills for everything from obesity to rare diseases.

The company, Syntis Bio, is based on a technology developed by Langer and MIT professor Giovanni Traverso that can coat the stomach and potentially other organ surfaces, changing the way that drugs are absorbed or, in the case of obesity, which hormones are triggered. The pair co-founded Syntis in 2022 with Rahul Dhanda, who is also the startup’s CEO.

Syntis’ core approach is an oral polymer chemistry the team calls SYNT, which creates a coating over receptors in places like the stomach. It’s much like the mucosal adhesive that the crustaceans mussels use to stick onto rocks, Traverso said.

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