Swedish biotech lands $4m for non-drug approach to obesity and diabetes

Sigrid Therapeutics deploys micron-sized silica particles to prevent digestive enzymes from breaking down carbohydrates and fats.
Funding continues to flow for companies targeting obesity, with Swedish biotech Sigrid Therapeutics revealing it has raised $4 million in an oversubscribed funding round. The company’s SiPore technology is a natural, non-drug alternative designed to address obesity and diabetes.

Founded in 2014 by Professor Tore Bengtsson and Sana Alajmovic, Sigrid was born out of research conducted at Stockholm University, which found that oral ingestion of engineered silica particles led to measurable improvements in metabolic disorders.

The company’s flagship product, SiPore21, currently undergoing clinical trials, is presented as a natural alternative for prediabetes progression and weight control. Administered orally, SiPore21 employs an engineered mesoporous silica mineral to impede digestive enzymes from breaking down carbohydrates and fats.

Designed to act locally in the gut, the SiPore device consists of micron-sized silica particles with tailored porosity. Inside the gut, the particles work as a molecular sieve by mechanically separating digestive enzymes from undigested food, thereby improving metabolic health, before passing naturally through the body without being absorbed.

The funds were secured from both existing and new investors, are expected to play a pivotal role in expediting the commercialization of SiPore.

“This funding will propel our efforts in establishing key partnerships and driving SiPore technology to market,” said Sana Alajmovic, CEO of Sigrid.

“Sigrid’s continued success is evident from the launch of one of the world’s largest prediabetes trial, SHINE, to SiPore21’s medical device classification and the commercial traction in our oral health vertical,” added Sigrid’s Chairman Mattias Ankarberg.

Swedish biotech lands $4m for non-drug approach to obesity and diabetes