Episode Description
Every beta-2 agonist ever tested for muscle growth hits the same wall: desensitization. Dr. Tore Bengtsson built one that doesn't.
A professor at Stockholm University and founder of Atrogi, Dr. Bengtsson has spent 25 years studying how beta-adrenergic receptors regulate metabolism, muscle, and brown fat. His lab developed 1,500+ compounds that activate beta-2 through distinct signaling pathways, and one is now heading into Phase 2 clinical trials. He shares how a "failed" experiment cracked the problem, why incretins only address half of metabolic disease problems, and what muscle loss after 50 means for drug discovery strategy.
Key takeaways:
- Classical beta-2 agonists fail because desensitization shuts down the response
- Selectively activating specific signaling pathways from one receptor can produce entirely different outcomes
- Incretins reduce energy intake — but the energy expenditure side remains wide open
- The correlation between muscle mass and longevity is one of the most underserved areas in metabolic medicine
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