PMGC Holdings Inc. (ELAB) shares rose 4.43% to $6.37 after its subsidiary NorthStrive expanded its patent strategy into space health. The subsidiary filed two U.S. patent applications covering the drug candidates EL-22 and EL-32 for muscle preservation during microgravity exposure. The filings extend NorthStrive's existing work beyond obesity-related muscle loss into human spaceflight applications.

NorthStrive Targets Muscle Loss During Spaceflight

NorthStrive filed applications numbered 19/774,556 and 19/774,575 with the U.S. patent system. The filings cover EL-22 and EL-32 for preserving lean muscle mass during prolonged microgravity exposure. Both candidates act on biological pathways that regulate skeletal muscle growth and maintenance.

EL-22 targets myostatin, while EL-32 targets both myostatin and activin A. Both proteins sit in the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily, and myostatin has drawn research attention since animals born with inactive forms of the gene were observed to develop markedly greater muscle mass. These proteins can limit skeletal muscle development when their activity increases within the body. NorthStrive already uses similar biology in its development strategy for obesity-related weight loss treatments.

Microgravity imposes physical stresses that differ from those on Earth because muscles receive less mechanical loading during spaceflight. As a result, astronauts can experience muscle weakness, atrophy, and higher injury risks after returning to gravity. Current countermeasures rely mainly on exercise, nutrition, and rehabilitation rather than approved drug treatments. Crews aboard the International Space Station already schedule roughly two hours of daily exercise on dedicated resistive and aerobic hardware, and NASA's human research program still documents muscle and bone loss on longer missions. Published research also supports the general biology in orbit: in 2020, scientists reported that mice flown to the space station and treated with an agent blocking myostatin-family signaling retained substantially more muscle and bone than untreated flight controls.

Expanded Patent Claims for EL-22 and EL-32

The EL-22 application covers pharmaceutical products based on myostatin-derived Myo-2 peptides and related formulations. It also covers peptide multimers and fusion proteins designed around mature myostatin proteins. EL-32, meanwhile, covers products involving microorganisms engineered to display myostatin and activin A antigens.

Both applications include claims related to people experiencing muscle loss following exposure to microgravity environments. They also cover dosing ranges, pharmaceutical ingredients, and several methods for delivering treatment. The EL-22 filing includes oral, nasal, injectable, and topical forms.

The applications additionally cover treatment combinations involving apelin or ursolic acid for muscle-related uses. Researchers have previously studied both compounds in areas connected with muscle metabolism and function. NorthStrive aims to protect several possible approaches before advancing the candidates further. Layering filings across indications, formulations, and delivery routes is a common way early-stage biotechs secure ground before clinical data exists, though U.S. patent applications are generally published about 18 months after filing and often spend years in examination before any claims are granted.

PMGC Broadens Its Muscle Preservation Strategy

NorthStrive has steadily expanded the intellectual property surrounding EL-22 and EL-32 across several potential markets. Earlier applications focused on preserving muscle during GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment and other obesity-related weight loss programs. The company has also filed applications covering animal health uses for both assets, and it previously entered an exclusive licensing agreement covering the commercialization of EL-22 and EL-32 within animal health.

The latest filings add space health without replacing the larger terrestrial opportunities currently under development. Those areas include sarcopenia, disuse atrophy, and muscle loss linked with obesity treatments. The GLP-1 angle carries particular industry weight: receptor agonists for diabetes and obesity rank among the world's best-selling medicines, and published analyses of those treatment trials have reported that a meaningful share of weight lost can come from lean tissue, which has added to research interest in muscle-preserving approaches.

Human spaceflight activity continues to expand through government missions, commercial stations, and private astronaut programs. Longer lunar and Mars missions could increase demand for practical methods that preserve muscle during extended microgravity exposure. NASA's Artemis program publicly frames lunar missions as a step toward crewed Mars flights, while commercial operators are developing stations of their own as the International Space Station approaches its planned retirement around the end of the decade.

NorthStrive currently has no agreement with NASA, another space agency, or any commercial space operator. EL-22 and EL-32 remain preclinical candidates, and regulators have not approved either product for any indication. NorthStrive has also not tested either candidate in humans experiencing microgravity-related muscle loss. Patent filings do not guarantee approvals, issued patents, clinical development, or future commercialization. With no human trials announced for either candidate, the concrete items to track are patent prosecution outcomes, any preclinical data releases, and any licensing or partnership announcements across the company's stated markets.

Source: Blockonomi