FivePrime’s metabolic disease programs are focused on discovering these pathways in order to identify novel protein therapeutics for diabetes and obesity as well as for diseases involving lipid and muscle metabolism.  FivePrime scientists have developed screening strategies to identify protein therapeutics that target key metabolic tissues including liver, pancreas, muscle, and adipose tissues.  FivePrime’s lead molecule for metabolic disease, FPT038, is a potential protein therapeutic for diabetes that increases glucose uptake into muscle without causing the hypoglycemic side effects that are associated with insulin therapy.