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NorthStrive Biosciences Announces The Filing of Two U.S. Patent Applications Targeting Microgravity-Induced Muscle Loss During Long-Duration Spaceflight
PMGC Holdings Inc.
Fri, 21 August 2026 at 7:00 pm GMT+5:30
6 min read
- ELAB
+3.77%
New Filings Extend EL-22 and EL-32 into Spaceflight-Associated Muscle Atrophy, Broadening NorthStrive’s Myostatin and Activin A Intellectual Property Portfolio Across Human Weight-Loss, Space Health and Animal Health Applications
The filings are intended to position EL-22 and EL-32 as potential muscle-preservation platforms not only for large terrestrial markets, but also for the emerging medical requirements associated with sustained human presence in space
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 21, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NorthStrive Biosciences Inc. (“NorthStrive”), a wholly owned subsidiary of PMGC Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: ELAB) (the “Company,” “PMGC,” “we,” or “our”), today announced the filing of two new U.S. patent applications directed to the use of its lead assets, EL-22 and EL-32, to preserve lean muscle mass in humans experiencing muscle loss caused by exposure to a microgravity environment. The applications have been assigned U.S. Patent Application Nos. 19/774,556 (EL-22) and 19/774,575 (EL-32).
EL-22 is designed to target myostatin, and EL-32 to target both myostatin and activin A, proteins that negatively regulate skeletal muscle growth. The new filings apply that same biology, which NorthStrive is advancing for muscle preservation during glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist and other obesity-related weight loss treatment, to a separate and clinically distinct patient population: humans whose skeletal muscle atrophies during spaceflight
In a microgravity environment, skeletal muscle atrophies as a result of mechanical unloading. Microgravity exposure also increases the risk of skeletal muscle damage and weakness, and therefore the risk of injury when muscle is reloaded on return to a gravitational environment. Care of crew musculature is accordingly regarded as essential both to astronaut health and performance in flight and to recovery after return to Earth
Countermeasures in use today rely principally on in-flight resistance and aerobic exercise protocols, nutritional support and rehabilitation after landing. To NorthStrive’s knowledge, no pharmacologic therapy has been approved by any regulatory authority specifically for the prevention or treatment of muscle loss caused by microgravity exposure. NorthStrive believes an orally deliverable approach would be well suited to the operational constraints of crewed spaceflight, where mass, volume, cold-chain capacity and crew time are all limited.
What the New Applications Cover
