↳ Research overview
What Is Cagrilintide?
Cagrilintide is a long-acting, acylated amylin analogue developed by Novo Nordisk and investigated in receptor-pharmacology and metabolic research. Its research literature focuses on amylin and calcitonin-family receptor interactions and on the structural design used to extend its pharmacokinetic profile.
This guide describes cagrilintide as a research compound. It is not a discussion of dosing, therapeutic use or product-user expectations.
For laboratory research context only. PepDirect supplies cagrilintide as a research material, not for human or veterinary use.
§ Identity
What is cagrilintide?
Cagrilintide is a synthetic peptide amylin analogue. It carries chemical modifications that extend its persistence in circulation relative to native amylin, including acylation designed to promote reversible albumin association, and it has been characterised in receptor-binding, pharmacokinetic and preclinical metabolic research.
- Compound: Cagrilintide (acylated amylin analogue)
- CAS number: 1415456-99-3
- Molecular formula: C194H312N54O59S2
- Molecular weight: ~4409.01 g/mol
- PubChem CID: 171397054
Lot-specific identity and purity should always be verified against the printed lot number and its corresponding Certificate of Analysis.
§ Native amylin
What is amylin?
Amylin (also called islet amyloid polypeptide, IAPP) is a 37-amino-acid peptide co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic β-cells. Its endogenous research context involves post-prandial glucose regulation, gastric-emptying pathways and satiety signalling in animal and human physiology research.
Native amylin has a short half-life and physicochemical properties that limit its use as a research tool. Analogue design, including pramlintide historically, and later cagrilintide, was undertaken to produce more stable, longer-acting research and clinical-development candidates.
§ Receptors
Which receptors are studied in cagrilintide research?
Amylin signals through a receptor complex formed by the calcitonin receptor (CTR) and one of three receptor-activity-modifying proteins (RAMP1, RAMP2 or RAMP3), producing three amylin receptor subtypes:
- AMY1R (CTR + RAMP1)
- AMY2R (CTR + RAMP2)
- AMY3R (CTR + RAMP3)
- The calcitonin receptor family more broadly, a shared structural context for these subtypes.
Cagrilintide has been characterised for interactions at these receptors in structural and pharmacological research. Receptor-level activity does not, in itself, establish outcomes in humans.
§ Pharmacokinetics
Why is cagrilintide described as long-acting?
The molecule carries a fatty-acid side-chain acylation designed to promote reversible non-covalent binding to serum albumin. That association slows clearance and produces a longer research/pharmacokinetic profile than native amylin. This is a shared design strategy across several modern peptide research compounds (for example, similar acylation logic appears in the semaglutide series).
'Long-acting' here is a pharmacokinetic descriptor, not a research-use frequency recommendation. PepDirect does not publish laboratory-use frequency guidance.
§ Evidence
What has cagrilintide research investigated?
- Receptor / structural studies, binding to AMY1R, AMY2R, AMY3R and the calcitonin receptor complex (Nature Communications, 2022).
- Preclinical animal research, weight-related and metabolic endpoints in rodent and non-human primate models.
- Clinical-development literature, as part of Novo Nordisk's cagrilintide programme, including combination-development research with semaglutide (CagriSema).
Clinical research described in the peer-reviewed literature reports findings for the specific study material, dose, formulation and population studied. Those results do not automatically transfer to research use of the PepDirect material.
§ vs Retatrutide
Cagrilintide and retatrutide
Cagrilintide and retatrutide are chemically distinct research peptides. Cagrilintide is an amylin analogue acting at amylin and calcitonin-family receptors. Retatrutide is a triple-agonist peptide investigated at the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors. They are not interchangeable and research findings for one should not be applied to the other.
§ Research product
View the cagrilintide research product
Cagrilintide is supplied by PepDirect as a lyophilised research material with lot-specific documentation.
§ References
Selected research references
- Cagrilintide · PubChem CID 171397054PubChem (NCBI)
- Discovery of the Long-Acting Amylin Analogue CagrilintideJ. Med. Chem. · Andreassen et al.
- Structural and dynamic features of cagrilintide binding to calcitonin and amylin receptorsNature Communications · Cao et al.
- Amylin receptor pharmacology (AMY1R / AMY2R / AMY3R) reviewPubMed · Hay et al.
§ FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What is cagrilintide?
- Cagrilintide is a synthetic, long-acting amylin analogue investigated in receptor-pharmacology and preclinical metabolic research.
- Is cagrilintide an amylin analogue?
- Yes. It is an acylated amylin analogue designed for extended pharmacokinetic persistence via reversible albumin association.
- What receptors are studied in cagrilintide research?
- Amylin receptor subtypes AMY1R, AMY2R and AMY3R, formed by the calcitonin receptor combined with RAMP1, RAMP2 or RAMP3 respectively, and the calcitonin receptor family more broadly.
- Is cagrilintide the same as retatrutide?
- No. Cagrilintide is an amylin analogue. Retatrutide is a triple-agonist peptide investigated at the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors. They are chemically and pharmacologically distinct.
- Is PepDirect cagrilintide an approved medicine?
- No. PepDirect supplies cagrilintide as a laboratory research material only. It is not marketed as a medicine, food supplement or product for human or veterinary use.
- Is cagrilintide intended for human use?
- No. PepDirect cagrilintide is supplied strictly for laboratory research use.
§ Related