LionBio is developing a nasal formulation of semaglutide, the GLP-1 peptide in Ozempic and Wegovy, aimed at people who now take these drugs as a weekly injection. The formulation uses biodegradable polymer nanoparticles from Kam Leong's lab at Columbia University, intended for the upper nasal cavity near the olfactory epithelium, with the goal of carrying the peptide into the central nervous system. Candidates are in preclinical development, are not approved by the FDA or any other regulator, and the company states that brain delivery remains under investigation. South Park Commons led a $6 million pre-seed announced with the launch. Founding CEO Robin Guo, a Columbia-trained biomedical engineer who was on the founding team of a16z Speedrun, is commercializing that work with scientific co-founder Kam W. Leong, a Columbia biomedical engineering professor with more than 60 patents and 80,000 citations. SPC points to the weekly injection, and to nausea that causes many patients to quit, as the delivery problem Guo founded the company to address. LionBio plans to follow intranasal semaglutide with other peptides for neurological indications such as addiction and dementia. The company is explicit that animal findings may not translate to people.