Researchers are working on a new drug that targets fat tissue by destroying its blood supply. So far, it works in monkeys who had became spontaneously obese all by themselves.
Right now, there are only 2 types of weight loss drugs that are approved
Researchers are working on a new drug that targets fat tissue by destroying its blood supply. So far, it works in monkeys who had became spontaneously obese all by themselves.
Right now, there are only 2 types of weight loss drugs that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration: an appetite suppressant and a fat inhibitor. But they sort of have toxic side effects.
Previous mouse studies have shown that targeting the blood vessels of fat tissue (or white adipose) reduced a third of their body weight. White adipose just under our skin stores fat and provides us with insulation.
"Development of this compound for human use would provide a non-surgical way to actually reduce accumulated white fat, in contrast to current weight-loss drugs that attempt to control appetite or prevent absorption of dietary fat," says study author Renata Pasqualini of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
The drug selectively binds to a protein on the surface of fat-supporting blood vessels and kills those cells within blood vessels of adipose tissue. (It’s like starving a tumor by cutting off the blood vessels that supply it.) Without blood supply, fat cells are reabsorbed and metabolized.
In 10 rhesus monkeys, one month of treatment resulted in:
- Rapid weight loss. Up to 15% of their