Obesity in monkeys cured with injections

Ksenia Malysheva, Naked Science

GDF15 protein (growth differentiation factor 15, growth and differentiation factor 15 – VM) is produced in the body of mammals (including humans) and participates in the regulation of appetite. They tried to give it to obese animals, but they did not achieve the effect: once in the blood, GDF15 decomposes too quickly. But a group of researchers from the private biotech company Amgen, led by Murielle Veniant, found a way to extend the life of the substance and achieve the result of reducing appetite, and with it weight.

This was done by modifying the protein formula: an antibody fragment was added to it, which made it more stable. When the modified protein enters the blood vessels located close to the organs of the digestive system, it binds to the neurons of the stomach and intestines, which transmit a saturation signal to the brain.

The experimental monkeys got rid of 10% of their body weight in 6 weeks, and their glucose tolerance returned to normal.

Today, obesity medications approved by the FDA of the US Department of Health (there are only five of them) allow you to lose 7-12% of body weight in a year. An alternative to these drugs is surgical operations, from gastroplasty to gastric banding: they give 20-30 percent weight loss over the same period, but can have serious side effects.

Drugs based on GDF15 can replenish the line of anti-obesity drugs if human trials prove to be as successful as experiments with monkeys.

The study is published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

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