Scientists in Spain have successfully reversed markers of type 2 diabetes and obesity in rodents using gene therapy. The study, published today in the journal Nature Communications, is a major step forward for the field of regenerative medicine, which aims to use genetic engineering techniques to treat diseases such as diabetes, cancer or heart disease. The mice lost weight and their insulin resistance dropped, while at the same time the fat content, inflammation and fibrosis of their livers were reversed without side effects.
Scientists in Spain have successfully reversed markers of type 2 diabetes and obesity in rodents using gene therapy. The team at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) modelled the conditions in mice then administered a gene that stimulated production of so-called FGF21 proteins, which are known to regulate sugar. The mice lost weight and their insulin resistance dropped, while at the same time the fat content, inflammation and fibrosis of their livers were reversed without side effects.