PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Implantable slimming aid

Gene network regulates blood-fat levels

2013-11-26
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Martin Fussenegger
martin.fussenegger@bsse.ethz.ch
41-613-873-160
ETH Zurich
Implantable slimming aid Gene network regulates blood-fat levels

Humankind has a weight problem – and not only in the industrialised nations, either: the growing prosperity in many Asian or Latin American countries goes hand in hand with a way of life that quite literally has hefty consequences. Ac-cording to the WHO, over half the population in many industrialised nations is overweight, one in three people extremely so. Not only is high-calorie and fatty food a lifetime on the hips, backside and stomach; it also leaves traces in the blood, where various fats ingested via food circulate. Increased blood-fat values are also regarded as a risk factor for heart attacks and strokes.

Genetic regulatory circuit monitors blood fat

The research group headed by ETH-Zurich professor Martin Fussenegger from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel has now de-veloped an early warning system and treatment: an implantable genetic circuit mainly composed of human gene components. On the one hand, it constantly monitors the circulating fat levels in the blood. On the other hand, it has a feed-back function and forms a messenger substance in response to excessively high blood-fat levels that conveys a sense of satiety to the body.

In order to construct this highly complex regulatory circuit, the biotechnologists skilfully combined different genes that produce particular proteins and reaction steps. They implanted the construct in human cells, which they then inserted into tiny capsules.

The researchers studied obese mice that had been fed fatty food. After the cap-sules with the gene regulatory circuit had been implanted in the animals and intervened due to the excessive levels, the obese mice stopped eating and their bodyweight dropped noticeably as a result. As the blood-fat levels also returned to normal, the regulatory circuit stopped producing the satiety signal.

"The mice lost weight although we kept giving them as much high-calorie food as they could eat," stresses Fussenegger. The animals ate less because the implant signalised a feeling of satiety to them. Mice that received normal animal feed with a five-per-cent fat content did not lose any weight or reduce their intake of food, says the biotechnologist.

Sensor for different dietary fats

One major advantage of the new synthetic regulatory circuit is the fact that it is not only able to measure one sort of fat, but rather several saturated and un-saturated animal and vegetable fats that are ingested with food at once. How-ever, this development cannot simply be transferred to humans. It will take many years to develop a suitable product. Nonetheless, Fussenegger can certainly envisage that one day obese people with a body mass index of way over thirty could have such a gene network implanted to help them lose weight. Fussenegger sees the development as a possible alternative to surgical inter-ventions such as liposuction or gastric bands. "The advantage of our implant would be that it can be used without such invasive interventions." Another merit: instead of intervening in the progression of a disease that is difficult to regulate, it has a preventive effect and exploits the natural human satiety mechanism.

This gene network is one of the most complex that Fussenegger and his team have constructed to date and was made possible thanks to the biotechnologist's years of experience in the field. It is not the first time he and his team have suc-ceeded in constructing such a complex feedback regulatory circuit: a number of years ago, they produced an implant that can also be used to combat gout via a feedback regulatory circuit.



INFORMATION:

Further reading:

Rössger K, Charpin-El-Hamri G, Fussenegger M. A closed-loop synthetic gene circuit for the treatment of diet-induced obesity in mice. Nature Communications, published online 26th November 2013. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3825



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Seahorse heads have a 'no wake zone' that's made for catching prey

2013-11-26
Seahorse heads have a 'no wake zone' that's made for catching prey

A gene mutation for excessive alcohol drinking found

2013-11-26
A gene mutation for excessive alcohol drinking found UK researchers have discovered a gene that regulates alcohol consumption and when faulty can cause excessive drinking. They have also identified the mechanism underlying this phenomenon. The study showed ...

Protective effects of dl-3n-butylphthalide against diffuse brain injury

2013-11-26
Protective effects of dl-3n-butylphthalide against diffuse brain injury Dl-3n-butylphthalide can effectively treat cerebral ischemia; however, the mechanisms underlying the effects of dl-3n-butylphthalide on microcirculation disorders following diffuse brain injury ...

Why do stroke patients show poor limb motor function recovery?

2013-11-26
Why do stroke patients show poor limb motor function recovery? Negative motor evoked potentials after cerebral infarction, indicative of poor recovery of limb motor function, tend to be accompanied by changes in fractional anisotropy values and the cerebral peduncle ...

An abnormal resting-state functional brain network indicates progression towards AD

2013-11-26
An abnormal resting-state functional brain network indicates progression towards AD Although we know that mild cognitive impairment is a transitional stage between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease, changes in brain networks during this transformation have ...

Flower power

2013-11-26
Flower power Researchers breed new varieties of chamomile Chamomile is a medicinal plant used mainly in the treatment of stomach and intestinal diseases, including the field of veterinary medicine. Agricultural scientist Bettina ...

Researchers have a nose for how probiotics could affect hay fever

2013-11-26
Researchers have a nose for how probiotics could affect hay fever A study has shown that a daily probiotic drink changed how cells lining the nasal passages of hay fever sufferers reacted to a single out-of-season challenge. However, it did not ...

VTT introduces deforestation monitoring method for tropical regions

2013-11-26
VTT introduces deforestation monitoring method for tropical regions Halting deforestation in tropical regions requires verification of forest conditions. VTT has developed a new satellite image based method for accurate assessment of tropical ...

New technique for testing drugs to treat cystic fibrosis and epilepsy

2013-11-26
New technique for testing drugs to treat cystic fibrosis and epilepsy Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Quebec at Montreal, have developed a new microsystem for more efficient testing of ...

No qualms about quantum theory

2013-11-26
No qualms about quantum theory Study sets out to demystify a selected set of objections targeted against quantum theory in the literature A colloquium paper published in EPJ D looks into the alleged issues associated with quantum theory. Berthold-Georg Englert ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

Antibiotic resistance among key bacterial species plateaus over time

‘Some insects are declining but what’s happening to the other 99%?’

Powerful new software platform could reshape biomedical research by making data analysis more accessible

Revealing capillaries and cells in living organs with ultrasound

American College of Physicians awards $260,000 in grants to address equity challenges in obesity care

Researchers from MARE ULisboa discover that the European catfish, an invasive species in Portugal, has a prolonged breeding season, enhancing its invasive potential

Rakesh K. Jain, PhD, FAACR, honored with the 2025 AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

Solar cells made of moon dust could power future space exploration

Deporting immigrants may further shrink the health care workforce

Border region emergency medical services in migrant emergency care

Resident physician intentions regarding unionization

Healthy nutrition and physical lifestyle choices lower cancer mortality risk for survivors, new ACS study finds

[Press-News.org] Implantable slimming aid
Gene network regulates blood-fat levels