A UCSF study discovered that suppressing the protein KLF-15 can turn ordinary white fat cells into calorie-burning beige fat cells, a breakthrough that may explain why previous drug trials failed. This finding could pave the way for new, effective weight-loss drugs that convert white fat into beige fat, potentially offering a more sustainable method for combating obesity. A new study reveals that inhibiting a protein can transform energy-storing white fat into calorie-burning beige fat, potentially paving the way for effective weight-loss drugs and explaining past clinical trial failures.
Researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF) have discovered a method to change ordinary white fat cells, which typically store calories, into beige fat cells that burn calories to regulate body temperature. The discovery could open the door to developing a new class of weight-loss drugs and may explain why clinical trials of related therapies have not been successful. Until now, researchers believed creating beige fat might require starting from stem cells.
The new study, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation , showed that ordinary white fat cells can be converted into beige fat simply by limiting the production of a protein. “A lot of people thought this wasn’t feasible,” said Brian Feldman, MD, PhD, the Walter L. Miller, MD Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Endocrinology and senior author of the study.
“We showed not only that this approach works to turn these w.