San Antonio researchers develop weight loss drug to rival Ozempic
Muniswamy says that over the past two years, researchers in the lab have been able to keep weight off mice that have been eating “fatty” foods, what he calls a Western diet. This is done by a small-molecule drug called CPACC that deletes a certain gene in mice that leads to weight gain when the body processes food.
Muniswamy says magnesium is one of the common elements found in the body during this process, which regulates blood sugar and blood pressure as well as builds bones. But too much magnesium slows energy production in mitochondria, known as ATP, thus slowing metabolism. CPACC puts the brakes on that process by targeting the gene that promotes magnesium transportation, which Muniswamy refers to as a “channel.”
This differs from the popular drug on the market currently being used for weight loss, Ozempic. That drug is prescribed to help regulate insulin in diabetics, but the active ingredient in that drug also slows how quickly food leaves the stomach, leading to a decrease in appetite. Muniswamy says no drug has touched this “channel” to alter this magnesium process.
Muniswamy says the mice had no side effects so far but they will continue to monitor the animals. Now, the next step is to develop this drug for humans and reach clinical trials.
“We cannot delete the gene from the human beings but we can control the gene activity,” Muniswamy says.
The drug could potentially lead to normal functioning in the liver and the heart in humans if successful. The program is set to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health in the coming months, Muniswamy says. Clinical trials could begin within the next six months to a year, he adds.
