Tora Henriksen
New obesity drug targeting fat cells
Targeting a fat cell receptor
The key to weight loss without massive muscle loss is a specific receptor on fat cells. A receptor is a molecule on or inside the cell that is triggered by signalling substances to initiate various intracellular processes.
In this case, the receptor controls energy conversion within the cell.
鈥淲e want to identify a substance that increases the rate of fat metabolism by binding to this receptor in the fat cells,鈥 Henriksen explains.
The receptor is present on all fat cells; both the 鈥榦rdinary鈥 white ones, but also the brown fat cells we have fewer of.
For some years, brown fat has received a lot of attention from researchers, and it was the resulting studies of this fat that identified and investigated this particular receptor.
The special characteristic of brown fat is that it is activated by cold, ensuring that extra energy is burned to heat up the cells.
Learn more about Tora Henriksen's Frontier Grant:
The popular new types of weight-loss drugs not only result in loss of body fat, but also muscle.
