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Study: New Injection May Be Able To Cure Obesity In Some Overweight People

Researchers at Harvard and MIT have reportedly found a way to edit DNA code via an injection that could possibly result in a cure for obesity in some overweight people.

The so-called "obesity gene" (a variant of the FTO gene) has been known to play an undetermined role in weight gain for some overweight people since 2007, notes the Irish Mirror Online.

The MIT and Harvard researchers recently found that the "obesity gene" activates two separate genes (IRX3 and IRX5) that prevent thermogenesis, which is when fat is burned up by the body's metabolism, The Telegraph reports.

The scientists say that it is possible to use a gene editing procedure to remove the defective DNA code of the "obesity gene" and replace it with the correct code, which would deactivate the two genes that prevent weight loss.

The editing of the DNA code is done by injecting a modified protein (Cas9) into the cells. The procedure worked in mice and provides hope that some humans could have the same benefit in the future.

Sources: The Telegraph, Irish Mirror Online / Photo Credit: Petr Kratochvil/


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