Author Archives: Ana Pena, PhD

A research group at Maine Medical Center (MMC) has received $1.3 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study how the activity of a certain gene — called mesoderm specific transcript, or MEST — affects obesity and blood sugar. Researchers hope their studies will shed…

A branch of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended that Rhythm‘s setmelanotide be designated an orphan medicine to treat people with Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS), a rare genetic disorder of obesity. The positive opinion of EMA’s Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP) puts setmelanotide closer to…

Rhythm Pharmaceuticals is offering a free genetic testing program —  Uncovering Rare Obesity — to help individuals with severe obesity find out if there is a genetic cause for their excess weight. The program is available in the U.S., and includes free genetic testing, which can be taken in a doctor’s…

A person’s weight is not influenced by the genetic makeup of their siblings, according to a recent study looking at a large sample of American youngsters. The study, “Testing for family influences on obesity: The role of genetic nurture,” was published in the journal Health Economics. Many studies…

The University of Alberta, in Canada, is recruiting people with Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Alström syndrome for a pivotal Phase 3 trial testing the investigational anti-obesity therapy setmelanotide. The study, run by Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, which is developing the treatment, is expected to begin…

A variant of the TFAP2B gene is associated with the development of obesity and insulin resistance from adolescence into young adulthood, a large study of schoolchildren in Estonia found. The effect is present in males in their teenage years but emerges later in females, during young adulthood, and is probably…

A computational analysis comparing the gene activity patterns and gene networks of normal-weight and overweight individuals has provided new insights into factors that could underlie overweight and obesity genetic risk. The study, “Comprehensive and Systematic Analysis of Gene Expression Patterns Associated with Body Mass Index,” was published in…

Celastrol, a natural compound used in traditional Chinese medicine, has shown potential for reducing food intake and body weight in genetic obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) deficiency, but its side effects warrant more investigation, according to…

A large population study found that some people carry genetic variants of the MC4R gene that seem to protect them from obesity, pointing out a signaling pathway possible to harness for creating new weight loss therapies. Those variants also…

Researchers have created a tool — a genome-wide polygenic score (GPS) — to predict a person’s genetic susceptibility to excess weight and obesity from early life into adulthood. This predictive tool could offer new opportunities to improve clinical prevention and provide new insights on the underlying…