Researchers reverse obesity in mice with the help of CRISPR-Cas9

Researchers have developed a gene therapy that specifically reduces adipose tissue and reverses metabolic diseases related to obesity in obese mice. The team says their findings can be used as a potential treatment for type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related conditions, including stroke, heart disease, and cancer.

To circumvent the side effects of current anti-obesity drugs, researchers at Hanyang University in South Korea have developed a specific gene silencing treatment against the gene for fatty acid metabolism. FABP4.

Using a CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique, a single guide RNA was targeted on white adipocytes with a tissue-specific fusion peptide.

Demonstrating that this method of administration worked well in cells, the researchers tested their treatment on obese mice. The models were fed a diet high in fat, which resulted in obesity and insulin resistance.

The researchers used CRISPR interference that reduces the expression of FABP4 and reduces the storage of lipids in adipocytes (credit: Jee Young Chung).

FABP4 the suppression resulted in a 20% reduction in body weight and an improvement in insulin resistance and inflammation after only six weeks of treatment. Additional systemic improvements were observed, including a reduction in fat deposits in the liver and a reduction in circulating triglycerides.

The team said that while this therapy shows promising results in mice, additional studies are needed before they can be used in clinical treatment against human disease.

Importantly, this work highlights the advances in precision gene modification technology, which can be translated into other types of therapies.

The results were published in Genome research.