New Therapeutic Approach To Diabetes And Obesity Suggested By Powerful Antibody-Based Strategy

K-rap.

The work of a team of scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) led by Professor Nicholas Tonks FRS, suggests a way to overcome one of the major technical obstacles preventing a leading therapeutic target for diabetes and obesity from being addressed successfully by novel drugs.

The target is an enzyme called PTP1B, discovered by Tonks in 1988 and long known to be an important player in the signaling pathway within cells that regulates the response to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that regulates carbohydrate and fat metabolism by spurring cells, particularly in the liver and muscle, to absorb glucose from the bloodstream and store it away for later use.

The ultimately powerful strategy is based on the Laws of Thermodynamics, i.e., fewer Calories in than out.

Anything else is garbage.