Anti-obesity drug trial
A ground-breaking drug developed in Queensland to combat obesity is showing promising results in trials.
Smart State Fellow Dr Louise Hutley is working on a novel treatment for obesity which targets the underlying cause rather than just the symptoms.
Dr Hutley, head of the Adipose Tissue Biology Team at The University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute situated at Princess Alexandra Hospital, has identified a protein in the body which is responsible for the formation of fat cells which lead to obesity.
“Other obesity drugs already on the market either help suppress the appetite, make people more energetic or interfere with fat going into existing cells and all these drugs have limited success,” Dr Hutley said.
Following on from her initial research, Dr Hutley developed a process which blocks the action of the protein, in turn inhibiting fat cell development.
“These findings are crucial for the development of an effective anti-obesity drug and one which has very few side effects.”
At the end of 2006, Adipogen Pharmaceutical Pty Ltd, a Brisbane based biotechnology company, which formed as a result of Dr Hutley’s work, joined forces with a California-based pharmaceutical company to carry out animal studies in the USA.
Early results have shown decreased fat mass, and improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, as a result of the drug use. If the overall studies prove successful, they may lead to a phase I clinical trial by 2009.
Dr Hutley received a Smart State Fellowship in 2003 to develop the project, which is supported by the Queensland Government, The University of Queensland and Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals.
Website: http://www.adipogenpharma.com/
Story: Sarah Swinglehurst
Last reviewed 5 September 2007
