In work conducted by Dr Michael Czech, professor and chair of molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Dr Malcolm Parker of the Imperial College London, it has been shown that suppression of the gene RIP140 by gene-deletion or siRNA results in the acceleration of fat burning in animals and fat cells, respectively.
“We consider RIP140 to be a highly-validated ‘prime-time’ obesity drug target which is considered by many as non-druggable,” said Steven Kriegsman, president and CEO of CytRx Corporation. “By using proprietary RNAi technology, we have been able to develop siRNA inhibitors that target RIP140 and increase fat burning. Our ultimate goal is to advance RIP140 siRNA to the clinic so we can treat obesity and type-2 diabetes.”
Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight — at least 300 million of them clinically obese — and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability, according to the World Health Organization. Obesity and being overweight pose a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. Obesity related deaths rose 33% between 1990 and 2000 to an estimated 400,000, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association.
According to a recent Rand study, by 2020, approximately one in five healthcare dollars spent on people aged 50 to 70 will be due to obesity-related disabilities, if the current trend of overeating and inactivity continues.