Research throws up possibility of new Anti Obesity Drug

An enzyme called ceramide synthase 1 (CerS1) has been the target of a team of Australian researchers at the Centenary Institute and University of South Wales Sydney.  Increased levels of these enzymes seem to be associated with the development of insulin resistance, believed by many to be the underlying abnormality which leads to Type 2 diabetes. Blocking the action of this enzyme with a drug called P053 led to surprising results. The drug did not prevent the onset of insulin resistance but instead had an anti obesity effect. The animal model used was mice fed a high fat diet.   There is a long way to go before successful effects in mice can be safely replicated in humans. But the work demonstrates that insulin resistance and obesity can be targeted from a number of different directions.

The research was published in Nature.