Novel targets for obesity
Obesity refers to the medical condition where accumulation of body fat has reached the point where it can have adverse effects on one’s health. A large number of people in developed countries, including children, are suffering from obesity and present with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Growing evidence indicates that over 90 % of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, clearly associating these two disorders. However, our limited knowledge on the underlying causes of obesity and type 2 diabetes hampers their effective treatment. The EU-funded ‘Novel molecular drug targets for obesity and type 2 diabetes’ (Diabesity) project was designed to seek novel drug targets to combat obesity and type 2 diabetes. The project involved the formation of a large multidisciplinary network across Europe aiming to study the mechanisms leading to these metabolic diseases. Diabesity successfully demonstrated the role of the hypothalamus in the control of appetite and energy balance. These findings highlighted the importance of discrete nerve cell populations, specific genes and specific mechanisms regulating those genes. Additionally, a number of novel targets emerged from this study and led to the development of new drugs for treatment of these diseases. Information about obesity and type 2 diabetes generated during the Diabesity project shed new light on the pathophysiology of these two diseases. Furthermore, the identified targets have the potential to be translated into therapeutic regimens improving the quality of life of many adults and young children suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes.
