Scientists from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
and the Singapore Bio-imaging Consortium today announced the path-breaking
discovery of the mechanism that controls obesity, atherosclerosis and,
potentially, cancer.
The findings were published in the journal, Cell
Metabolism, and may help doctors in the treatment of obesity and
atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease of the large
arteries that can lead to many cardiovascular diseases and along with obesity
is blamed for more than a third of deaths in the Western world.
Obesity and atherosclerosis are accompanied by the
accumulation of lipid droplets in fat cells and foam cells, respectively.
Foam cells can rupture, damage blood vessels and worsen
atherosclerosis.
The team of scientists found that mice deficient in a
particular gene, even when fed a high-fat diet, were resistant to obesity and
atherosclerosis by preventing the accumulation of lipid droplets.
Dr. Dmitry Bulavin, senior principal investigator at the
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and lead author of the paper, says: “We
are building on this research to investigate if the same mechanism could also
control tumor progression and hence potentially unlock new treatments in
cancer.”
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