June 7, 2012 Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center
(CUMC) have identified a brain receptor that appears to play a
central role in regulating appetite. The findings, published
June 7 in the online edition of Cell, could lead to new drugs
for preventing or treating obesity. "We've identified a receptor
that is intimately involved in regulating food intake," said
study leader Domenico Accili, MD, professor of Medicine at CUMC.
"What is especially encouraging is that this receptor is belongs
to a class of receptors that turn out to be good targets for
drug development, making it a highly 'druggable' target. In
fact, several existing medications already seem to interact with
this receptor. So, it's possible that we could have new drugs
for obesity sooner rather than later." In their search for new
targets for obesity therapies, scientists have focused on the
hypothalamus, a tiny brain structure that regulates appetite.
Numerous studies suggest that the regulatory mechanism is
concentrated in neurons th