HealthNorthwestern Now NewsRNA therapy may help preserve muscle during GLP-1 weight loss
A Northwestern University study found that an experimental RNA therapy combined with the weight-loss drug semaglutide helped mice preserve muscle mass while losing fat.
GLP-1 drugs have revolutionized obesity treatment, but they can lead people to lose muscle mass along with fat. And when patients stop treatment, they often regain their weight — primarily as fat. A new Northwestern University study offers a potential solution: an experimental RNA therapy that induces the body to burn calories, thereby enhancing the benefits of GLP-1s.
Northwestern University scientists developed an RNA therapy that, when combined with the GLP-1 drug semaglutide, helped preserve lean muscle mass in mice losing weight.
The therapy silences a gene called ZFP423 to convert energy-storing white fat into calorie-burning beige fat, with mice losing just 5.5% of lean mass versus 10% on semaglutide alone.
Northwestern scientists are now testing similar RNA therapies in human cells, but the study authors say it is too early to know when this could become a treatment option for people.
The study found mice on the combination treatment lost only 5.5% of lean mass compared to 10% with semaglutide alone, though human trials have not yet begun.
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