SINGAPORE - Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed a therapy that uses a gel and infrared light to burn fat - a possible safer treatment for people working to control their weight.<\/p>\n
Drugs that tackle obesity are meant to accompany exercise and a healthy diet in helping people who are severely obese, including those who have metabolic disorders, but many in the market come with side effects.<\/p>\n
Laboratory trials by the NTU team from the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering show that mice on a high-fat diet that underwent its therapy weighed 5.5 per cent lighter after two weeks, and lost between 40 per cent and 50 per cent of body fat.<\/p>\n
In the therapy, a transparent gel - called a hydrogel - developed by the scientists, is injected into a layer of fat under the mice's skin.<\/p>\n
Aninfrared light is then shone on the injection site for five minutes a few times a day to trigger the hydrogel's fat-burning ability.<\/p>\n
Infrared light refers to wavelengths of light that are not visible to the human eye, but can be felt as heat.<\/p>\n
When exposed to the infrared light, nanoparticles in the hydrogel convert light into heat to activate a protein in the body that kick-starts the fat-burning process.<\/p>\n
In this process, white fat - which stores excess calories and leads to weight gain - is converted into calorie-burning tissue.<\/p>\n
\"Fat cells become energy-burning instead of energy-storing,\" said bioengineering professor Chen Peng, who led the study.<\/p>\n
After two weeks of the treatment - which includes eight days of rest - the mice lost 40 per cent of the fat under their skin and 54 per cent of the fat surrounding their internal organs.<\/p>\n
The rodents also had lower cholesterol levels and reduced resistance to insulin, suggesting that the procedure has the potential to reduce the risk of metabolic disorders, said NTU in a statement on Tuesday (Jan 25).<\/p>\n
Touching on the therapy's safety, the research team said the hydrogel nanoparticles - made of copper sulphide - have negligible toxic effects on vital organs and tissues.<\/p>\n
And although the process uses heat converted from the infrared light to burn fat under the skin, the team found no thermal injury to the mice's skin, said Prof Chen.<\/p>\n
The hydrogel also contains substances that are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For instance, the gel contains an FDA-approved drug for people with overactive bladders, which the NTU team repurposed for its therapy.<\/p>\n
The team envisions the therapy being used as a home treatment one day.<\/p>\n
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\nNew therapy to tackle obesity by NTU team uses gel and infrared light, safety shown in trials on mice - The Straits Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"