Brits soon may be able to lose weight without eating less food as a new weight loss jab undergoes clinical trials on humans. Scientists have claimed that the drug, called RES-010, works by changing the way in which the body uses fats, rather than reducing appetite. The injection blocks a molecule in the RNA called miR-22, which controls how fats are metabolised and stored.
The scientists trialling the drug hope it will be offered as a weekly jab which could lead to long-lasting weight loss. The trials began at the end of 2024, and the results will be published next year. The initial phase of human trials are focused on the drugs safety before progressing onto studies of effectiveness.
Dr Riccardo Panella, the co-founder and chief executive of the biotech company, Resalis Therapeutics, which has created the injection, said: “RES-010 works by reprogramming how cells handle fat and energy.
“Rather than reducing appetite, it changes the way in which the body uses fats, boosting the production and activity of mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ that power cells, and helps convert white fat, which stores energy, into brown fat, which burns it.
“Because it acts on these fundamental pathways, weight regain is less likely. RES-010 is pioneering a new class of RNA medicines that reprogramme the body’s metabolism, with the aim of producing long-lasting weight loss and improved metabolic health by, for example, improving liver health.”
A study conducted on mice called Reprogramming Obesity highlighted the impact of the fat-loss drug. It found that those receiving the injection each week lost 12% more weight than those not on the drug, despite both eating the same amount of food.
The research also showed that the mice did not put the weight back on after coming off the injection. The current offerings of weight loss drugs, such as Ozempic and Mounjaro, operate by suppressing appetite and increasing the feeling of fullness.
However, Dr Adam Collins, the associate professor of nutrition at the University of Surrey, has expressed concern over “claims of ‘‘reprogramming metabolism’”.
“I think mechanistically this is speculative, without knowing the direct effects this is having on adipose tissue [fat cells] storage, and mitochondrial function,” he said.