Leptin News and Research

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Leptin is a 16 kDa protein hormone that plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism. It is one of the most important adipose derived hormones. The ''Ob(Lep)'' gene (Ob for obese, Lep for leptin) is located on chromosome 7 in humans.

JDRF, Amylin collaborate to support metreleptin study for type 1 diabetes

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they entered into a research collaboration agreement to provide financial support for a clinical proof-of-concept study to investigate the effects of metreleptin, an analog of the human hormone leptin, in patients with type 1 diabetes. Researchers at The University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center will conduct the study.

17 Nov 2010

Study suggests curcumin may be an effective therapy for liver fibrosis

Curcumin, a chemical that gives curry its zing, holds promise in preventing or treating liver damage from an advanced form of a condition known as fatty liver disease, new Saint Louis University research suggests.

30 Oct 2010

Research paves way to understand the mechanism of leptin therapy to improve type 1 diabetes

New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers suggest a novel role for the brain in mediating beneficial actions of the hormone leptin in type 1 diabetes.

20 Oct 2010

Protein hormone inhibits leptin-induced migration of liver cancer cells

A research team from Emory University School of Medicine investigated the role between adiponectin and leptin in obesity-related carcinogenesis. Their findings, published in the November issue of Hepatology, suggest that the protein hormone adiponectin has potential for inhibiting the oncogenic actions of leptin, namely in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and could offer a promising therapy for the disease.

19 Oct 2010

Research finds fat cells can secrete hormones

Scientists are reporting new evidence that the fat tissue in those spare tires and lower belly pooches - far from being a dormant storage depot for surplus calories - is an active organ that sends chemical signals to other parts of the body, perhaps increasing the risk of heart attacks, cancer, and other diseases. They are reporting discovery of 20 new hormones and other substances not previously known to be secreted into the blood by human fat cells and verification that fat secretes dozens of hormones and other chemical messengers.

14 Oct 2010

Acceleron announces ACE-031 Phase 1b study results

Acceleron Pharma, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that modulate the growth of cells and tissues including muscle, bone, fat, red blood cells and the vasculature, today announced preliminary results from a Phase 1b study to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacodynamic (PD) activity of ACE-031 following multiple ascending doses in healthy postmenopausal volunteers.

14 Oct 2010

Smart for Life(R) to add Lepticore(R) to product line

Smart for Life(R), the trailblazing company featuring weight management products will begin adding Lepticore(R) to its product line this month.

12 Oct 2010

UT Southwestern initiates study on hormone leptin for people with type 1 diabetes

A clinical trial at UT Southwestern Medical Center aims to determine whether adding the hormone leptin to standard insulin therapy might help rein in the tumultuous blood-sugar levels of people with type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes.

11 Oct 2010

NIH announces T-R01 project award to examine human microbiome

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that Martin J. Blaser, MD, the Frederick H. King Professor of Internal Medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center has been awarded one of only twenty NIH Director's Transformative Research Projects (T-R01) award for research entitled "Disappearing Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Epidemic Obesity.

4 Oct 2010

Erchonia launches Zerona body-contouring laser in South East Asia

Erchonia, the global leader in low level laser healthcare applications, today announces the launch of the Zerona® body-contouring laser in South East Asia's SAARC. Erchonia Asia will exclusively market and sell the Zerona throughout the region. This new expansion coincides with the recent U.S. FDA-approval of the Zerona Laser, a non-invasive, painless treatment that guarantees the removal of fat.

30 Sep 2010

New findings in brain plasticity and development

Brain plasticity – the brain’s ability to reorganise neural pathways – will be discussed at a major symposium this week at the University of New South Wales (Friday 24 September).

19 Sep 2010

Study results may point way to effective weight loss maintenance

Many people have experienced the frustration that comes with regaining weight that was lost from dieting. According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), the levels of appetite hormones in the body prior to dieting may serve as a predictor of weight regain after dieting.

9 Sep 2010

Research finds role of hormone-secreting fat cells in certain diseases

Scientists are reporting new evidence that the fat tissue in those spare tires and lower belly pooches far from being a dormant storage depot for surplus calories is an active organ that sends chemical signals to other parts of the body, perhaps increasing the risk of heart attacks, cancer, and other diseases.

3 Sep 2010

Achievement of sufficient night sleep needed in obesity prevention and weight-management programs

A study in the Sept. 1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that teens who slept less than eight hours per weeknight ate higher proportions of fatty foods and snacks than adolescents who slept eight hours or more. The results suggest that short sleep duration may increase obesity risk by causing small changes in eating patterns that cumulatively alter energy balance, especially in girls.

2 Sep 2010

CRT, Bayer Schering Pharma partner to study new leptin antagonist peptides in gynaecological, oncological diseases

Cancer Research Technology has signed an agreement with Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Germany to evaluate new leptin antagonist peptides as potential experimental treatments initially in the area of gynaecological diseases, including cancer.

25 Aug 2010

Sleep deprivation and chronic disease

Sleep experts believe that sleep deprivation and inadequate sleep is becoming frightfully common and it can be bad for health in more ways than one. According to Harvard School of Medicine's Healthy Sleep site there is a real link between chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and depression and chronic lack of sleep.

24 Aug 2010

Scientists combine basic adipose tissue mass knowledge with clinical experience

These proceedings cover the nervous regulation of both white and brown adipose tissue mass. Different physiological parameters such as metabolism (lipolysis and thermogenesis) and secretory activity (leptin and other adipokines) are reviewed. The plasticity of adipose tissue (proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis) showing the presence of a neural feedback loop between adipose tissue and the brain, which plays a major role in the regulation of energy homeostasis, is discussed.

6 Aug 2010

More time spent sitting linked to higher risk of death

AMRI initiates enrollment for Phase I study of ALB-127158 for obesity

AMRI has commenced enrollment for a Phase I study of ALB-127158(a), a novel MCH1 receptor antagonist offering a potential new approach for the treatment of obesity. The announcement was made yesterday during a presentation by AMRI's Dr. Peter Guzzo, director, discovery research and development, at the 6th Obesity and Diabetes Drug Development Summit in Arlington, VA. Preclinical data were also reported.

21 Jul 2010

Researchers find that increase in leptin may promote colorectal neoplasms

Now, for the first time, a collaborative study of researchers at the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine at Temple University's College of Science and Technology and the Department of Hematology, Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy have found that an increase in leptin, a cytokine that is normally increased in obese or overweight individuals, may promote colorectal neoplasms by activating colorectal cancer stem cells.

21 Jul 2010