Researchers have come up with a microneedle skin-patch that could deliver fat-reducing drugs as an obesity and diabetic treatment.
The Medicated Micro-needle
Scientists have come up with a medical skin-patch which can deliver a fat-reducing drug as a treatment for diabetes and obesity. The drug converts your “stubborn fat,” also known as white fat to “energy burning brown fat,” while simultaneously increasing your overall metabolism. It can be administered locally in order to “burn off” stubborn pockets of fat such as “love handles” or “beer bellies.”
For years scientists have been looking for a way to convert stubborn storage “white fat” into “energy burning brown fat,”- a process called “browning.” This can happen naturally when you’re in a cold environment. There are many available “browning” drugs, but this method is the first to be able to target local areas rather than the whole body.
Comments On This New Therapy
“There are several clinically available drugs that promote browning, but all must be given as pills or injections,” said Li Qiang, the co-leader of the study. “This exposes the whole body to the drugs, which can lead to side effects such as stomach upset, weight gain, and bone fractures. Our skin patch appears to alleviate these complications by delivering most drugs directly to fat tissue.”
Zhen Gu, another co-leader, talked about the localized nature of this new technology: “The nanoparticles were designed to effectively hold the drug and then gradually collapse, releasing it into nearby tissue in a sustained way instead of spreading the drug throughout the body quickly.”
“Many people will no doubt be excited to learn that we may be able to offer a noninvasive alternative to liposuction for reducing love handles,” Dr. Qiang said. “What’s much more important is that our patch may provide a safe and effective means of treating obesity and related metabolic disorders such as diabetes.”