If this genuinely delivers, it would be absolutely incredible.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5880938-first-human-glp-1-gene-therapy-trial/
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5880938-first-human-glp-1-gene-therapy-trial/
Might This Be the Ultimate Answer for Weight Loss?
- Thread starter Grogu
- Start date
professorpeppy
Explorer
I've noticed some chatter about this over on tiktok. It seems great and would really open up weight loss options for people who can't do injections and such.
Should it ever reach the market, my guess is insurance won’t pay for it and the price tag will put it out of reach. For people who can’t stand needles, tablets are likely to be the go-to choice. It would probably also fit into a step therapy protocol.
DrPEPr
Explorer
This looks like it could pan out.
Gene editing strikes me as where things are headed, though it does give off a slightly unsettling vibe.
From what I can tell, the trial is starting up in the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, I'm not eligible to take part
Gene editing strikes me as where things are headed, though it does give off a slightly unsettling vibe.
From what I can tell, the trial is starting up in the Netherlands.
Unfortunately, I'm not eligible to take part
lessthanhalf
Explorer
A permanent fix certainly sounds appealing. How it would actually function, though, is unclear to me — has anyone already tested it in an animal model, I wonder?
Then there is the question of how the gene therapy gets delivered into the pancreas. That route must carry at least a small percentage risk of triggering pancreatitis, since pancreases become inflamed at the slightest provocation, never mind having something infused into them.
It also would need to be actual GLP-1, or a close analog, which has an extremely short half life. To produce effects comparable to the drugs, it would have to generate a large amount of it, because glp-1 agonists are typically dosed at levels orders of magnitude above endogenous GLP-1. And having too many copies of the gene active would risk side effects that never go away.
Cost is another factor — the handful of gene therapies actually in use run into the millions.
Then there is the question of how the gene therapy gets delivered into the pancreas. That route must carry at least a small percentage risk of triggering pancreatitis, since pancreases become inflamed at the slightest provocation, never mind having something infused into them.
It also would need to be actual GLP-1, or a close analog, which has an extremely short half life. To produce effects comparable to the drugs, it would have to generate a large amount of it, because glp-1 agonists are typically dosed at levels orders of magnitude above endogenous GLP-1. And having too many copies of the gene active would risk side effects that never go away.
Cost is another factor — the handful of gene therapies actually in use run into the millions.
Smiter
Explorer
It makes me happy to see gene therapy being explored for GLp-1. Gene therapy aimed at myostatin has been something we've hoped for over many years. Simply to beat up some bullies... Bully whippet syndrome