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New IU Research Could Mean Better Treatment For Adult-Onset Diabetes And Obesity

Taki Steve
/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/13519089@N03/

Indiana University researchers are seeing success with a new treatment for adult-onset diabetes and obesity.

The research found that a new treatment combining three hormones—glucagon, glucagon-like-peptide and gastric-inhibitory-peptide—into a single molecule can help lower blood sugar levels and address excess body weight.

IU Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Richard DiMarchi co-led the research, and he says bringing those three hormones together increases their effectiveness.

“When they are used in combination, particularly when they are tailored into a single molecule, you maximize the efficacy and diminish the adverse effects that come with any drug therapy,” DiMarchi says.

DiMarchi says one drug won’t solve the obesity epidemic or cure everyone who’s living with Type II diabetes, but he says his research team aims to provide a variety of helpful tools to the medical community.

Human clinical trials of the treatment are now underway.

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