BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

Brown fat heats up

Casting a wide net for brown and beige fat targets in metabolic diseases

March 10, 2016 8:00 AM UTC

While FGF21 is the clear frontrunner target for stimulating brown and beige fat, players in the seven year-old field believe there's room for plenty more runners in the race. Since the start of the year, separate studies have identified three new targets - FAP, USF1 and SLIT2 - that join a set of at least a dozen other proteins showing preclinical promise for tapping into the power of brown and beige fat to rev up metabolism.

The hope is that by activating brown fat cells, inducing "browning" of white fat cells, or both, compounds that inhibit or mimic the endogenous actors could burn excess fats and sugars, and help treat metabolic diseases and obesity...