research

A novel gene that produces a protein called "beacon" plays an important role in the development of obesity and diabetes, says Professor Greg R. Collier. Dr. Collier and his team of researchers at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, have found that the protein increases appetite, body weight, and the incidence of type 2 diabetes in desert rats. Because beacon is identical in rats and humans, the beacon gene represents a potential target for the development of anti-obesity drugs, the researchers contend.