The discovery of a specific group of nerve cells in the brain stem has shed new light on how semaglutide affects appetite and weight loss. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have made a groundbreaking find that could pave the way for better drugs to treat obesity.

Semaglutide, a GLP-1R agonist, is already well-established as part of the treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, it can cause side effects such as nausea and muscle loss. The researchers were able to distinguish the nerve cells in the brain that control the beneficial effects of semaglutide from those that contribute to side effects.

In a study published in Cell Metabolism, the researchers worked with mice and tracked which nerve cells were activated by semaglutide. They then stimulated these cells without administering the drug itself. The result was that the mice ate less and lost weight, just as they did when treated with semaglutide. When these nerve cells were killed, the drug’s effect on appetite and fat loss decreased significantly, but side effects such as nausea and muscle loss remained.

“This suggests that these nerve cells control the beneficial effects of semaglutide,” says Júlia Teixidor-Deulofeu, first author of the study. “We have therefore identified a specific group of nerve cells that is necessary for the effects that semaglutide has on weight and appetite, but which does not appear to contribute to any significant extent to side effects such as nausea.”

The identified nerve cells are located in an area of the brain called the dorsal vagal complex. The study provides new knowledge about how semaglutide works in the brain and deeper insight into how the brain stem regulates our energy balance.

“The better we understand this, the greater the opportunity we have to improve them,” says Linda Engström Ruud, researcher and supervisor to PhD students Júlia Teixidor-Deulofeu and Sebastian Blid Sköldheden, who both worked on the project.

This discovery has significant implications for the development of better drugs to treat obesity and could potentially lead to improved treatment options with fewer side effects.

The discovery of an ultra-rapid method for genetically diagnosing brain tumors has been hailed as a groundbreaking achievement by scientists and medics. This innovative approach can reduce the time it takes to classify brain tumors from 6-8 weeks to as little as two hours, providing quicker access to optimal care for thousands of patients each year in the UK.

The team at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) has successfully developed this method using portable sequencing devices and a software tool called ROBIN. This technology can quickly sequence specific parts of human DNA, allowing relevant information to be extracted and analyzed within minutes.

Brain tumors require complex genetic tests to diagnose, which traditionally takes weeks or even months to complete. The long wait for results is traumatic for patients and delays the start of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, potentially reducing the effectiveness of treatment.

The new method has achieved a 100% success rate in delivering rapid diagnoses during surgeries, providing accurate information within hours. This not only improves clinical decision-making but also reduces anxiety and worry for patients facing an already difficult time.

Experts believe that this technology will be a game-changer in diagnosing brain tumors, increasing the speed and accuracy of diagnoses while being more cost-effective than current methods. The team is now working to roll out this new testing across NHS Trusts in the UK, ensuring rapid access to optimal care for patients.

The potential impact on patient care is immense, with accurate diagnosis within hours of surgery transforming treatment options and removing uncertainty for patients. As one expert noted, “This technology will drive equity of access to rapid and accurate molecular diagnosis,” paving the way for personalized clinical trials and improved patient outcomes.

Scientists have made a groundbreaking discovery that could revolutionize our understanding of the human brain. A team of researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed a versatile set of gene delivery systems that can reach different neural cell types in the brain and spinal cord with exceptional accuracy.

This innovative platform has the potential to transform how scientists study neural circuits, providing them with gene delivery systems for various species used in research without the need for genetically modified animals. The new delivery tools use a small, stripped-down adeno-associated virus (AAV) to deliver DNA to target cells and can be broadly applied across many species and experimental systems.

The NIH’s Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative (BRAIN Initiative) has funded this large-scale project, which brings together experts in molecular biology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. The team has developed a comprehensive toolkit that includes standard operating procedures and user guides for these tools.

This collection of research tools will significantly accelerate understanding of the human brain. Importantly, the toolkit enables access to specific brain cell types in the prefrontal cortex, an area critical for decision-making and uniquely human traits. With other tools in the collection, scientists can better study individual cells and communication pathways known to be affected in several neurological diseases.

The new gene delivery systems lay the groundwork for more precise treatments that target only affected cells in the brain, spinal cord, or brain blood vessels. AAV-based treatments are already approved for some conditions, such as spinal muscular atrophy, which has transformed the lives of infants and young children who once faced severe disability or early death.

The toolkit is available at distribution centers like Addgene, a global supplier of genetic research tools. This collection of publications offers researchers standard operating procedures and user guides for these tools. The work is supported by the NIH’s BRAIN Initiative, which has provided funding to develop precise and reproducible access to cells and circuits in experimental research models of the brain and spinal cord.

Overall, this breakthrough in neuroscience research has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain and pave the way for more effective treatments for neurological diseases.