Two investigations carried out by North American scientists have succeeded in transforming adult skin cells into a very specific type of neurons: those that control the sensation of hunger. This advance could be a giant step towards developing new strategies and drugs against obesity , one of the plagues of our time.
As explained in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, experts from Columbia University Medical Center and the New York Stem Cell Foundation have genetically reprogrammed conventional skin cells to become induced pluripotent stem cells (IPS). Theoretically, IPSs can function like cells in any human tissue if they receive a series of molecular signals in a certain order, but until now it has not been possible to metamorphose them into neurons of the hypothalamus. These brain cells control basic physiological functions such as sleep, hypertension, mood, and appetite.
After completing the "cross-dressing" process, which lasted 30 days, the neocells were capable of secreting certain neuropeptides and responding to substances such as insulin or leptin, which play a crucial role in our metabolism. Although not entirely identical to natural hypothalamic neurons , laboratory cells will allow insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms and biological abnormalities that lead to morbid overweight.
The other study, developed in parallel by researchers from Harvard University, has achieved similar results.
