Eli Lilly discovery could have great effect on obesity

INDIANAPOLIS Eli Lilly is saying that it has discovered an enzyme that could lead to a new drug to reduce appetite and diminish obesity, according to published reports.

The enzyme, called GOAT (gastric O-acyl transferase) is responsible for putting a fatty acid onto the so-called “hunger hormone,” known as ghrelin, which sends a signal to the brain that it’s time to eat.

“It’s really the Holy Grail,” said Jesus Gutierrez, a research adviser in integrative biology at Lilly. “It’s something scientists have been looking for since 1999, when ghrelin was discovered.”

Lilly’s approach is to keep fatty acids from attaching to the ghrelin hormone while still in the stomach, before the signal is ever sent to the brain.

“In the realm of how hard it is to develop drugs, an enzyme in your stomach is a much easier target,” said David Bredt, vice president for neuroscience research at Lilly. “This enzyme is only present in the stomach. It’s not in the brain, where drugs can do harm. Secondly, when you take a pill, the first place it goes is to your stomach. So the pill doesn’t have to go very far to work.”

Much more research will be conducted on the hormone and enzyme before the company starts to begin producing a drug for clinical trials.