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Lexicon Finds New Obesity Drug Target

Jun 10, 2002

NEW YORK, June 10-Lexicon Genetics said today that it had identified and validated in vivo a new target for obesity treatments.

 

Researchers at Lexicon created a knockout mouse that was lacking a previously uncharacterized G-protein coupled receptor gene, LG747. These mice accumulated twice as much body fat as normal rodents, leading to an average 35 percent weight increase.

 

Lexicon plans to develop drugs that activate this receptor, in the hopes of finding treatments that reduce body fat and treat obesity-related disease.

 

For further information, see the company press release.

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