"Basically," says Jerry Nadler, MD, director of the EVMS Strelitz Diabetes Center, chair of internal medicine and co-author on both papers, "it appears that excess STAT4 is working in hyper-drive, leading to inflamed fat which can produce these problems. This is significant because prior to this study, no one knew that STAT4 was involved in insulin resistance or atherosclerosis."

These findings lay the groundwork for pivotal follow-up studies on the relationship between metabolic responses and immunity.

"Now that we know STAT4 is a factor," Dr. Dobrian says, "the next steps will be to work on better understanding the mechanisms behind it with the ultimate goal of developing a drug that blocks or inhibits STAT4, without eliminating it entirely. "

The doctors say that STAT 4 is a particularly attractive target for treatment because it exists in only a few cell types throughout the body, and, therefore, any drug that regulates the gene's expression to maintain normal levels is less likely to cause other side effects.

"This is an important first step in identifying a new target for treatment of the most urgent health problem throughout not only the United States, but much of the developed world," Dr. Galkina says. "If we can develop a way to reduce the health problems associated with obesity, we can save a lot of people."

Source: Eastern Virginia Medical School