New study reveals potential 'two-in-one' treatment for diabetes and heart disease

Monash University

Building on earlier studies showing its benefits for type 2 diabetes, a new study has revealed experimental drug ‘IC7Fc’ may also help prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation.

The international team of scientists led by Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands, in collaboration with Monash University and others, has published a new preclinical study in Science Advances and shown IC7Fc significantly lowered the amount of fat (triglycerides) and cholesterol in the blood of mice prone to heart disease.  

It does this by reducing the buildup of fatty plaques in blood vessels and lowering inflammation, both of which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Professor Mark Febbraio led the research on behalf of the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) and has been central to the team behind the discovery and years-long exploration into IC7Fc as a promising novel treatment for metabolic diseases.

“Our earlier studies showed IC7Fc could help manage type 2 diabetes, a metabolic disease. This new research shows it can also reduce atherosclerosis, meaning it slows the ‘clogging’ of the arteries, where fatty deposits build up and restrict blood flow to the heart,” Professor Febbraio said. 

“Heart disease remains the world’s biggest killer, driven largely by atherosclerosis. Even with common treatments that lower blood pressure and cholesterol, many people are still at risk, showing there’s more work to do.”

In earlier studies, IC7Fc was shown to help reduce appetite and body fat in obese mice, however in this study using lean mice prone to high cholesterol and artery disease, IC7Fc did not change body weight or food intake.

This suggests IC7Fc’s weight-loss effects may mainly apply to obesity, while its heart-protective benefits, like reducing cholesterol buildup in arteries, could still help lean individuals. 

The findings highlight IC7Fc’s potential as a versatile treatment and point to the need for further research in humans.

“These results suggest IC7Fc could offer a dual benefit – helping reduce obesity in some, while protecting the heart in others,” Professor Febbraio said. 

“It’s an exciting step towards a treatment that targets both metabolic and cardiovascular disease.”

ENDS

The full study, The designer cytokine IC7Fc attenuates atherosclerosis development by targeting hyperlipidemia in mice can be found here. 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adx3794 

Kate Carthew

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