UC Berkeley Scientists Find TOFA Cuts Fat in Mice by 18% While Preserving Muscle
Updated
Updated · Inside Precision Medicine · Aug 21
UC Berkeley Scientists Find TOFA Cuts Fat in Mice by 18% While Preserving Muscle
2 articles · Updated · Inside Precision Medicine · Aug 21
Summary
TOFA helped obese mice lose fat without significant lean-muscle loss and improved insulin sensitivity, glucose control, triglycerides and fatty-liver features, according to a Science Advances study.
The compound raised cellular energy burning by up to 18% with no change in food intake, exercise or body temperature, giving it a different mechanism from appetite-suppressing GLP-1 drugs.
UC Berkeley researchers said TOFA also avoided a key problem that derailed earlier ACC inhibitors: it did not raise triglycerides, likely because it both blocks lipid production and activates fat-burning PPAR pathways.
In mouse tests, TOFA combined with semaglutide or tirzepatide produced bigger gains in weight, glucose, insulin and triglycerides than either treatment alone, suggesting a complementary role rather than a replacement.
The findings are still limited to animals, with no human safety or efficacy data yet; the team has launched ReRx Therapeutics to advance the compound toward patients.