Scientists from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have isolated a new type of energy-depleting adipocyte from adults that they say may have the potential to treat obesity. Spiegelman is the senior author of the results. Their results are scheduled to be published in the July 12 issue of the journal Cell and will be published in the July 20 paper edition. According to Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, who led the study at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, they named the newly discovered fat cells “brown fat,” which are found in pea-sized deposits near the clavicle and under the skin scattered along the spine in adults. Unlike white fat, which stores energy, this fat can burn energy. Brown fat cells may therefore contribute to new treatments for obesity and diabetes. The study found that brown fat is genetically distinct from “brown fat”, which also burns energy to produce heat. Brown fat is found in small mammals and human infants and protects against cold damage. On the other hand, white fat can store energy and excess white fat can lead to obesity. In a 2008 paper, the Spiegelman lab suggested the existence of a third group of fats beyond white and brown fats, and this is the first time the team has isolated them and identified their unique genetic profile. Leading this research in the new article is the discovery by first author Jun Wu, PhD, of the Spiegelman research group, that the irisin hormone expressed by muscle cells during exercise can specifically target brown fat. In 2009, three research groups reported that deposits found in adults contained brown fat, and the new study identified them as brown fat by their genetic makeup. spiegelman said, “Looking ahead, it means you want to look at potential treatments for this ‘hot spot’ that we’ve been skirting around ‘ in brown fat cells,” even in small amounts, brown fat and brown fat can burn a lot of energy. The authors write in their paper in Cell that the therapeutic ability of the two types of fat cells is clear, genetically manipulated in mice to generate more brown fat or brown fat, with strong anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. Researchers are seeking to find ways to explore human brown fat for the benefit of humans. Both types of fat contain energy-burning organelles called mitochondria, which create brown and brown color due to the presence of iron. The key difference is that brown fat cells express high levels of UCP1, a protein that is necessary for mitochondria to burn energy to generate heat. Spiegelman has published a series of findings on different adipocyte types. He has found that brown fat cells are derived from stem cell precursors that can also produce muscle cells. And brown fat forms in deposits of white adipocytes derived from brown cell precursors. Earlier this year, he reported finding that irisin produced by muscle exercise converts white fat into brown fat. In the new paper in Cell, Spiegelman says irisin specifically stimulates the production of brown fat from white fat. the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has licensed two of the findings to Ember Therapeutics Biotechnology, a company Spiegelman founded, with plans to develop irisin as an obesity and diabetes new treatments for obesity and diabetes.