Universite de Montreal research team developing leptin based pill to control hunger. A Universite de Montreal research team is developing a pill composed of leptin, the protein that tells our brain to stop eating. “Mice deprived of leptin will not stop eating. They become so big they have trouble moving around,” says Moise Bendayan, a pathology professor at the Universite de Montreal Faculty of Medicine who has studied the leptin protein extensively.

“Dr Moise Bendayan Universite de Montreal Faculty of Medicine photo: Universite de Montreal

Leptin regulates appetite in mammals and its levels decrease when fasting and rise during meals. It has been proven to be an appetite suppressant when administered intravenously to pathologically obese people.

Postdoctoral student Philippe Cammisotto is leading the charge for a leptin based, appetite suppressing pill with Dr. Bendayan and Emile Levy, a professor from the Department of Nutrition. “Taken orally, such a pill would provide obese people with the sensation of being full. They would eat less and in turn lose weight,” says Dr. Cammisotto.

“We hope to start animal testing in 2010,” says Bendayan. “The molecule is easy to synthesize and the protocol is ready.”

After decades of building his reputation in fundamental research, Bendayan is happy to collaborate on something more tangible. “Obesity is a big problem in our society, no pun intended,” says Bendayan. “To develop medication to combat obesity would be a great way for our laboratory to contribute to public health.”

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