WIKIMEDIA, OMAR SPENCE PHOTOGRAPHYA slightly modified synthetic version of a peptide found in the toxin of Caribbean sun anemones boosts metabolic activity in obese mice fed a junk-food diet, according to a study published this week (May 27) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The results indicate that the compound, known as Shk-186, which is already a promising drug candidate for the treatment of several autoimmune diseases, could also be developed as a potential treatment for obesity and insulin resistance in humans.

Developed by George Chandy of the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues, Shk-186 potently and specifically blocks the Kv1.3 potassium channel on T-lymphocyte cells, the upregulation of which is implicated in autoimmune diseases. (For more on Shk-186 and other toxin-derived drugs, see our recent story “From Toxins to Therapeutics.”) However, potassium channels control...