Skip to main content

A microneedle skin patch could help melt fat right off of us

A Skin Patch That Can Melt Fat
There are all sorts of strange and scientific weight loss tricks out there. A new technique developed by researchers at Columbia University and the University of North Carolina might sound pretty crazy but, according to a new study, it actually works. The method uses a microneedle skin patch to deliver a fat-shrinking drug to specific regions that are a bit thicker than desired.

“Our group has previously developed several microneedles patched for different applications, including insulin patch, glucagon, and PD1 patch,” Zhen Gu, patch designer and study co-lead, told Digital Trends. “One day my wife just asked me how about an anti-obesity patch. Meanwhile … our collaborator Doctor Li Qiang contacted me for such a patch also, so we just started.”

Recommended Videos

Human fat is divided into two types: White fat and brown fat. White fat helps store excess energy in large droplets, while brown fat uses smaller droplets and mitochondria — the powerhouse of the cell — to burn fat and generate heat. The thing is, humans don’t have a whole lot of brown fat once we reach adulthood. Researchers have been attempting to find a method to turn a person’s white fat into brown fat to treat obesity and diabetes, but a clean and effective solution has remained elusive.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

“There are several clinically available drugs that promote browning, but all must be given as pills or injections,” Qiang said, the study’s co-lead. “This exposes the whole body to the drugs, which can lead to side effects such as stomach upset, weight gain, and bone fractures. Our skin patch appears to alleviate these complications by delivering most drugs directly to fat tissue.”

With the patch, the drugs are only delivered to targeted regions through nanoparticles, invisible to the naked eye, which are packed into microscopic needles that are stacked on the centimeter-sized patch. Once the patch is applied, they painlessly pierce the skin and release the drug into fat tissue.

In lab trials, mice treated with the patch experienced a 20 percent reduction in fat, while also lowering fasting blood glucose levels.

“Many people will no doubt be excited to learn that we may be able to offer a noninvasive alternative to liposuction for reducing love handles,” said Qiang. “What’s much more important is that our patch may provide a safe and effective means of treating obesity and related metabolic disorders such as diabetes.”

The researchers are now studying which combinations of drugs will be best suited for human trials. The study was published this month in the journal ACS Nano.

Dyllan Furness
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Dyllan Furness is a freelance writer from Florida. He covers strange science and emerging tech for Digital Trends, focusing…
Hyundai Ioniq 5 sets world record for greatest altitude change
hyundai ioniq 5 world record altitude change mk02 detail kv

When the Guinness World Records (GWR) book was launched in 1955, the idea was to compile facts and figures that could finally settle often endless arguments in the U.K.’s many pubs.

It quickly evolved into a yearly compilation of world records, big and small, including last year's largest grilled cheese sandwich in the world.

Read more
Global EV sales expected to rise 30% in 2025, S&P Global says
ev sales up 30 percent 2025 byd sealion 7 1stbanner l

While trade wars, tariffs, and wavering subsidies are very much in the cards for the auto industry in 2025, global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are still expected to rise substantially next year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

"2025 is shaping up to be ultra-challenging for the auto industry, as key regional demand factors limit demand potential and the new U.S. administration adds fresh uncertainty from day one," says Colin Couchman, executive director of global light vehicle forecasting for S&P Global Mobility.

Read more
Faraday Future could unveil lowest-priced EV yet at CES 2025
Faraday Future FF 91

Given existing tariffs and what’s in store from the Trump administration, you’d be forgiven for thinking the global race toward lower electric vehicle (EV) prices will not reach U.S. shores in 2025.

After all, Chinese manufacturers, who sell the least expensive EVs globally, have shelved plans to enter the U.S. market after 100% tariffs were imposed on China-made EVs in September.

Read more