Researchers say they have created a pill that can simulate the health benefits of exercise.
They say it could provide an alternative for people who are unable to engage in physical activity because of various reasons such as ageing, illness or medical conditions.
"Our inspiration stems from the immense health benefits associated with regular exercise," the lead investigator of the project, Bahaa Elgendy, a professor of anaesthesiology at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, told The National.
"Exercise has been shown to improve various aspects of health, such as cardiovascular function, metabolism, mental well-being and overall quality of life.
"However, not everyone is able to engage in regular physical activity due to various barriers, such as age, physical limitations or medical conditions."
The findings were presented at the American Chemical Society's Spring 2024 meeting in New Orleans, highlighting the potential of new compounds to mimic the positive effects of physical exercise on muscle cells in rodents.
"The impact of exercise mimetics on healthcare and patient quality of life can be significant," says Prof Elgendy, the project’s principal investigator.
"By providing a way to improve health and well-being without the requirement for strenuous physical exertion, exercise mimetics may help people who are physically limited or have health conditions that make exercising difficult.
"This could lead to improved management and prevention of chronic diseases, enhanced cardiovascular function, increased metabolism and better mental health.
“We cannot replace exercise; exercise is important on all levels.
“If I can exercise, I should go ahead and get the physical activity. But there are so many cases in which a substitute is needed.”
In such cases, a pharmacological substitute could play a crucial role in maintaining muscle health and function.
Prof Elgendy's team has focused on understanding how exercise enhances muscle cell metabolism and growth, and improves overall muscle performance.
Their research led to the development of a compound named SLU-PP-332, which activates oestrogen-related receptors (ERRs) involved in the body's adaptation to exercise.
"This compound shows promise as a potential exercise mimetic, offering a non-exercise-based approach to promoting some of the benefits associated with physical activity," Prof Elgendy said.
“In all of these conditions, ERRs play a major role. If you have a compound that can activate them effectively, you could generate so many beneficial effects.”
This compound was found to increase endurance and a fatigue-resistant type of muscle fibre in mice.
Building on this discovery, the researchers designed new molecules to enhance the interaction with ERRs, aiming for a more potent simulation of exercise's effects.
These new compounds showed promise in preliminary tests.
"By activating ERRs, SLU-PP-332 essentially "tricks" the cells into behaving as if they have experienced exercise, even in the absence of actual physical activity," Prof Elgendy said.
"This activation of ERRs can potentially lead to improved metabolic health, increased endurance, and other benefits similar to those observed with regular exercise."
The potential applications of these findings are broad, ranging from dealing with muscle atrophy and weakness associated with ageing or illness, to addressing side-effects of medications that cause muscle loss.
And the activation of ERRs by these compounds could offer therapeutic benefits for conditions such as obesity, heart failure and even neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, where these receptors play a significant role.
Exercises to control high blood pressure – in pictures
As the research progresses, Prof Elgendy and his colleagues, through their start-up Pelagos Pharmaceuticals, plan to test these new compounds in animal models.
"These compounds may target various aspects of metabolism, cellular function, and energy utilization to address conditions such as obesity, heart failure, and kidney function decline," he said.
"By modulating these pathways, these compounds have the potential to promote favorable physiological changes that contribute to improved health outcomes in these specific conditions".
'Moonshot'
Director: Chris Winterbauer
Stars: Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Aggro%20Dr1ft
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Maestro
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Barbie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Greta%20Gerwig%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Margot%20Robbie%2C%20Ryan%20Gosling%2C%20Will%20Ferrell%2C%20America%20Ferrera%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 390bhp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
