A new device called ForePass could change how we treat severe obesity and diabetes. It works like surgery but doesn’t involve any cuts. This could be great news for many people who don’t want surgery or can’t take certain medicines.
Researchers, including experts from King’s College, studied the ForePass device. They tested it on pigs and published their findings in the journal Gut.
The study aimed to see how ForePass affected weight, insulin response, and gut bacteria in pigs compared to a group that didn’t get the treatment.
The results were impressive. The pigs with the ForePass device gained 79% less weight than the ones without it.
This suggests ForePass might work better than typical weight-loss surgeries like gastric bypass. The device also helped the body use insulin better and controlled blood sugar levels more effectively.
Another exciting finding was that ForePass improved gut bacteria linked to good health. It seems to help reverse severe obesity, diabetes, and liver problems like MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis).
Dr. Manoel Galvao Neto, a leading researcher in this study, believes ForePass is a game-changer. It’s the first of its kind and could start a new way of treating severe metabolic conditions.
Dr. Neto pointed out that only a tiny fraction of patients choose bariatric surgery because it’s invasive. That’s why the medical community is looking forward to clinical trials of ForePass.
ForePass is a special device made by a company called Keyron. It’s a combination of a gastric balloon and a flexible sleeve that goes into the stomach and small intestine. It’s put in place with endoscopy, which is simpler and cheaper than surgery.
Unlike surgery, it’s also reversible.
In the study, pigs had ForePass for a month. It led to a significant drop in weight gain and better blood sugar control. It also changed the gut bacteria in a good way. These changes are linked to better health for people with severe obesity, diabetes, and MASH.
Geltrude Mingrone, a professor involved in the study, said ForePass could be more effective than surgery. Traditional treatments don’t always work for people with very high BMIs.
ForePass is special because it offers the benefits of surgery without actually having to do the surgery.
The device works by reducing food intake and improving the body’s response to insulin. This can treat or even reverse diabetes and severe liver conditions.
Professor Stefan R Bornstein, another co-author, believes ForePass will be a big help for people with high BMIs who can’t get the results they need from medication. He thinks it could impact millions of lives in the U.S. and EU.
Keyron plans to start clinical trials for ForePass in early 2025. If these trials show that it’s safe and works well in humans, just like it did in animals, ForePass could change the way we treat severe obesity in the coming years.
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The research findings can be found in Gut.
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