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New drug offers promise of ‘exercise in pill form’

New drug offers promise of ‘exercise in pill form’

Exercise in pill form? We truly have entered the future!

A new experimental drug called SR9009, which was developed last year by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, has been found to increase the running speed and stamina of mice by up to 50%. This is apparently without any exercise, but the gains made are just like those an athlete sees from training.

The way SR9009 does this is by targeting Rev-erbα, something our bodies produce naturally, which influences our daily rhythm and our muscle metabolism. The researchers are saying that Rev-erbα influences our muscle cells to produce new mitochondria, the 'power plants' of our cells, while promoting the cells to dump defective mitochondria. The overall effect of this is that our cells are able to produce more energy, faster and for longer periods of time.

With this drug, those that are unable to exercise due to health reasons could still get the benefits from exercise without the effort, giving people suffering from obesity and cardio-vascular disease a way to improve their condition. Another application might be in preventing muscle loss due to aging.

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One use that isn't mentioned in any of the other articles I've seen so far, but which I find particularly important, is for human space exploration.

When Chris Hadfield and his crew returned to Earth back in May, they spent weeks recovering to the point where they could simply walk unaided. After months in orbit aboard the International Space Station, the low-g environment had taken a toll on the astronauts' bodies. Without the constant pull of gravity to resist against, their muscles began to atrophy and they lost bone density. Even following a daily exercise regimen can't compete with the 24/7 influence of gravity on our bodies when we're on Earth.

With plans for a continued human presence in orbit, and ideas in the works to press onward, out to the Moon and then to Mars, astronauts on those missions will have to worry about the same effects. We're unlikely to be developing artificial gravity anytime soon, so if SR9009 is found to be both effective and safe, it may end up being an incredible boon to the space industry.

(Photo courtesy: Chris Hadfield/CSA/NASA)

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