In mice, an RNA approach plus semaglutide cut more fat and kept more lean mass

What the research found

Study (animal). Joseph Bass, Anneke Thorne, and colleagues report work headed for PNAS (doi 10.1073/pnas.2618845123; Northwestern note 21 September 2026). A short RNA strand silenced ZFP423, a brake on turning white fat into beige fat, and the lab says that raised thermogenesis. In mice, the RNA approach improved glucose tolerance and reduced body fat without lean-mass loss on its own. Combined with the GLP-1 drug semaglutide, mice lost more weight and fat than with semaglutide alone and kept more lean mass: about 5.5% lean-mass loss versus about 10%, and about 4 grams of body fat versus nearly 8 grams. Northwestern has filed a provisional patent; Bass and Thorne are listed as inventors. This is a mouse experiment, not a human product, and it is not a reason to start, stop, or swap a prescribed GLP-1 drug.

Evidence level: Animal study. Results in animals or cells often don't carry over to people.

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Read the original at Northwestern University / News-Medical