CRISPR converts normal body fat into one that burns energy

By Michael Le Page

Gene editing can turn normal fat cells into a type of fat that burns energy

Shutterstock / Design_Cells

Metabolic disorders related to obesity could be treated by removing fat from a person, using CRISPR gene editing to convert it into energy-burning "beige fat", and then implanting the changed fat back into the body.

"It would be a personalized therapy for metabolic diseases," says Silvia Corvera of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

While most fat simply stores energy, some types – known as brown and beige fat – burn glucose to produce heat. People have little …