Hebrew U. student advances obesity cure

A Hebrew University of Jerusalem researcher may have found the cure for obesity. The university said that Yaniv Linde, 32, a doctoral student in its department of organic chemistry, developed a compound that mimics the activity of the naturally occurring MSH hormone, which is excreted during eating. When the hormone binds to a receptor in the brain called MC4R, the brain signals to the rest of the body that it feels full, the university said.The compound has been patented in Europe and the United States. The Israeli company Bioline Rx Ltd. bought the development rights from the school and is now working on creating an anti-obesity drug.