Life Sciences & Medicine Active Updated Aug 13, 2026
A rare gene variant that cuts heart and metabolic disease risk
A study spanning more than a million people across three continents found a rare protective mutation in FNIP1, a gene involved in cellular nutrient sensing, that cuts heart disease and metabolic disorder risk in the roughly 1 in 7,000 people who carry it. The stakes are whether researchers can turn this natural protection into a drug, following the same path that produced CCR5-based HIV resistance and PCSK9 cholesterol drugs.
The story so far
-
Aug 13, 2026 Latest
A multi-continent study of more than a million people found that the roughly 1 in 7,000 people carrying a rare protective variant in the gene FNIP1 had on average 60 percent lower risk of heart disease and metabolic disorders, and silencing FNIP1 in human liver cells switched on a fat-breakdown program that curbed weight gain, prevented fatty liver disease and kept blood sugar steady in mice fed a high-fat diet.
This story moves with the morning letter.
When this arc advances, the timeline above grows the same morning. One short, warm letter with the day's real progress in science, medicine and beyond. Free, every day.
Free forever, no spam. One click to unsubscribe, and we never sell your email.