Scientists have unveiled a small-molecule drug that blocks weight gain and liver damage in mice forced to live on sugary, high-fat food.
The compound works by limiting magnesium inside mitochondria—the cell’s power plants—so energy keeps burning instead of stalling. Treated mice quickly slim down and show no signs of fatty-liver disease, hinting at a future therapy against obesity, heart trouble, and cancer tied to poor diets.
Breakthrough Drug Fights Fat and Liver Disease
Researchers at UT Health San Antonio, working with colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell, have created a small-molecule drug that keeps mice from gaining weight or developing liver damage even when they eat a lifetime of sugary, high-fat food.
“When we give this drug to the mice for a short time, they start losing weight. They all become slim,” said Madesh Muniswamy, PhD, professor of medicine in the health science center’s Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine. The study appears in Cell Reports.
“A drug that can reduce the risk of cardiometabolic diseases such as heart attack and stroke, and also reduce the incidence of liver cancer, which can follow fatty liver disease, will make a huge impact.”
Madesh Muniswamy, PhD
Magnesium’s Hidden Role in Metabolism
The team began by asking how magnesium shapes metabolism—the way cells make and burn energy called ATP. Magnesium is the body’s fourth-most abundant charged mineral, vital for blood sugar control, blood pressure, and bone strength. Yet the scientists discovered that an excess of magnesium inside mitochondria, the cell’s “power plants,” actually slows energy production.
“It puts the brake on, it just slows down,” said co-lead author Travis R. Madaris, doctoral student in the Muniswamy laboratory at UT Health San Antonio.
When the researchers deleted MRS2, a gene that shuttles magnesium into mitochondria, the animals burned sugar and fat more efficiently. The mice stayed lean and healthy, with liver and fat tissue showing no trace of diet-induced fatty liver disease.
Drug CPACC Mimics Genetic Effect
The drug, which the researchers call CPACC, accomplishes the same thing. It restricts the amount of magnesium transfer into the power plants. In experiments, the result was again: skinny, healthy mice. UT Health San Antonio has filed a patent application on the drug.
The mice served as a model system of long-term dietary stress precipitated by the calorie-rich, sugary and fatty Western diet. The familiar results of this stress are obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular complications.
“Lowering the mitochondrial magnesium mitigated the adverse effects of prolonged dietary stress,” said co-lead author Manigandan Venkatesan, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the Muniswamy lab.
Joseph A. Baur, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, and Justin J. Wilson, PhD, of Cornell, are among the collaborators. “We came up with the small molecule and Justin synthesized it,” Madaris said.
Major Health Impact Potential
“These findings are the result of several years of work,” Muniswamy said. “A drug that can reduce the risk of cardiometabolic diseases such as heart attack and stroke, and also reduce the incidence of liver cancer, which can follow fatty liver disease, will make a huge impact. We will continue its development.”
Reference: “Limiting Mrs2-dependent mitochondrial Mg2+ uptake induces metabolic programming in prolonged dietary stress” by Travis R. Madaris, Manigandan Venkatesan, Soumya Maity, Miriam C. Stein, Neelanjan Vishnu, Mridula K. Venkateswaran, James G. Davis, Karthik Ramachandran, Sukanthathulse Uthayabalan, Cristel Allen, Ayodeji Osidele, Kristen Stanley, Nicholas P. Bigham, Terry M. Bakewell, Melanie Narkunan, Amy Le, Varsha Karanam, Kang Li, Aum Mhapankar, Luke Norton, Jean Ross, M. Imran Aslam, W. Brian Reeves, Brij B. Singh, Jeffrey Caplan, Justin J. Wilson, Peter B. Stathopulos, Joseph A. Baur and Muniswamy Madesh, 27 February 2023, Cell Reports.
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112155
Funders of this project include the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense and the San Antonio Partnership for Precision Therapeutics.
A version of this article was originally published in April 2023.
Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.
82 Comments
How can I purchase this new drug that limits magnesium in the human body
You can’t it’s still experimental and has to be tested and approved by the FDA.
That typically takes several years.
Now that the FDA has been “depopulated “ by RFK Jr., that may be a very long time. Or maybe not…. They’ll just release the drug quickly and humans can be part of the experiment to remove magnesium from the mitochondria- which doesn’t sound like a good idea for long term survival despite the magnificent claims in this article.
Bs
Researchers call this drug CPACC I guess. It is not on the market as far as I can see. The studies are needed so you do not end up with serious or painful issues..like death for example I am guessing.
That is a lie I eat junrk food and I never lose weight I don’t even eat much food still can’t lose weight
Is there a natural Supplement that will mimic this magnesium controlling drug
I’m interested. when and where.
I’m interested
How do we get this?
I’m Interested.
Preclinical. Many many years away
I’d love to be in the trials for this new drug. So many year before this drug is available.
I am interested
I would love to take part in the trial of this drug. This is a game changer.
Does Magnesium and Gluconate do the same ?
What is name of drug and is it avaliable?
Wats the name of the drug
The name of the drug is being g called what
To commenters asking if there’s a name and where to find this drug. The article says that “they are continuing the drugs development”
Clinical trials haven’t even been talked about, how can there possibly even be a place to buy this drug yet? Are any of you reading the entire article?
I would like to be in this trial.
Irene
I name this drug
STIBERCLAWL
or
SPINDISKI
or uh…
XERHUTHO
See.. it’s easy!
I name this drug
STIBERCLAWL
or
SPINDISKI
or uh…
XERHUTHO
See.. it’s easy!.
There is no mention of the name in the article because, the magnesium drug just now, has been released of it’s several year study. The scientists have not even begun to start clinical trials, that’s how “fresh out of the box” it is. As the article says, “We will continue its development.” Meaning there’s no name or anything else beyond that for this drug yet.
You need to read the story again completely it is still being studied and mice it is not available nor does it have a name yet it will be sometime in the future before this will become available I presume let alone do human trials it does sound fantastic and I do hope that it is safe and does come on the market but for now we all just have to wait because it is not Available yet maybe someday but with the government we have in there now Or mostly focused on and doing things that have already been done instead of looking forward
I would like to try it myself. Please let me know the name of it and where i can buy it ! I’m kinda of wondering cause I really need it .
This is a serious question. If the public were to contact the FDA and request they expedite studies, would it help or hurt?
Is a lie and fake I don’t believe it I been eating I need can’t lose weight
Amazon
I would like information on obtaining this drug?
A breakthrough new medicine to enable weight loss. Game changer if no side significant side effects. I would try it at a reasonable cost please provide more information to helps us decide. Thanks.
I would like to get more info
I would like more information
May I volunteer in a study if there is one?
How can I invest in this drug?
That is a lie I eat junrk food and I never lose weight I don’t even eat much food still can’t lose weight
… Because you eat junk food you can’t lose weight. It creates a hormone cascade, even just from the packaging it’s in. We’re bombarded with xenoestrogens at every turn so even if you eat well it’s hard to lose weight.
I would like more info ? Cost ?
I also would like more info on this new drug. How to get it and how much it cost.
Come on people! Read the article and you’ll know the answers to your questions.
CPACC is the name of it right now, that’ll change at some point.
You can’t get it and probably can’t be in any trail studies for several years if it even makes it that far. So cross your fingers and hold your breath until it’s available.
I am interested in the magnesium where is the address or information that I need to get in contact
I would like more information.
I need more information
I would like more information and where to buy it.
You can find it in the fresh fruit and veg and fresh meat Isles of your supermarket
There are two issues with your comment.
1. The article is not about losing weight by taking magnesium. It’s about blocking the absorption of magnesium into the mitochondria. Somehow, this seems to increase the metabolic rate (in mice) and cause them to burn through extra calories, even when they are fed nutritionless junk.
2. Even if the article was about Magnesium, that mineral is difficult to obtain from most fruits and vegetables, due to varying levels of anti nutrients. The only plant with high levels of easily absorbed, bioavailable magnesium is avocado.
You can get some from red meat… a half pound of steak will have around 50 mg, which isn’t a lot, but minerals from meat are really well absorbed.
But, the best way to get it without supplements is to swap out regular salt for a high quality mined mineral salt or sea salt
A meaningful and sincere thank you to the fabulously talented and devoted scientists working on our behalf for a fantastic remedy and solution for so many!
Why was this 2023 article republished now? I have searched online and can’t find any information to indicate that they went ahead with clinical trials. If there is new activity and possibility for this drug to actually advance to being available to humans, that would be great to know.
How can a humanoid use this information?
Hate to tell ya folks, but big pharma is going to buy the patent, and delete the research data, far too much money to loose as healthy thin people don’t need medication………many many years ago, maybe 30, there was a coating that could be applied to teeth to fully protect them from decay, well that would have been nice unless you are the dentist!!!!!! Bottom line, disease is just to good for their Bottom line
I would also like more information on how to get this medication.
You can find it in the fresh fruit and veg and fresh meat Isles of your supermarket.
I agree. There is a drug – BXQ-350 from Bexion Pharmaceutical in Covington KY that cures brain and maybe colon cancer. Look for an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about 2019. Still not on the market. It’s so very wrong.
The drug is called CPACC. This article is from March 2023. UT Health San Antonio applied for a patent. There was talk in August 2023 of having human trials yet none have been started as of July 2025. Drug research and approval is slow in general but surprising something this big isn’t getting more traction (like starting human trials). Perhaps like Bret said, this will get buried by big pharma. Or perhaps they have to repeat studies on mice before moving onto humans. It did sound like there may have been a repeat study on mice in 2024. I got all of this by asking AI, so take it or leave it.
Thank you for your tinfoil hat wearing comments! You are a breath of fresh conspiracy filled air…
You seriously can’t be this delusional. That “coating” you’re talking about exists and IS used regularly. It isn’t 100% effective, but it’s pretty darn close. Also, being underweight is significantly worse than being overweight. So why wouldn’t they just starve us? They would save money on food costs, too. You see how flawed your insane logic is? Go touch grass.
To say that there is any supplement or any drug that can make people lose weight while on a junk food diet is preposterous. The body only has one way of dealing with excessive calories… fat cells. You can’t flush it away. You can’t counteract the calories.
The good news is that any weight loss product works when it’s taken along with diet and exercise. Because it’s diet and exercise that does it. With or without drugs.
If something iß too good to be true it probably is. Doing yoga to lose weight is as good as it gets. Proper nutrition is important and even if the drug helps with weight loss I’m certain there are side effects
doing yoga to lose weight? yoga? which is a good thing for you to do, but to lose weight?
I agree. There is a drug – BXQ-350 from Bexion Pharmaceutical in Covington KY that cures brain and maybe colon cancer. Look for an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about 2019. Still not on the market. It’s so very wrong.
How do I get this drug
Like to find out more about this drug
What is organic naming convention for this drug or if in the experimental stages what is name according to researchers and where would I find literature regarding this drug?
Like to know how to get this drug very interested because it seems we’ve never heard about magnesium this way until now
Does magnesium really work for weight loss
Nothing worth doing is easy, including losing weight. People will always look for the easy way out, ie a magic pill, even though that pill might cost thousands, and it would be much cheaper to eat healthier and/or buy some fitness equipment and do the hard yards. Good luck everyone.
This is a serious question. If the public were to contact the FDA and request they expedite studies, would it help or hurt?
I’m interested in the magnesium weight loss can you send the information on how to purchase it
What is the name of the drug where is the information
Where can I find the new drug
What is it? how do we try it ?
This is a serious question. If the public were to contact the FDA and request they expedite studies, would it help or hurt?
The amount of stupid in these comments is horrifying. Read up on how important it is for your body to maintain magnesium in your mitochondria, and stop being a pharma whore, so eager to just take a pill, as if that ever ended well. Take accountability; exercise, and eat whole foods. It’s not hard, stop pretending like it is. You’re just lazy. It’s going to take some time to reverse years of damage from your own bad habits, but it will work, and it will work safely!
It is good to see that at least one other comment points out that people might want to work on themselves instead of begging for the pill.
It is less good that such needs to be pointed out at all,
Who will be making it’s drug so I can buy the stock?
Asking the real question here!
So, obviously, a drug that enables people to easily lose fat without worrying about quality or quantity of food would help millions of overweight/obese people with addictive eating habits.
But, my questions would be, wouldn’t there be long term negative consequences from not absorbing magnesium into the mitochondria?
Would a drug that mimicked these effects in humans block magnesium from absorbing in other parts of our system where it is needed?
Also, if people were given a drug that actually worked like this, would it not further enable people with these eating habits to live almost exclusively on junk food and end up with other health problems from micronutrient deficiencies?
I almost 70. I started having leg cramps. I was told I need magnesium. Hey if it helps me lose a few pounds, Sounds like a win win. Word giving it a try
I’m 73 years old and I don’t like the way I look at myself in the mirror. I would really want to try this , cause I’m having trouble walking and breathing. Also I hope that I could afford it !
I’m 73 years old and I don’t like the way I look at myself in the mirror. I would really want to try this , cause I’m having trouble walking and breathing. Also I hope that I could afford it !
Losing weight by taking a substance that prohibits a vital nutrient to the human body just so excess weight can be lost seems like a recipe for disaster. Mice are not humans and have way shorter life span than humans. To me, this is not a good idea. Magnesium is essential for all body functions and if the balance is upset for whatever reason, then other issues will arise that are so much more dangerous than being overweight, a condition that can be managed in different, less catastrophic ways.
But hey, go ahead, take the wonder pill and develop other health issues, that’s how it goes I guess when you’re desperate but don’t want to take accountability.
Most of your comment is accurate. But the last paragraph is not only mean-spirited, judgmental and entirely unnecessary, it’s also the only incorrect part of your little rant.
Yes, people who are overweight and have been for a long time are desperate. But having trouble losing weight does not in any way indicate a lack of accountability. Most (if not all) people who are more than 20 pounds overweight and have been for more than five years , are people who are as addicted to overeating and/or unhealthy processed foods as a pack-a-day smoker is to cigarettes.
As someone who has quit cigarettes and lost large amounts of weight, I can tell you the latter is much harder.
Once you quit smoking, you never have to smoke again, so there is no reason to get addicted again.
Eating is something you need to do to live, and making those necessary adjustments is ten times harder than quitting an addictive, but unnecessary substance like cigarettes or alcohol.
And even if you think you have fixed your food addiction issues and lost weight, you can always backslide. A divorce, a death in the family, loss of job, or even just a stressful week, can lead to stress eating and/or skipping the gym. It’s so much harder to reach goal weight and remain there than it is to quit any substance.
People who love to point fingers and sit in judgement of those who struggle with weight are accomplishing nothing beyond acting like a schoolyard bully and showing a complete lack of empathy