INFORM October 2025

BIOTECHNOLOGY

inform October 2025, Vol. 36 (9) • 9

The fat-1 gene therapy used in this study converts omega-6 fatty acids into omega-3 fatty acids based on serum analysis. The gene is not typically found in mammals like mice or humans, and scientists originally discovered it in small worms called Caenorhabditis elegans . PROFOUND EFFECTS Researchers induced OA in mice using an experimental surgical technique called destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM). The procedure involves cutting a knee ligament which causes progressive cartilage breakdown, synovial membrane inflammation, subchondral bone

remodeling, and osteophyte formation in the weeks following surgery (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21184-5). A single dose of fat-1 gene therapy reduced the amount of omega-6 fatty acids in the serum. It significantly reduced the mice’s weight and body fat at 28 weeks of age. Fat-1 gene therapy lowered fasting glucose levels and prostaglandin E2, an inflammatory lipid, in mice fed a high-fat diet. And the treatment reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, IL-1α, and IL-1β in mice serum at 52 weeks of age. Fat-1 gene therapy also proved beneficial in two mouse models of OA: OA caused by DMM and OA caused by typi cal aging. Fat-1 gene therapy diminished the risk of cartilage