Provide a brief history of the technical application the team has selected. Include significant scientific discoveries, advances and milestones:

         Treatment for obesity through the use of drugs has dramatically improved over the past 50 years. Drug companies and research groups are continually discovering ways for anti-obesity drugs to be improved. Prescription drugs for obesity treatment are now considered modestly effective but over-the-counter drugs could be improved immensely because they are largely ineffective. Anti-obesity drug companies are also trying to eliminate the harmful side effects in their products. Ever since the invention of weight loss drugs, scientists have improved them by making discoveries, advancements, and reaching milestones, but there is considerable room for improvement.
         In the early 1900’s people used odd products to lose weight such as sanitized tapeworms. After that idea was rejected, weight loss drugs began to develop in the means of supplements, herbs, and dietary pills. Many of these new drugs such as fenfluramine, known as “Pondimin,” a weight loss pill that came out in the early seventies, worked only short-term and many had damaging side effects. Another drug called Phentermine, which came out in the late fifties and later combined with Pondimin was also a popular weight loss pill (known as Phen-Fen), but also had damaging side effects. Today, the two prescription drugs most commonly used in addition to Phentermine are Xenical (Orlistat) and Meridia (Sibutramine). Xenical works by blocking fat absorption and Meridia acts on the brain to suppress appetite and possibly to increase metabolism. Both drugs are considered mildly effective but both have side effects. Because obese people are desperate for better weight loss products, scientists continue to struggle to create more effective anti-obesity drugs with fewer side effects.
         Even though effective weight loss drugs without side effects are not available, scientists continue to make other discoveries that have potential to greatly improve weight loss drugs. For example, leptin is a hormone discovered in 1994 produced by fat cells that tells the body that it does not need any more food. Because most obese people are leptin resistant, scientists have researched and discovered a protein called PTP1B, which could help a person overcome their resistance to leptin. If companies use this protein in their weight loss drug products, it could become the next milestone in this field of weight loss. These are some but only a small amount of the advancements, discoveries, and milestones that are being reached by scientists in the field of anti-obesity drugs.
 

http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/herbalweightloss
http://www.heart-valve-replacement-surgery.com/history.html
http://mentalhealth.about.com/library/sci/0402/blobese402.htm?terms=research+info+obesity
 

Identify two scientists or engineers who have made major contributions to the development of this technical application and explain how their work is related:

         Two people who are very qualified and who have made significant contributions in their fields and their research are Dr. Gregory Barsh and Dr. Jeffrey M. Friedman. Dr. Barsh has identified a relatively new protein called agouti-related protein (AgRP), which is thought to increase appetite and decrease metabolism. Dr. Friedman discovered the hormone leptin, which reduces body weight in obese mice. A normal mouse makes leptin in its fat tissue, but genetically obese mice do not. The way a genetically obese mouse gets leptin in their system is by receiving injections into its body, which produce weight loss.
         Dr. Jeffrey Friedman’s discovery of the hormone leptin has benefited many. Dr. Friedman is a leading researcher on regulating food intake and body weight. Leptin decreases the body weight of mice by reducing food intake and increasing energy expenditure. He has been recognized all over the world, invited to give many lectures, and has received countless awards. Dr. Friedman is experimenting to see if this same hormone will work in humans. He is very well known and can be credited for taking steps to fight against obesity.
         Mice with significant amounts of body fat have high amounts of leptin. Dr. Barsh and several other colleagues of his discovered that when a mouse is injected with high levels of leptin, the mouse’s body becomes resistant or opposed to leptin’s effects. They are using AgRP to overcome leptin’s resistant effects and causing weight loss. This has opened an up a huge pathway for exploring how drugs can help treat obesity. Dr. Barsh and his team hope that maybe this same product or a product related to it will one day end up helping humans.
        Their innovative research could assist greatly in the formulation of Lypo-Pop. By critically researching the effects of leptin in humans, Lypo-Pop can be formulated with a special compound to help humans lose weight just as mice have. That compound will stimulate internal leptin when Lypo-Pop is eaten. We have also included capsaicin in the formulation of Lypo-Pop because there is some evidence it may also increase metabolism and promote weight loss. We expect that Dr. Barsh and Dr. Friedman would have no difficulty helping us evaluate the interaction of leptin and capsaicin in producing enduring weight loss when delivered together in the planned formulation of Lypo-Pop.
 

http://www.uchsc.edu/sm/mstp/aspen99/html/speakers/friedman.html
 

Describe in detail how the technical application the team selected will impact the problem your team outlined in Component One:

         There are many supplements and prescription drugs on the market today for weight loss. Supplements are often mixtures of various substances and herbal extracts. Some supplements marketed for weight loss contain weak stimulants such as ephedrine (Ma Huang extract), which is considered dangerous. The best way to use supplements is under the supervision of a certified physician. Many of the supplement products are not safe to be used by people with certain medical problems. For example, pregnant and nursing women should ask a doctor before they use any type of supplement. Almost none of the supplements are tested because there is no law requiring testing as there is for prescription drugs. Some supplements have limited testing in adults, but none are tested in children or teenagers. So their safety is a big question, not to mention their effectiveness.
         Drugs in the obesity world are many and come in many forms. Some people prefer not to use drugs; these people go and get liposuction. Taking more than one diet drug at the same time can be dangerous; in the past, certain prescription medications for weight loss had the potential for abuse and addiction. Most studies of appetite-suppressant drugs show that a patient's weight tends to level off after four to six months. Drugs for obesity can be harmful, and people need to watch how much and what they take.
        Many different companies produce diet pills and supplements. All serious weight loss is made to help cure obesity. Diet pills and other weight loss medications will not melt away your fat and solve your weight problem by themselves. People still need to watch their diets, exercise and form healthy eating habits. Weight loss pills will never work unless the user is putting in the effort to help it work.
 

http://www.diet-i.com/diet-pills.htm
http://www.healthatoz.com/healthatoz/Atoz/dc/caz/nutr/obes/treat.html#4
 

Explain the benefits and limitations of using the technical application the team has selected to solve the problem:

        The benefits of using drugs to help obesity would be that it could help morbidly obese people, but the limitations are that it might not help as many overweight or close to obese people. Lypo-Pop is trying to do that. There are two active ingredients in Lypo-Pop: one is a compound that will stimulate leptin secretion by the person’s fat tissue. The other active ingredient is capsaicin. Leptin is a drug that helps obese mice. Capsaicin is a compound that wastes calories by generating heat. Drugs for the obese cannot help people lose weight alone. A person has to reduce their food intake, fat consumption, and has to increase their physical activity. That is the most important thing to do. Overall, there are more limitations than benefits for drugs that will help obesity.
        “They can not be used exclusively. That’s a common misconception,” said Chris Rosenbloom, a registered dietitian and Chair of the Nutrition Department at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. Also, there is no point in spending a good amount of money a month on pills that might only shed a few pounds and cause undesirable side effects. Not all people react the same to the same drug. There are different side effects for different people. Another limitation may be that some people may have allergies to one or both of the compounds. Some people may not respond as well to one or the other compound so it will be less effective. Some people may have unexpected side effects that are undesirable, and they will have to discontinue use of Lypo-Pop. Some people may not like that taste of Lypo-Pop because of the ingredients listed above. Maybe people will discover that the Lypo-Pop will be effective in causing weight loss, but the ingredients are too expensive so people can’t afford it. Perhaps some people will be opposed to the fact that Lypo-Pop is a lollipop and not like its sweetness.
        One of the benefits of taking drugs to help someone’s obesity is it might help jump-start their weight loss. Taking obesity drugs for obese people might also give them a psychological boost, when they see that they’re losing weight. Most of all the drugs can help people who are obese who weigh 300-400 pounds. These people might be incapable of minor physical activity. Perhaps some people will discover it is a tasty way to lose weight. Maybe some people will find the lollipop snack very appealing. It might have a special appeal to young people and females.   It must be emphasized that diet pills do not work on their own, and we do not expect Lypo-Pop to be any different. A person has to practice better eating habits and exercise more to produce lasting weight loss, even with Lypo-Pop.

http://www.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/diet.fitness/08/22/prescription.weightloss
 
 

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