A drug originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes is now showing unexpected promise as a weapon against heart disease, offering hope for a new generation of therapies that target both metabolic and cardiovascular risk.
Researchers from Monash University and international collaborators report that the experimental compound, known as IC7Fc, can significantly lower cholesterol, reduce harmful blood fats, and slow the buildup of artery-clogging plaque, all without relying on weight loss.
The findings come from a preclinical study led by scientists at Leiden University Medical Centre and published in the journal Science Advances.
While the drug was initially explored for its ability to improve blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes, the new research suggests it may also protect the cardiovascular system by targeting key biological drivers of heart disease.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, with atherosclerosis, the gradual accumulation of fatty deposits inside arteries, at the center of most heart attacks and strokes.
Although existing treatments such as statins and blood pressure medications have reduced overall risk, many patients continue to experience cardiovascular events.
This ongoing gap has fueled the search for therapies that address inflammation and lipid buildup more directly.
In laboratory experiments, researchers tested IC7Fc in mice genetically prone to high cholesterol and arterial plaque.
The results were striking. Animals treated with the drug showed a marked reduction in triglycerides and cholesterol levels, as well as a significant decrease in plaque accumulation within blood vessels.
At the same time, IC7Fc appeared to calm inflammatory processes that contribute to artery damage and clot formation.
Professor Mark Febbraio, who led the Monash contribution to the project through the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said the findings build on years of earlier work in metabolic disease research.
βOur previous studies demonstrated that IC7Fc could help regulate glucose levels in type 2 diabetes,β he explained.
βThis new work shows it also slows the progression of atherosclerosis, the clogging of arteries that restricts blood flow to the heart and brain.
Thatβs significant because it targets the root causes of heart attacks and strokes.β
One of the most intriguing aspects of the study was the drugβs performance in lean animals. Earlier research found that IC7Fc reduced appetite and body fat in obese mice, suggesting potential use as a weight-management therapy.
However, in the new experiments involving lean mice with genetically driven heart disease risk, the compound produced cardiovascular benefits without changing body weight or food intake.
This distinction suggests that IC7Fc may work through multiple biological pathways.
In people with obesity, it could help regulate appetite and fat storage, while in lean individuals with high cholesterol or inflammatory risk, it may directly protect blood vessels.
Such flexibility is rare among experimental drugs, which typically focus on a single therapeutic target.
Researchers believe this dual action could make IC7Fc particularly valuable in real-world clinical settings, where patients often present with overlapping conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.
A treatment that can address more than one of these risk factors at once could simplify care and improve long-term outcomes.
Despite the promising results, scientists caution that the current findings are based on animal models.
Human trials will be needed to confirm whether the same effects occur in patients and to assess long-term safety.
Nevertheless, the early data have generated optimism among cardiovascular and metabolic researchers.
βHeart disease continues to place an enormous burden on healthcare systems worldwide,β Professor Febbraio said.
βIf these results translate to humans, IC7Fc could represent a new class of therapies that bridge the gap between metabolic and cardiovascular medicine.β
As researchers move toward the next phase of testing, the study highlights a growing trend in drug development: repurposing or expanding existing treatments to tackle multiple chronic diseases at once.
If successful, IC7Fc could become an example of how therapies designed for diabetes might also reshape the future of heart disease prevention.
