US Funds Study Into Drug That Helps You Withstand Freezing Cold

Winter days often call for long coats, thick jumpers, and even thermal inner wear. After all, one of the worst things is to be left out shivering in the cold. But what if the next time you’re stuck in freezing temperatures, you could just pop a pill to feel warm?

That’s what the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is looking into, as it funds research into drugs that could help humans be impervious to the cold. Naturally, due to the nature of the organization, its primary target would be to use the technology for military purposes. 

But overall, imagine what such a breakthrough would entail for the wider world? It could be used to treat hypothermia patients, allow explorers to go deeper into the Arctic or higher up the mountains, and so much more. 

As per Gizmodo, the research into such a creation will be funded via DARPA’s Young Faculty Award program, which aims to aid elite researchers still early on in their careers “develop innovative new research that enables transformative [Department of Defense] capabilities.”

Bioengineer Jerzy Szablowski at Rice University is the main brain behind the idea, and will tap on a team of fellow scientists to research a non-genetic treatment that could potentially enhance humans’ response to cold temperatures. 

The study focuses on a process dubbed thermogenesis, or simply put, how our body produces heat—such as when we shiver. Another method we keep warm is via burning off brown adipose tissue (BAT), otherwise known as brown fat. 

BAT occurs when heat is generated through a chemical reaction, and the team plans to look into how that natural response can be ramped up safely, cutting down the time needed for people to adjust to frigid settings or stabilize those who’ve fallen victim to the cold. 

If such a drug comes to fruition, humans could immediately perform better in cold surroundings in just hours, thanks to the active brown fat, rather than having to spend weeks adapting to the change in temperature. 

In addition, as part of the research, the researchers plan to create a new screening method that doesn’t require them to fully understand a disease or physiological process before being able to come up with strategies to deal with its symptoms. 

“Simply put, it would allow us to screen a very large number of drugs,” explains Szablowski.

[via Gizmodo and Rice University, cover image via Motorolka | Dreamstime.com]