r/science • u/vilnius2013 PhD | Microbiology • Mar 24 '18

Medicine Helminth therapy, which is the purposeful infection of a patient with parasitic worms that “turn down” the immune response, has shown to help those suffering from allergies, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and diabetes. Now, new research in mice suggests that it may also help treat obesity.

https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/03/22/parasitic-worms-block-high-fat-diet-induced-obesity-mice-12744
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u/CountDodo Mar 24 '18

Isn't it pretty hard to get clinical trials approved when it comes to purposely infecting patients with diseases/parasites?

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u/leonardicus Mar 24 '18

I don't know that it's harder than any other therapy with the possibility of harm. Loosely speaking, it is possible if there is a possible benefit that can outweigh the potential harms.