New study reveals how diabetes drug metformin works in brain

Technology Nov 23, 2025

Scientists just found out that metformin, the go-to drug for type 2 diabetes, doesn't just work on your liver or gut—it also acts directly in your brain.
The team at Baylor College of Medicine discovered that metformin affects a specific area called the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH), where it essentially turns off a protein named Rap1.
Without Rap1, metformin couldn't help mice with diabetes-like symptoms, showing how important this brain pathway really is.

Why this matters for future treatments

This fresh insight could help researchers design smarter diabetes drugs that boost metformin's effects by focusing on its action in the brain.
The study was published in Science Advances.