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In the NoCo

Studying how pythons devour enormous meals may help doctors treat people with heart disease, a CU scientist says

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Dr. Leslie Leinwand, a researcher and professor with the University of Colorado Boulder, pictured in a black shirt in her laboratory.
Leslie Leinwand
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Courtesy of CU Boulder
"This kind of reversible organ growth [which happens in pythons] are processes that would be potentially helpful in people," says CU Boulder biology professor Leslie Leinwand. Her research into possible new treatments for certain types of heart disease involves studying the metabolic changes pythons undergo when they eat. "If we could figure out how the snake does this, it would be really quite phenomenal to be able to translate that to mammals or potentially humans."

Heart disease causes in the United States. Now, a University of Colorado researcher says she’s found promising clues that could help treat it, but the source of her discoveries might make your skin crawl.

is a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at CU Boulder. Her insights come from research conducted on a rather unwieldy animal to keep in your laboratory – pythons. Leinwand and her team observe Burmese pythons – snakes that go weeks or months between meals without eating. She has studied pythons for decades and she recently .

Erin O’Toole spoke with Lienwand about her research and learned that, while humans and snakes have very different physiologies, the way snakes eat in the wild may inspire new treatments for heart disease and other metabolic conditions in people.

KUNC's In The NoCo is a daily slice of stories, news, people and issues. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show brings context and insight to the stories of the day, often elevating unheard voices in the process. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we celebrate the lighter side of things here, too.
As the host of KUNC’s new program and podcast In the NoCo, I work closely with our producers and reporters to bring context and diverse perspectives to the important issues of the day. Northern Colorado is such a diverse and growing region, brimming with history, culture, music, education, civic engagement, and amazing outdoor recreation. I love finding the stories and voices that reflect what makes NoCo such an extraordinary place to live.
Brad Turner is an executive producer in KUNC's newsroom. He manages the podcast team that makes In The NoCo, which also airs weekdays in Morning Edition and All Things Considered. His work as a podcaster and journalist has appeared on NPR's Weekend Edition, NPR Music, the PBS °µºÚ±¬ÁÏhour, Colorado Public Radio, MTV Online, the Denver Post, Boulder's Daily Camera, and the Longmont Times-Call.