SCIENTISTS BREED `FAT-PROOF' MICE (EMBARGOED UNTIL 3 P.M.

SCIENTISTS BREED `FAT-PROOF' MICE (EMBARGOED UNTIL 3 P.M. EST)

HOUSTON (Wireless Flash) -- You've heard of being high on the hog? Well, scientists at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston have figured out a way to breed "fat-proof" mice. The researchers genetically altered mice so they didn't produce a type of protein called "perilipin" which keeps fat cells from being metabolized. Without the perilipin, the mice burned off fat at a much more rapid rate than normal mice. Researcher Dr. Lawrence Chan believes the study's results could be used to develop effective fat-burning drugs, but admits more research is needed.