The National Center for Health Statistics estimates two out of every three Americans are now overweight or obese. Researchers at the Ohio State University Medical Center are study a new treatment to help stem the growing obesity epidemic.

Unlike popular weight-loss surgeries, this treatment would not target the stomach. Instead, the procedure involves injecting a gene directly into an area of the brain that deals with feeding and weight control.

Dr. Matthew During developed the concept using a gene in lab mice known as BDNF. Scientists have discovered that particular gene can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce fat mass and encourage weight loss when it's active in the hypothalamus.

"We're putting in a normal, healthy copy of the gene that's already there, but just giving it the instructions to turn it on so that gene is now what we call being expressed," said During.

In lab tests, when BDNF is expressed, that gene helped control not only how much animals eat but how efficiently they burn calories. When the injection was given to a mouse, within an hour, the animal's insulin levels dropped by one-third, and within weeks, the mouse shed half his weight all from a single injection.

During says he can envision the process working in people, too.

"We do the surgery and drop in the fluid, and it takes an hour or two. The patient then has a follow-up scan 4 to 6 hours later, and if everything looks healthy on the brain, we send them home," said During.

Scientists said a safety mechanism built in to the injection can shut down the gene therapy, just in case anything goes wrong.

The next step is for researchers to obtain approval from the Food and Drug Administration to begin studying the treatment in humans, which they hope to do within the next 12 to 18 months.

Researchers said the initial results are very encouraging.

"Our findings represent a promising new treatment for obesity that could ultimately provide a much safer and more effective approach than some conventional therapies," said During.