By now, most of us have heard about the “wonder drug” Ozempic. Many experts believe GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic could become one of the most significant medical advances in decades. 
While Ozempic went through clinical trials and has been approved for use for nearly a decade, it is only recently that it has gained widespread attention. Much of that attention has been related to its weight-loss benefits. Perhaps a much easier way to lose weight. However, its side effects have made many people less eager to use the drug – but that might soon be changing. 
Stanford University researchers are developing a non-synthetic alternative to Ozempic. They are using AI to analyze human protein data in search of a naturally occurring alternative. Their work led to the discovery of a peptide that produced results similar to Ozempic in early testing. The findings are based on a peer-reviewed study published in Nature.
The peptide has been named BRP, short for BRINP2-related peptide. It is a naturally occurring molecule that researchers say plays a role in regulating appetite and metabolism. During preclinical testing in mice and minipigs, BRP reduced food intake and led to weight loss. 
Unlike many existing GLP-1 drugs, it also appeared to avoid common side effects such as nausea, constipation, and muscle loss. Researchers say that finding could make it an attractive candidate for future obesity treatments. However, they stress that the work is still in its early stages. It’s worth noting that BRP has not yet entered human clinical trials. This means it will require significantly more research before scientists know whether it is safe and effective for people. However, the researchers are optimistic about its potential. 
(maxuser/Shutterstock)
“The lack of effective drugs to treat obesity in humans has been a problem for decades,” said assistant professor of pathology Katrin Svensson, PhD. “Nothing we’ve tested before has compared to semaglutide’s ability to decrease appetite and body weight. We are very eager to learn if it is safe and effective for humans.”
“The receptors targeted by semaglutide are found in the brain but also in the gut, pancreas and other tissues,” said Svensson. “That’s why Ozempic has widespread effects including slowing the movement of food through the digestive tract and lowering blood sugar levels. In contrast, BRP appears to act specifically in the hypothalamus, which controls appetite and metabolism.” 
Svensson has also co-founded a company with plans to begin human clinical trials of BRP in the near future. 
Finding BRP was no small task. The human body contains thousands of proteins. Many of which are broken down into smaller peptides whose biological functions remain unknown. Identifying which of those molecules might influence appetite using conventional research methods would require years of laboratory work and the testing of countless candidates. Instead, the Stanford team turned to AI to dramatically narrow the search, allowing researchers to focus their experiments on the molecules most likely to have therapeutic potential.
The researchers developed an AI model called Peptide Predictor to analyze human protein data for previously overlooked peptides. The system screened roughly 20,000 protein-coding genes, narrowing them to 373 prohormones before predicting 2,683 potential peptides. Testing every possibility would be impossible or at least inefficient. That is why the team experimentally evaluated about 100 of the most promising candidates, and this ultimately led to identifying BRP. 
(PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock)
The researchers reported encouraging results from their animal studies. A single injection of BRP reduced food intake by up to 50% in both mice and minipigs over the following hour. 
In a separate study, obese mice treated with daily BRP injections lost an average of 3 grams, almost entirely from body fat, while untreated mice gained about 3 grams during the same 14-day period. The treated mice also showed improvements in glucose and insulin tolerance. This suggests that the peptide may offer broader metabolic benefits beyond weight loss. 
Stanford’s research also points to a bigger change in how new medicines are being discovered. Instead of needing to create entirely new compounds from scratch, scientists are increasingly using AI to search through massive amounts of biological data for naturally occurring molecules that may already have medical value. 
AI doesn’t replace the lab, but it can quickly narrow thousands of possibilities to a small group worth testing. Researchers believe the same approach could help uncover many more hidden peptides in the human body. This has the potential to find new treatments for obesity and other diseases.
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