Stanford Researchers Use AI to Find Natural Molecule That Cuts Appetite in Animal Studies

Stanford Medicine scientists have identified a naturally occurring molecule that suppressed appetite and reduced body fat in animal experiments, with early results suggesting it may work differently from Ozempic and similar weight-loss drugs.

The molecule, called BRP, was found with the help of artificial intelligence. In tests, treated animals ate up to 50% less food in the hour after injection. Obese mice given daily injections for 14 days lost an average of 3 grams, while untreated mice gained about 3 grams - and nearly all the weight lost came from fat rather than muscle.

BRP appears to act specifically on the hypothalamus, the brain region that controls appetite and metabolism, rather than on receptors spread throughout the body. Katrin Svensson, PhD, an assistant professor of pathology and senior author of the study published in Nature, said that distinction may explain why treated animals showed no significant differences in movement, water consumption, anxiety-related behavior or fecal output compared with controls. Constipation and muscle loss are known concerns with existing GLP-1 medications.

The researchers created a computer algorithm called Peptide Predictor to search roughly 20,000 human genes for likely hormone candidates, narrowing the field to 373 prohormones and eventually testing 100 peptides in lab-grown nerve cells. BRP, a 12-amino-acid peptide, increased neuronal activity tenfold over controls.

The team tested BRP in lean mice and minipigs, and also observed improved glucose and insulin tolerance in treated animals. Svensson has cofounded a company to advance the molecule toward human trials, and she and lead researcher Laetitia Coassolo are named inventors on related patents. Whether the animal findings hold true in people remains unknown. "We are very eager to learn if it is safe and effective in humans," Svensson said.

Source: Science Daily (Popular)