Ozempic can cost more than $1,000 per month without insurance, driving demand for alternatives. Researchers at Stanford used artificial intelligence to find a natural compound that may offer a different approach to weight loss.
AI identifies a 12-amino-acid molecule
A March 2025 study revealed the discovery of a peptide hormone labeled BRP. This 12-amino-acid molecule works differently than semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic. The research focused on how peptide hormones regulate energy.
Traditional methods struggle to isolate these hormones because they are rare compared to protein byproducts. The Stanford team designed a new algorithm to inspect 20,000 protein-coding genes. This narrowed the list to 373 prohormones containing 2,683 peptides. The researchers screened 100 of these for brain activity similar to GLP-1 drugs.
AI’s processing power accelerated this work. It allowed the team to distinguish BRP from other biological material efficiently. Katrin Svensson, PhD, an assistant professor of pathology at Stanford and lead author of the study, explained the mechanism.
“The receptors targeted by semaglutide are found in the brain but also in the gut, pancreas and other tissues,” Svensson said. “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.”
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Future Clinical Trials and Timeline
Scientists aim to extend the peptide’s duration to create a convenient dosing schedule. A company has been founded to pursue clinical trials. The team hopes to publish human results soon. While a date is not set, the discovery of natural molecules could offer a cheaper alternative to synthetic drugs.
Animal studies show reduced food intake
The team tested BRP on lean mice and miniature pigs. These animals were chosen because their eating and digestion more closely mirror humans than standard lab mice. An intramuscular injection before feeding reduced food intake over the next hour by up to 50% in both models.
Physiological and brain activity tests showed that BRP activates metabolic and neuronal pathways distinct from those triggered by GLP-1 or semaglutide. This suggests the molecule could target appetite control without affecting other bodily functions.
“The lack of effective drugs to treat obesity in humans has been a problem for decades,” Svensson said. “Nothing we’ve tested before has compared to semaglutide’s ability to decrease appetite and body weight. We are very eager to learn if BRP is safe and effective in humans.”
