AI points to a 12-amino-acid appetite peptide that skipped nausea in animals

How it was found

Many hormones begin as larger proteins, prohormones, that enzymes cut into active pieces. The team built a computer tool, Peptide Predictor, that scans all human proteins for the cutting sites those enzymes recognise and lists the fragments that could result. That produced a list of about 2,700 candidate peptides.

The researchers then made hundreds of them and tested which ones changed the activity of nerve cells in a dish. One, a 12-amino-acid piece of a protein called BRINP2, stood out. They named it BRINP2-related peptide, or BRP.

What it did

Injected into mice and minipigs, BRP sharply cut how much they ate over the following hours. In obese mice given it for two weeks, it reduced weight, mostly fat. Unlike semaglutide in the same tests, it did not cause signs of nausea, avoidance of food, or slowed movement of the gut.

BRP did not act on the GLP-1 receptor. It switched on brain areas involved in appetite through a different route, which the team is still trying to identify.

Why to stay cautious

Many appetite signals that look clean in mice have not translated to people. Short tests also miss problems that show up over months. And without knowing its receptor, it is hard to predict side effects. The team has started a company to develop BRP-based drugs, but no human study had been reported.

Source Coassolo L. et al., Nature, March 2025

Amino Weekly reports research. It is not medical advice and never gives doses.