University of Ottawa undergraduates have created a sustainable way to produce weight loss drugs using plants, potentially addressing global shortages and high costs. A team of undergraduate researchers at the University of Ottawa has developed an innovative platform called “Phytogene” that could transform how we produce vital medications. The project uses plants to grow GLP-1 receptor agonists—the same class of drugs found in popular weight loss treatments like Ozempic. Led by fourth-year biotechnology and biomedical science students Victor Boddy and Teagan Thomas, the team has engineered tobacco relative plants (Nicotiana benthamiana) to produce medications through a process known as “biopharming.” … Continue reading Grow Your Own Ozempic: Students Develop Plant-Based Weight Loss Drugs