University of Ottawa students create home-grown Ozempic solution

Students at the University of Ottawa have developed a groundbreaking method to replicate pharmaceutical drugs using plants. They named their project "Phytogene." This innovation transforms a tobacco-related plant into a device that can produce a copy of Ozempic, a popular weight-loss medication. The students, Victor Boddy and Teagan Thomas, were inspired by a recent shortage of Ozempic. They aimed to find a sustainable and low-cost way to create the drug at home. Victor explained that their goal is to allow people to grow the medications they need without worrying about insurance or availability. Their technique involves genetic engineering, specifically biopharming. This process allows them to insert a specific genetic sequence into the plant's DNA. As a result, the plant can produce pharmaceutical proteins, similar to how one might draw fruit from a tree. While their method shows promise, further testing is needed before it can be used on people. If successful, this technology may change how we access medications in the future. Meanwhile, the students joke about keeping an eye out for pests that might want to share in their plant-grown medicine.