The Science & Technology desk gathers a weekly digest of compelling scientific research publications and developments at Stanford. Read the latest in this week’s Research Roundup.

The hidden cost of Ozempic and a possible solution

GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Wegovy have become increasingly popular among Americans seeking weight loss. Alongside fat, however, these drugs also cause patients to lose muscle, a detriment to long-term health. A new Stanford Medicine study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that a companion drug already moving through clinical trials could address this problem. 

The research was led by professor Helen Blau, director of the Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, and focused on a class of drugs called PGDHi, which block enzymes that suppress a molecule essential for activating muscle stem cells. In a series of mouse experiments, obese mice treated with both semaglutide, a powerful GLP-1 and an experimental PGDHi compound lost comparable amounts of fat to those on semaglutide alone, but showed better muscle regeneration and strength recovery following injury.

“There is a major unmet need for a drug that can help GLP-1 users preserve their muscle health and strength,” Blau told Stanford Medicine, adding that the compound “holds promise” given its existing FDA safety designation. 

Phase 2b trials targeting age-related muscle loss are planned for later this year. Researchers believe the drug could eventually become a standard companion to GLP-1 therapy.

A patch that monitors high-risk pregnancies 24/7

For expectant mothers whose pregnancies are considered high-risk, continuous and real-time monitoring of the fetus is not currently possible. Existing methods require trained technicians and scheduled appointments and only capture data in brief windows. A new device developed by researchers at Stanford Medicine, the University of California (UC) San Diego and the University of Oxford could change this. 

The device is a flexible adhesive patch, about the size of a palm, that sticks to the abdomen and uses ultrasound technology to track blood flow through the umbilical cord and fetus. It is designed to detect complications like intrauterine growth restriction, a condition affecting roughly 10% of all pregnancies, where inadequate blood flow limits fetal development and can result in stillbirth. 

“There’s nothing similar to our device on the market or in the scientific literature,” senior study author Sheng Xu, a professor of anesthesiology, perioperative and pain medicine, told Stanford Medicine.

One main engineering challenge was that the device needed to image the patient, the fetus, and the floating umbilical cord while all were in motion. The team’s solution was to anchor the device’s tracking on the point where the umbilical cord meets the placenta, developing an algorithm capable of following that relatively stable location in real time. The device was tested on 62 pregnant patients and produced results statistically equivalent to standard ultrasound machines.

The team is now working toward a wireless version and plans to expand testing to a broader range of pregnancy complications. 

Electrical pulses are reversing aging in sea squirts

Researchers at Stanford and collaborating institutions found that electrical current pulses can dramatically reverse the aging process in sea squirts — gelatinous marine creatures that, despite their appearance, share roughly 70% of their genetic material with humans. 

The discovery began when Jos Domen, a senior scientist in stem cell operations at Stanford Medicine, began experimenting with a pacemaker on a sea squirt colony. As the electrical pulse increased, researchers found that the blood moved more freely through the colony’s shared circulation, and within 48 hours, the colony looked healthier. Among treated sea squirts, about 75% were still alive and healthy a year later, compared to fewer than 20% of untreated animals. 

Genetic analysis revealed a response the team calls “reboot and rebound,” a pattern of gene shutdown followed by reactivation, similar to what happens to the human body after vigorous exercise. 

“This treatment recharges stem cells,” said co-senior author Ayelet Voskoboynik, an assistant biology professor at Stanford, as reported by the Stanford Woods Institute. “Understanding this mechanism is the key to unlocking how we might one day slow stem cell aging and trigger rejuvenation pathways.” 

The team is now exploring applications ranging from human fertility treatments to deploying wireless devices on coral reefs to help marine life withstand warming oceans.