This new weight loss shot comes with the benefits of Wegovy – without the dreaded Ozempic face.

Researchers at Syracuse University and Seattle Children’s Research Institute are experimenting with a new weight loss shot that rivals its competitors already on the market, with the results of a gastric bypass but without the surgery and side effects.

Principal investigators Robert Doyle, of Syracuse University, and Dr. Christian Roth, with Seattle Children’s, wanted to find a remedy for obesity without going under the knife.

Gastric bypass surgery often comes with many risks and complications.

Cue: GEP44, the researchers’ novel weight loss jab.

“Obesity and diabetes were the pandemic before the COVID-19 pandemic,” Doyle said in a statement. “They are a massive problem, and they are projected to only get worse.”

It’s estimated that more than half of the world will be overweight or obese by 2035, in a report released this year by the World Obesity Federation.

To combat the ongoing obesity epidemic, the researchers tested alternative treatments on rodents – specifically, a shot that would interact with a certain chemicals in the gut.

Doyle’s team crafted a molecule that activates the receptors for hormones glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY), which help to regulate blood sugar, satiate appetite and signal fullness after eating.

When tested in rats, it curbed their hunger and resulted in the rodents eating 80% less than normal. Following the 16-day study, the rats lost 12% of their body weight, which researchers note was three times more than rats treated with an FDA-approved liraglutide (anti-diabetic medication) injection that solely activates the GLP-1 receptor.

Neither rats nor shrews showed adverse side effects, such as nausea or vomiting (in shrews only as rats don’t have this reflex), which typically occur with other clinical weight loss methods.

Additionally, researchers discovered that GEP44 not only prompted weight loss but also appeared to boost energy.

While the drug has a half-life of only an hour, Doyle said his team is working on another peptide with a longer half-life. Ideally, patients would only need a dose once or twice every week.

The rats tested with the latest version of the medication kept off the pounds even post-treatment, Doyle said, which isn’t very common.

But GEP44 could be used for a slew of medical possibilities – not just weight loss. Researchers suggest that the drug could reduce blood sugar, opioid cravings and even convert pancreas cells into insulin producers in diabetics.

The next steps involve testing the drug on primates, Doyle explained, to learn more about the potentials of GEP44.

“For a long time, we didn’t think you could separate weight reduction from nausea and vomiting, because they’re linked to the exact same part of the brain,” Doyle said.

However, GEP44 unlinked those pathways, which could allow the drug to be used for other means. Doyle referenced chemotherapy as one example of the medication’s potential use.

“What if we could maintain the benefit of chemotherapy drugs but tell the part of the brain that causes vomiting and nausea to knock it off?” he said. “Then we could dose patients at a higher level, so they would have a better prognosis, and they would also have a better quality of life while undergoing chemotherapy.”

The researchers presented their findings Wednesday at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Currently, there are a number of medications and procedures used to treat obesity, in addition to old-school diet and exercise. But the Hollywood elite has managed to get their paws on costly Type 2 diabetes drugs Ozempic, also known as Wegovy, meant to curb appetite and maintain fullness for longer.

While one-third of metro area New Yorkers admitted to being open to trying weight loss jabs, The Post previously reported, the injectables could be hard to come by. The mad rush for the magical weight loss remedy triggered a shortage of the medication, frustrating diabetics and patients who depend on the drugs to stay healthy.

However, more medications are currently in the works.

Earlier this year, researchers announced their drug Tirzepatide, which was already approved by the FDA for diabetics, could also be approved for weight loss in higher doses.

Meanwhile, another team published their findings earlier this month about a drug that could spur weight loss without diet and exercise and could even stave off the pounds when overindulging. Currently, an injectable tested on rodents, the scientists are attempting to create a pill version.