BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The recipients of the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, Svetlana Mojsov, Joel Habener, and Lotte Knudsen, have made significant contributions to medical research through their discovery and development of GLP-1-mimicking drugs.
'Through their discoveries and dedicated efforts, Habener, Mojsov, and Knudsen have introduced a new era of weight management, dramatically improving the well-being and health prospects for hundreds of millions,' the Lasker Foundation, based in New York City, said Thursday when announcing the awards.
Mojsov and Habener, working at Massachusetts General Hospital in the 1980s, were instrumental in the discovery and study of the GLP-1 hormone. Their colleague, Lotte Knudsen from Novo Nordisk, played a crucial role in developing the first GLP-1-mimicking drug approved for obesity.
The Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation recognized the impact of their work on improving health outcomes for individuals affected by excess weight. The foundation also expressed optimism about the potential use of GLP-1 drugs in addressing other health issues, such as fatty liver disease and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's.
Habener and his team's pioneering work in the 1970s led to the unraveling of the genetic makeup of the hormone glucagon and its connection to blood sugar. During their research, they discovered a hormone resembling glucagon, which was distinct and crucial.
Mojsov, collaborating with Habener, synthesized the active part of GLP-1 and found that it lowered blood sugar and indicated satiety. This discovery paved the way for exploring the potential of GLP-1 in diabetes treatment.
The breakthrough in GLP-1 treatments came when Knudsen and her team at Novo Nordisk engineered a slow-release version of a GLP-1-like hormone. This formulation received approval in Europe in 2005 for diabetes treatment and later in 2014 for obesity. Following this success, other pharmaceutical companies, like Eli Lilly, developed their own GLP-1 drugs, further expanding the options for patients.
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