Scientists Daniel J. Drucker, Jeffrey M. Friedman, Joel F. Habener, Jens Juul Holst and Svetlana Mojsov, awarded for their contributions to the field of endocrinology
They are the ‘fathers’ of the therapy of the moment. Thanks to his work, treatments such as Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro are available today , indicated against disorders such as diabetes or obesity and which are causing a revolution in endocrinology. And, for this reason, the scientists Daniel J. Drucker, Jeffrey M. Friedman, Joel F. Habener, Jens Juul Holst and Svetlana Mojsov have been awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research 2024.
This family of drugs, GLP-1 agonists , are changing the way different metabolic diseases are addressed. Not in vain, Science magazine chose them as the breakthrough of the year in 2023.
But these medications didn’t appear in the pharmacy overnight. It has taken decades of work and the contribution of different scientists that allowed us, first, to identify this fundamental hormone in our body, GLP-1 , then to find out its role, and finally to emulate its action through therapy.
The first indication that these drugs had was diabetes. As Olga González , head of the Endocrinology Service at the Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid, recently explained to this newspaper, this is because the therapy “acts at the level of the pancreas, promoting the secretion of insulin, which patients with high levels of blood glucose, such as diabetics, benefit from the drug. In addition, the drug inhibits another hormone in the pancreas, glucagon, which increases glucose levels; that is, by increasing insulin and lowering glucagon, it normalizes values. of glycemia”.
But in addition, the medication, in different doses than that used against diabetes, has other mechanisms of action that are catapulting its use against obesity . “For example, at the level of the stomach it slows down gastric emptying. It makes the passage to the digestive tract and intestine slower when you eat food, which provides a feeling of fullness. And another very powerful mechanism is its ability to act on the satiety centers in the brain. The drug is capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier, reaching the central nervous system and acting on the satiety and appetite centers,” González continues.
Research has indicated that semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy) can produce a 15% reduction in total weight. And new formulations of this family of drugs are expected to achieve even greater weight loss.
In addition, endocrinologists especially praise the benefits on the cardiovascular system that are also associated with the use of these drugs. A recent study has shown that these medications reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes by up to 20% in overweight individuals.
The Princess of Asturias award recognizes the work of five fundamental scientists in ensuring that patients can benefit from GLP-1 agonists today. One of them, biochemist Svetlana Mojsov , who played a fundamental role in the identification and characterization of the hormone, has suffered for years from an unfair lack of recognition of her work. This year Nature magazine chose her as one of the 10 most relevant personalities in science and this award once again places her in the place she deserves.
The jury, chaired by Pedro Miguel Echenique, highlighted that “the award-winning scientists have established the endocrine bases of diabetes and obesity, prominent pathologies that are a global public health problem without effective treatment to date.”
Jeffrey M. Friedman, the text highlights, has been a pioneer in establishing the genetic basis of the hormone that regulates appetite. Daniel J. Drucker, Joel F. Habener, Jens Juul Holst and Svetlana Mojsov have studied the effect of certain hormones that They regulate insulin secretion and consequently glucose levels. These investigations have led to the development of treatments that are now available and that are improving the quality of life of hundreds of millions of people around the world. These works are having an enormous impact. clinical and social, since they have allowed for the first time the development of effective drugs to combat diabetes and obesity. In addition, they make it possible to mitigate associated pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases.
For Cristóbal Morales , member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Obesity Society (Seedo), “this recognition of great scientists who have changed the lives of many people is a joy.”
“Beyond science, the impact that this new pharmacological group has had, first on type 2 diabetes, then on overweight/obesity and the complications of overweight and obesity, is enormous,” says the endocrinologist at the Virgen Macarena and Vithas hospitals in Seville. , who also praises “all the data that is appearing in cardiovascular protection, kidney protection and the new contribution in protection against neurodegenerative diseases. All of this makes this a great scientific discovery with a great impact on clinical care practice and that It improves the lives of many people. Those of us who work in the metabolic area, as endocrinology, are very happy because we are very aware of the authentic revolution that we have experienced in this area thanks to your contribution,” he concludes.
Clotilde Vázquez , head of the Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation (FJD) in Madrid, points out that the recognition “is absolutely fair.” The research of the winners, he emphasizes, which allows emulating the functioning of an endogenous peptide that, in addition to satiety, produces metabolic changes, “has represented a before and after in the management of type 2 diabetes” because “it allows the restoration of a lost physiology.” .
“And now we are seeing a similar situation with obesity. This family of drugs has represented a revolution in the approach to diabetes and obesity and we are also seeing very positive additional effects, for example against cardiovascular events, kidney damage or inflammatory effects,” adds the specialist.
TRAJECTORIES
Daniel J. Drucker (Montreal, Canada, June 26, 1956), senior researcher at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital and professor at the University of Toronto. He is one of the pioneers in this field of study. In the mid-1980s, he identified the hormone GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) in cell line experiments and has pioneered the genetic basis of the hormone that regulates appetite.
Jeffrey M. Friedman (Orlando, USA, July 20, 1954), holder of the Marilyn M. Simpson Professorship at the Howard Hughes Institute at Rockefeller University. In 1994 he discovered the role of leptin, a hormone that acts on the brain region that controls appetite. In 2013 he received the Frontiers of Knowledge Award, awarded by the FBBVA.
Joel F. Habener (United States, June 29, 1937), professor of Medicine at Harvard University and director of the Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital (USA).
Link: https://www.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2024/06/05/6660309ffc6c830f408b4581.html
Authors:
Cristina G. LucioMadrid
Pilar PérezMadrid
Date: Actualizado Miércoles, 5 junio 2024 – 12:01
Source: Elmundo.es
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