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Joel Habener ( from left ), Lotte Bjerre Knudsen and Svetlana Mojsov have won a 2024 Lasker Award for developing a class of drugs that treats obesity, diabetes and more. Three scientists involved in developing the blockbuster anti-obesity drugs that are currently changing the health-care landscape are among the winners of this year's prestigious Lasker Awards. The prizes, which honour important advances in medical research, are often considered an indicator of whether a specific advance or scientist will win a Nobel Prize — and some are speculating that this could soon be the case for the weight-loss treatments.
Joel Habener, Svetlana Mojsov and Lotte Bjerre Knudsen each contributed to the creation of the popular anti-obesity drugs, which mimic a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), involved in lowering blood-sugar levels and controlling appetite. The trio, recognized with a Lasker in the clinical-research category, will share a US$250,000 prize. Biomedical scientists are enthusiastic about the increasing recognition of GLP-1 research, which was initially aimed at treating diabetes.
"I've been working on this for 30 years, and for a long time nobody cared," says Randy Seeley, an obesity specialist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "Over the last several years, the situation has changed so much. We now have therapies that are actually helping people.
" On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Other recipients of this year's Lasker Awards include Zhijian 'James' Chen at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, who was honoured in the basic-research category for discovering how DNA triggers immune and inflammatory responses.
In the public-service category, Salim Abdool Karim and Quarraisha Abdool...
Mariana Lenharo.
