Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award Lecture 2011: Defeating Diabesity

Matthias H. Tschöp, MD, fromMunich, Germany, received the American Diabetes Association’s prestigious 2011 Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award. The award was presented at the Association’s 71st Scientific Sessions in San Diego, California in June 2011. The Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award recognizes distinguished scientific achievement in the field of diabetes, taking into consideration independence of thought and originality. Currently holding the Alexander von Humboldt Professorship and Chair of Metabolic Diseases at the Technical University Munich as well as Director of the Institute of Diabetes and Obesity at the Helmholtz Center in Munich, Dr. Tschöp is internationally recognized for his work on how gut-brain communication regulates appetite and metabolism and for combining groundbreaking discovery with translational potential. A review of his peer-reviewed publication record and the breadth of his co-authors is a testament to his ability to build teams to advance science. Early in his career, Dr. Tschöp reported on the orexigenic, adipogenic, and metabolic effects of ghrelin. This added a pathway to the model of body weight and glucose control and established a novel set of drug targets for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome. His report of the efficacy of novel gut hormone coagonists targeting glucagon-like peptide 1 and glucagon receptors to reduce body weight and improve glucose tolerance broke new ground and offered novel clinical approaches for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Dr. Tschöp is an influential voice explaining diabetes to the public and describing the scientific progress being made to improve lives. Professor Richard D. DiMarchi is the Cox Professor for Chemistry and Gill Chair in Biomolecular Sciences at Indiana University and is Dr. Tschöp’s key collaborator, providing transformative scientific vision and discovering a wealth of innovative molecules for their joint research successes toward novel therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of diabetes. Professor DiMarchi has invented several novel drugs that are in clinical use today, such as some of the first rDNA-based medicines, specifically Humalog and Forteo. He has been presented numerous awards including most recently the 2011 Bruce Merrifield Award of the American Peptide Society. The Tschöp and DiMarchi laboratories continue to work as a single integrated academic drug discovery unit as they have for the last 8 years, designing, validating, and optimizing new therapeutics for the treatment of diabetes and obesity.