The Prestigious Lasker Awards 2023
The Lasker Awards, renowned for honoring groundbreaking achievements in medicine and public health research, were presented on Thursday to a trio of exceptional scientists. Their contributions have significantly advanced our understanding of obesity treatment, the mechanisms behind H.I.V. infection, and the body’s innate defenses against infectious diseases and cancer.
These awards are highly regarded within the biomedicine community and are often viewed as indicators of potential Nobel Prize recipients in the sciences.
2023 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award
This year’s Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award was bestowed upon three distinguished scientists for their pioneering work on GLP-1, a hormone integral to the development of innovative drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic. These medications have revolutionized obesity treatment. The honorees are:
- Dr. Joel Habener
- Svetlana Mojsov
- Lotte Bjerre Knudsen
Each of these scientists made significant contributions at critical junctures in the research process: Dr. Habener was pivotal in identifying the new hormone; Dr. Mojsov discovered the biologically active shorter form of GLP-1; and Dr. Knudsen demonstrated that this shorter form could effectively induce weight loss.
As is often the case in scientific advancements, numerous other researchers also played vital roles in this journey, and the Lasker Foundation acknowledged some of these contributors in its citation. Notably, Dr. Mojsov is receiving what many in the scientific community regard as a long-overdue recognition for her impactful work.
