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Dr. Svetlana Mojsov receives award for GLP-1 Discovery

Dr. Svetlana Mojsov received the Distinguished Medical Science Award at the 2025 Friends of the National Library of Medicine Awards Gala for her “groundbreaking contributions to the development of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which have transformed the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity, benefiting millions worldwide.”

Diabetes Action is proud to have funded some of Dr. Mojsov’s initial research on GLP-1 in the early 1990’s. Her work directly led to the development of semaglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Dr. Mojsov has received many accolades for her discovery including being named to the TIME100 list of Most Influential People of 2024 and receiving the prestigious 2024 Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.

This image from Diabetes Action’s 1993 annual report shows Dr. Mojsov’s research grant at Rockefeller University. The grant, which was one of the first grants ever made by Diabetes Action, was titled “Studies on the Mechanism of Stimulation of Insulin Secretion by the Newly Discovered Glucagon-Like Peptide 1”. The goal of the research was described as:

It is well known that the proper secretion of insulin from the pancreas in response to elevated levels of glucose in circulation is central to the maintenance of glucose homeostasis. Dr. Mojsov has recently discovered that a new peptide, called glucagon-like peptide-1 that is encoded by the glucagon gene and is released in the intestine, is one of the most potent insulin releasing peptides described to date. Recent studies suggest that glucagon-like peptide-1 can be used therapeutically in the treatment of the disorders of glucose inbalance manifested in Type II Diabetes (NIDDM). However, before such a treatment becomes clinically feasible, a better understanding of the mechanism of insulin stimulation by this peptide-1 is needed. Dr. Mojsov hopes the results of her studies will provide insights into this mechanism and contribute to the development of a new generation of “gut-based” therapeutic agents for treatment of Type II Diabetes.

Dr. Mojsov acknowledged the support from Diabetes Action in her Distinguished Medical Science Award acceptance speech and noted that the small grant helped supplement her NIH funding and allowed her to expand her research on GLP-1.

Diabetes Action commends Dr. Mojsov for her outstanding contributions to medical research, which have benefited millions of people around the world. In addition, we extend our sincere thanks for her unwavering support of the diabetes research community. For more than two decades, Dr. Mojsov has generously volunteered her expertise as a grant reviewer as part of Diabetes Action’s volunteer Medical Advisory Board, helping to advance innovative research and support the next generation of scientists.