According to a statement from the Breakthrough Prize, five scientists, including Prof. Daniel J. Drucker, Prof. Joel Habener, Prof. Jens Juul Holst, Assoc. Prof. Svetlana Mojsov – Laureates of the 2023 VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields, and scientist Lotte Bjerre Knudsen shared the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.

Their complementary contributions – from basic hormone discovery through physiological understanding to pharmaceutical development – have led to highly effective drugs for diabetes and obesity, ushering in a new era of GLP-1 medicines for cardiometabolic disorders, according to the statement.

Their breakthroughs include: the discovery of the gene encoding the GLP-1 hormone; the synthesis, isolation and characterization of the hormone’s biologically active forms; the demonstration that it is produced in the gut and stimulates insulin production; elucidation of its broader physiological roles, including control of appetite and energy homeostasis; the development of a more stable version of the hormone that continues to act in the body for days rather than hours; and its translation into a new class of drugs that is transforming the treatment of metabolic diseases affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide, according to the statement.

Dubbed the “Oscars of Science”, the Breakthrough Prize was founded by Silicon Valley leaders in recognition of transformative scientific advances of our time. The 2025 Breakthrough Prize’s recognition of the groundbreaking GLP-1 research team follows the well-deserved honor they previously received with the 2023 VinFuture Prize.

Previously, in December 2023, at the 2023 VinFuture Prize Award Ceremony, Prof. Drucker, Prof. Habener, Prof. Holst along with Assoc. Prof. Mojsov were awarded the VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields, valued at US$500,000, for their pioneering work on the discovery of the role of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). This work has paved the way for widely used treatments for diabetes and obesity and has stimulated emerging applications for neurodegenerative diseases. Their work has laid the foundation and opened new hope for the treatment of over 400 million people with type 2 diabetes, over 1 billion people with obesity, and over 3 million people with short bowel syndrome. In 2023, over 20 million doses of GLP-1 drugs were used worldwide with an impressive growth rate of 6.7%.

VinFuture Prize is also the first major international science and technology annual prize to recognize Assoc. Prof. Mojsov for her contribution to the GLP-1 research.

Following the VinFuture Prize, the GLP-1 research group has continuously been honored with numerous prestigious international awards. Notably, Time Magazine (USA) has named Prof. Drucker, Prof. Habener, along with Assoc. Prof. Mojsov among the 2024 Time 100 Most Influential People for their pioneering work.

Among the youngest international science-technology awards, now in its fifth year, the VinFuture Prize is steadily establishing its significance and reputation, evidenced by the increasing number of laureates continuing to receive recognition from prestigious international awards, most notably the Nobel Prize. Prominent examples include Dr. Katalin Karikó and Prof. Drew Weissman (Laureates of the 2021 VinFuture Grand Prize and 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine), Dr. Demis Hassabis and Dr. John Jumper (Laureates of the 2022 VinFuture Special Prize and 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), and Prof. Geoffrey Hinton (Laureate of the 2024 VinFuture Grand Prize and 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics).