Anette-Gabriele Ziegler Receives Hamm International Prize for Diabetes Research
Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Director of the Helmholtz Munich Institute for Diabetes Research, is awarded with this year’s Hamm International Prize. She is being honored for her research to understand the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes and efforts toward its prediction, early diagnosis and prevention.
“The award is an incredible motivation to look ahead and continue on the path toward understanding the pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes and developing preventive therapies – with the ultimate goal of finding a cure,” Ziegler said. “My mentor always used to say: ‘A researcher is the best doctor.’ I’m not sure if the reverse is true, but my daily work with people living with diabetes and my experience as a physician have certainly shaped my research. They have especially influenced my strong focus on translational research, clinical trials, and investigating the origins of the disease in humans.”
Jed Friedman, Ph.D., director of Harold Hamm Diabetes Center explains: “Prof. Dr. Ziegler’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment have not only advanced scientific understanding but also paved the way for novel interventions that improve patient outcomes by delaying the onset of Type 1 diabetes. Her work exemplifies the integration of rigorous research with compassionate clinical application, embodying the highest ideals of medical science. We are privileged to honor Prof. Dr. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler for her unparalleled contributions to diabetes research and her enduring impact on public health.”
Recognized Achievements of the Awardee
The research of Anette-Gabriele Ziegler focuses on translating important research questions into longitudinal studies as well as implementing findings into public health. Her achievements include:
- Launched BabyDiab, the first birth cohort to study when and how Type 1 diabetes begins.
- Launched Fr1da, a public screening program to detect early signs of Type 1 diabetes, now a model for similar global efforts.
- Initiated and serves as speaker of GPPAD (Global Platform for the Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes), a European platform to translate knowledge about disease pathogenesis into trials seeking to prevent Type 1 diabetes. More than 2,000 infants have been enrolled in GPPAD’s clinical trials and screened for genetic risk of Type 1 diabetes.
- Conducted research that led to a landmark clinical trial resulting in Food and Drug Administration approval for teplizumab, the first immunotherapy drug shown to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes in at-risk individuals.
In addition, Ziegler has made the following research discoveries:
- Autoimmunity to insulin is a key starting point for Type 1 diabetes in children, and Type 1 diabetes susceptibility genes predispose for autoimmunity.
- Islet autoimmunity (when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas) starts early in life, with a peak incidence around age 1 to 2.
- Children with two or more islet autoantibodies almost always develop diabetes.
- Respiratory viral infections in early life, including COVID-19, raise the risk of islet autoimmunity in genetically at-risk children.
- Early changes in blood sugar and immune activity appear to precede the onset of autoimmunity to insulin.
About the Hamm Prize
The Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes is awarded by the OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences. The prize recognizes and encourages lasting advances in the fields of Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes research. It is awarded to an individual who has either demonstrated lifelong contributions to the field or realized a singular advance, especially one that promotes curative potential. The honor includes a $250,000 award, the largest of its kind in the world. The prize, established in 2012, is named for Harold Hamm, chairman and chief executive officer of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources Inc., who provided an endowment to fund the prize in perpetuity. The Hamm Prize laureate is selected by a rotating jury of national and international leaders in the diabetes research community and is awarded every two years. For more information about the Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes, visit the prize website here.
Read the OU press release: Laureate Announced for Hamm International Prize for Diabetes Research
