Fight against Obesity and Diabetes: Matthias Tschöp receives Ernst Schering Prize 2023
Helmholtz Munich CEO and passionate physician and scientist Prof. Matthias Tschöp is awarded for his groundbreaking work in metabolic research with this year's Ernst Schering Prize. The jury of the Schering Stiftung honors his discovery of the hunger hormone ghrelin, his dissection of the gut-brain signaling pathways, and his development of new classes of therapeutic agents that for the first time make it possible to regulate body weight and blood sugar levels in patients with obesity. This honor highlights Matthias Tschöp as an exceptional researcher and additionally, Helmholtz Munich in its leading position in diabetes research.
Prof. Matthias Tschöp receives the 50.000 Euro Ernst Schering Prize, one of the most prestigious German science awards, for his pioneering development of highly effective anti-obesity drugs. The Schering Stiftung honors scientists each year worldwide for pioneering research, new inspiring models, or fundamental shifts in biomedical knowledge.
Besides Matthias Tschöp’s discovery in 2000 of the hunger hormone ghrelin, he and his long-term collaborator, biochemist Richard DiMarchi, combined several hormones into a single molecule, creating the therapeutic class of so-called polyagonists. The first polyagonist has already been approved by the FDA as well as the European Commission. More than ten additional polyagonists are currently in clinical trials, promising a new era in metabolic medicine. For the first time, widespread diseases such as obesity can be effectively treated with these drugs, thereby significantly reducing the risk for diabetes development – a scientific achievement that has long been thought impossible.
The chairman of the Foundation Council of the Schering Stiftung, Prof. Max Löhning, said: “Prof. Dr. Matthias Tschöp has contributed a number of highly significant basic and clinical findings that have helped transform metabolic research. Through his innovative research, he developed agents that ring in a new era in the fight against adipositas and diabetes. He has become a defining, inspirational personality for new generations of physician-scientists, both in Germany and worldwide.”
On top of that, Matthias Tschöp additionally received this year the Banting Medal, the highest honor from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). This honor together with the Ernst Schering Prize 2023 highlights Matthias Tschöp’s impressive achievements in the fight against obesity and diabetes.
More information
Read more about Prof. Matthias Tschöp and the diabetes research at Helmholtz Munich.
Check out an interview with Matthias Tschöp about his research in drug development against obesity and diabetes.
Read the full press release.
Find out more details on the festive award ceremony.
About the scientist
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Matthias H. Tschöp is CEO and scientific director at Helmholtz Munich, Alexander von Humboldt professor at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Vice President of Health Research.
