The mission of the ADA is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. The association now unveiled this year’s Award recipients. Matthias Tschöp, former CEO at Helmholtz Munich and Helmholtz Vice President of Health Research, is the awardee of the 2023 Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement, the highest honor of the ADA. This prestigious award recognizes significant, long-term contributions to the understanding, treatment, or prevention of diabetes. A special honor, since Tschöp is not only the first German scientist to receive this medal but also the youngest Banting Medalist to date. Inaugurated in 1941, the prize is given in memory of Sir Frederick Banting, a key discoverer of insulin and its therapeutic use.
Discovery of Groundbreaking Medicines for Obesity and Diabetes
Matthias Tschöp is a physician-scientist who has made a series of groundbreaking discoveries in the field of diabetes. In addition to the hunger hormone ghrelin which he identified in 2000, Tschöp and his long-term chemistry collaborator Richard DiMarchi discovered the therapeutic class of dual and triple gut hormone drugs, the so-called polyagonists. Their research resulted in a novel class of drugs, which have been approved in the USA last year. There are a further ten polyagonists currently in clinical trials, promising a new era of metabolic medicine. For the first time, the widespread diseases of overweight and obesity can be effectively treated with these novel drugs, thereby significantly reducing the risk of developing diabetes. The discoveries of Matthias Tschöp have contributed substantially to advance the field of diabetes care and research and have significantly transformed the fight against the disease.
A Prestigious Award
Matthias Tschöp is one of the few international recipients of the highest honor of the American Diabetes Association. The ADA will recognize his world-leading academic achievements at 83rd Scientific Session of ADA on June 23-26, 2023, in San Diego (USA). It is the world’s largest scientific meeting focused on diabetes research, prevention, and care, with more than 12,000 leading physicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals from around the world expected to convene to unveil cutting-edge research, treatment recommendations, and advances toward a cure for diabetes.
About the scientist:
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Matthias H. Tschöp was CEO and Scientific Director at Helmholtz Munich from 2018 to 2025, ‘Alexander von Humboldt’ Professor at the Technical University of Munich since 2012 and since February 2025 elected new president of LMU Munich. Since January 2023, he has been Vice President of the Helmholtz Association for the Research Field Health for two years.
More about Matthias Tschöp
Interview: “Reversing Obesity with Multi-Receptor Drugs” with Matthias Tschöp
Interview: “Advancing the fight against obesity” with Matthias Tschöp
