Svetlana Mojsov
Born
Belgrade
Alma materRockefeller University
Scientific career
InstitutionsMassachusetts General Hospital
Rockefeller University
ThesisStudies on solid-phase peptide synthesis: the synthesis of glucagon (1978)

Svetlana Mojsov is a Serbian chemist who is a research associate professor at Rockefeller University. Her research considers peptide synthesis. She discovered the glucagon-like peptide-1 and uncovered its role in glucose metabolism and the secretion of insulin. Her breakthroughs were transformed by Novo Nordisk into therapeutic agents against diabetes and obesity.

Early life and education

Mojsov was born in Yugoslavia and did her undergraudate degree in chemistry in Belgrade.[1] She joined the graduate program at the Rockefeller University in 1972, where she worked alongside Robert Bruce Merrifield on the synthesis of peptides.[1] Specifically, Mojsov focused on the synthesis of glucagon, which is released by the pancreas. At the time it was proposed that glucagon might help to treat Type 2 diabetes.

Research and career

In the 1980s, Mojsov moved to the Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was made head of a peptide synthesis facility.[1] She arrived at MGH shortly after Joel Habener had cloned proglucagon by studying anglerfish found in Boston Harbor. Mojsov worked on the identification of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a hormone generated by the gut that triggers the release of insulin. The amino acid sequence of GLP-1 was similar to a gastric inhibitory peptide, an incretin. To try to identify whether a specific fragment of GLP-q was an incretin, Mojsov created an incretin-antibody and developed ways to track its presence. Specifically, Mojsov identified that a stretch of 31 amino acids in the GLP-1 was an incretin.[2][3] Together with Daniel J. Drucker and Habener, Mojsov showed that small quantities of lab-synthesized GLP-1 could trigger insulin.[4][5][6]

In the 1990s, Mojsov returned to New York City, where she returned to Rockefeller University and the laboratory of Ralph M. Steinman. In 1992, the group at Massachusetts General Hospital tested the GLP-1 in humans.[7] Drugs that emulate the action of GLP1 have been developed into treatments for obesity and diabetes by Novo Nordisk.[1][8] Eventually, the GLP-1 derivatives Mojsov synthesized were patented as peptides able to prompt the release of insulin, but with Habener as the sole-creator. Mojsov fought to have her name included in patents, with MGH eventually agreeing to amend four patents to include her name and she received her one-third of drug royalties for one year.[1] She has continued to speak up for credit after her collaborators received various awards as new versions of GLP-1 have been approved and grown popular.[1][9]

Selected publications

Personal life

At graduate school Mojsov met her future husband, Michel C. Nussenzweig.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Her work paved the way for blockbuster obesity drugs. Now, she's fighting for recognition (Report). 2023-09-08. doi:10.1126/science.adk7627.
  2. ↑ Mojsov, S. (1992). "Structural requirements for biological activity of glucagon-like peptide-I". International Journal of Peptide and Protein Research. 40 (3–4): 333–343. doi:10.1111/j.1399-3011.1992.tb00309.x. ISSN 0367-8377. PMID 1478791.
  3. ↑ Mojsov, S; Heinrich, G; Wilson, I B; Ravazzola, M; Orci, L; Habener, J F (September 1986). "Preproglucagon gene expression in pancreas and intestine diversifies at the level of post-translational processing". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 261 (25): 11880–11889. doi:10.1016/s0021-9258(18)67324-7. ISSN 0021-9258. PMID 3528148.
  4. ↑ Mojsov, S; Weir, G C; Habener, J F (1987-02-01). "Insulinotropin: glucagon-like peptide I (7-37) co-encoded in the glucagon gene is a potent stimulator of insulin release in the perfused rat pancreas". Journal of Clinical Investigation. 79 (2): 616–619. doi:10.1172/JCI112855. ISSN 0021-9738. PMC 424143. PMID 3543057.
  5. ↑ Drucker, D J; Philippe, J; Mojsov, S; Chick, W L; Habener, J F (May 1987). "Glucagon-like peptide I stimulates insulin gene expression and increases cyclic AMP levels in a rat islet cell line". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 84 (10): 3434–3438. Bibcode:1987PNAS...84.3434D. doi:10.1073/pnas.84.10.3434. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 304885. PMID 3033647.
  6. ↑ O’Rahilly, Stephen (2021-04-15). "The islet's bridesmaid becomes the bride: Proglucagon-derived peptides deliver transformative therapies". Cell. 184 (8): 1945–1948. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2021.03.019. ISSN 0092-8674. PMID 33831374. S2CID 233131461.
  7. ↑ "Insulinotropic Action of Glucagonlike Peptide-I-(7–37) in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Subjects". Diabetes Care. 15 (2): 270–276. doi:10.2337/diacare.15.2.270. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  8. ↑ "Svetlana Mojsov". Our Scientists. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  9. ↑ Molteni, Megan; Chen, Elaine (27 September 2023). "The Ozempic revolution is rooted in the work of Svetlana Mojsov, yet she's been edged out of the story". STAT. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.