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Lotte Bjerre Knudsen

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Lotte Bjerre Knudsen (born March 10, 1964) is a Danish scientist and university professor. She led the development of liraglutide and semaglutide,[third-party source needed] two notable drugs approved for indications in the treatment of diabetes and obesity.[1][third-party source needed]

Early life and education

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Knudsen originally studied chemical engineering at the Technical University of Denmark,[citation needed] and obtained a doctorate in scientific medicine (DMSc) from the University of Copenhagen in 2014.[2]

Career

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Knudsen began work as a scientist at the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk in Denmark in 1989.[2] As of December 2015, she was being referred to as Scientific Vice President for Global Research at Novo-Nordisk.[3] She served as an adjunct faculty member at Aarhus University from 2015-2020, as a professor in translational medicine.[2]

Since January 2022, Knudsen reports that she is employed as a Chief Scientific Advisor in Research and Early Development at Novo Nordisk.[third-party source needed][4]

Contributions

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While still a student, Knudsen worked at Novo Nordisk, initially working on laundry detergent enzymes. Alongside fellow student Shamkant Patkar, she discovered an enzyme capable of removing microscopic strands of cotton that pill up on clothing from repeated wear.[5]

After this project, Knudsen joined full-time as part of a research group at Novo Nordisk that aimed to identify new treatments for diabetes, by developing small molecule drugs targeting specific metabolic pathways.[citation needed] One project revolved around glucagon-like peptide-1,[citation needed] a hormone that stimulates the production of insulin but has a short half-life of minutes in the body.[1][third-party source needed] Glucagon-like peptide-1 had been previously identified by researchers such as Jens Juul Holst in Denmark, who joined Novo Nordisk as a consultant,[5][full citation needed] and Joel Habener, Daniel J. Drucker, and Svetlana Mojsov at Massachusetts General Hospital.[6][7][verification needed] Knudsen's team screened numerous chemical compounds to identify whether they could bind to the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor sufficiently to stimulate insulin secretion.[5][full citation needed] Eventually, they developed a new compound called liraglutide, which is an agonist for the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor.[5][full citation needed] It is a chemical analogue of glucagon-like peptide-1, with a fatty acid and spacer attached. These modifications increased its ability to dissolve in water and bind to albumin, which increase its bioavailability—its lifetime in the bloodstream, and so the duration of its action in the body.[third-party source needed][1] Liraglutide was approved as a treatment for diabetes under the brand name Victoza in the United States in 2010.[8]

Knudsen's team then worked on what became semaglutide, which had greater stability and affinity to albumin, lengthening its duration of action further to a once-weekly drug.[third-party source needed][9][non-primary source needed] Semaglutide was approved in the United States under the brand name Ozempic as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 2017,[10][non-primary source needed] and under the brand name Wegovy, as a first injectable (at 2.4 mg once weekly), for chronic weight management in June 2021.[11][better source needed][needs update]

Impact

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Martin Müller and Alexander Preker, writing for Der Spiegel in January 2024, have referred to Knudsen discovery in inventing the semaglutide weight-loss injections as "revolutionary", with the "drug Wegovy... [having] changed the world," and having made Novo Nordisk "Europe's most valuable company, [more valuable] than Daimler, Bayer, Lufthansa and BMW combined".[2]

Honors and recognition

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Knudsen received the 2023 Paul Langerhans Medal by the German Diabetes Society for her work developing the GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) Liraglutide,[12][13] and in October 2023, she received the STAT Biomedical Innovation award.[14]

Further reading

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  • Underwood, C.R.; Garibay, P.; Knudsen, L.B.; Peters, G.H.; Rudolph, R. & Reedtz-Runge, S. (January 2010). "Crystal Structure of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 in Complex with the Extracellular Domain of the Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor". J. Biol. Chem. 285 (1): 723–730. doi:10.1074/jbc.M109.033829. PMC 2804221. PMID 19861722. Retrieved 13 May 2024.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Nielsen, Malene Løvig (18 December 2015). "Pharmaceutical Researcher is New Honorary Professor at Health". AU.dk. Retrieved 13 May 2024. Lotte Bjerre Knudsen from Novo Nordisk is a new honorary professor at Health, Aarhus University. She is the person behind the discovery of liraglutide, a new class of drugs for Novo Nordisk that are used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
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References

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  1. ^ a b c Knudsen, L. B. & Lau, J. (11 April 2019). "The Discovery and Development of Liraglutide and Semaglutide". Front. Endocrinol. 10: 155ff. doi:10.3389/fendo.2019.00155. ISSN 1664-2392. PMC 6474072. PMID 31031702.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[third-party source needed]
  2. ^ a b c d Müller, Martin U.; Preker, Alexander & Knudsen, Lotte Bjerre (4 January 2024). "Interview with Weight Loss Drugs Inventor Lotte Bjerre Knudsen". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 6 January 2024. Der Spiegel: Danish researcher Lotte Bjerre Knudsen is regarded as the inventor of the weight loss injections that made Novo Nordisk Europe's most valuable and one of its most-hyped companies. In an interview, she discusses the revolution spawned by the drugs... As unpretentious as the scientist appears, her discovery was revolutionary. Her research laid the foundation that led to the development of the weight loss drug Wegovy, which has changed the world... You have made Novo Nordisk Europe's most valuable company, [more valuable] than Daimler, Bayer, Lufthansa and BMW combined. Do you benefit financially? Knudsen: I don't care that much about money, I'm a socialist! Here in Scandinavia, we teach our children teamwork from an early age. It's not about the individual... I have never asked for a raise in 34 years. Der Spiegel: You never got more money? Not even now? Knudsen: Yes, of course. But I didn't push... Der Spiegel: And are you able to eat more carefree now thanks to your invention? Knudsen: I love food, but that also means I have to restrain myself. I'm experimenting with periodic fasting...{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link).
  3. ^ Nielsen, Malene Løvig (18 December 2015). "Pharmaceutical Researcher is New Honorary Professor at Health". AU.dk. Retrieved 13 May 2024. Lotte Bjerre Knudsen from Novo Nordisk is a new honorary professor at Health, Aarhus University. She is the person behind the discovery of liraglutide, a new class of drugs for Novo Nordisk that are used in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
  4. ^ Knudsen, Lotte Bjerre (21 April 2024). "Lotte Bjerre Knudsen: Experience" (autobiographical post). LinkedIn.com. Retrieved 21 April 2024.[third-party source needed]
  5. ^ a b c d Molteni, Megan (17 October 2023). "How One Scientist's Determination Made Novo Nordisk an Obesity-Drug Powerhouse". STAT. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  6. ^ Drucker, Daniel J.; Habener, Joel F. & Holst, Jens Juul (1 December 2017). "Discovery, Characterization, and Clinical Development of the Glucagon-like Peptides". J. Clin. Invest. 127 (12): 4217–4227. doi:10.1172/JCI97233. PMC 5707151. PMID 29202475. Retrieved 21 April 2024.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Dolgin, Elie (2023). "Weight-Loss-Drug Pioneer: This Biochemist [Svetlana Mojsov] Finally Gained Recognition for her Work". Nature. 624 (13 December): 506. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-03927-1. PMID 38093064. Retrieved 21 April 2024. Svetlana Mojsov led early studies of GLP-1, the hormone behind Wegovy, Ozempic and other blockbusters.
  8. ^ Iepsen, E. W.; Torekov, S. S.; Holst, J. J. (2015). "Liraglutide for Type 2 diabetes and obesity: a 2015 update". Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy. 13 (7): 753–767. doi:10.1586/14779072.2015.1054810. PMID 26106933.
  9. ^ Lau, Jesper; Bloch, Paw; Schäffer, Lauge; Pettersson, Ingrid; Spetzler, Jane; Kofoed, Jacob; Madsen, Kjeld; Knudsen, Lotte Bjerre; McGuire, James; Steensgaard, Dorte Bjerre; Strauss, Holger Martin; Gram, Dorte X.; Knudsen, Sanne Møller; Nielsen, Flemming Seier; Thygesen, Peter; Reedtz-Runge, Steffen; Kruse, Thomas (2015). "Discovery of the Once-Weekly Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Analogue Semaglutide". Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. 58 (18): 7370–7380. doi:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.5b00726. PMID 26308095.
  10. ^ FDA Staff (5 December 2017). "Ozempic (semaglutide) Injection". FDA.gov. Retrieved 13 May 2024. Company: Novo Nordisk Inc. / Application No.: 209637 / Approval Date: 12/05/2017
  11. ^ Kahn, Jeremy (4 June 2021). "FDA Approves New Drug Treatment for Chronic Weight Management, First Since 2014" (press release). FDA.gov. Retrieved 13 May 2024. Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Wegovy (semaglutide) injection (2.4 mg once weekly) for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with at least one weight-related condition (such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol), for use in addition to a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity.[better source needed]
  12. ^ Monecke, Angela (13 September 2023). "Paul-Langerhans-Medaille geht an die "Mutter der Moleküle"". Medical-Tribune.de (in German). Retrieved 8 January 2024. Für ihre Forschung zu Liraglutid und Semaglutid erhält Dr. Lotte Bjerre Knudsen beim Diabetes Kongress die höchste Auszeichnung der DDG. / Wohlverdient: Dr. Lotte Bjerre Knudsen nahm beim Diabetes Kongress 2023 in Berlin die Paul-Langerhans-Medaille entgegen. Die Laudatio hielten Prof. Dr. Matthias Blüher und Prof. Dr. Michael Nauck gemeinsam.
  13. ^ JournalMed.de Staff (26 May 2023). "News-Medizin: Paul-Langerhans-Medaille für die Entwicklung von Liraglutid bei Adipositas und Typ-2-Diabetes". JournalMed.de (in German). Retrieved 29 May 2023. Für ihre Arbeit zur Entwicklung des GLP-1 Rezeptoragonisten (GLP-1 RA) Liraglutid, einem Grundpfeiler der modernen Adipositas- und Typ-2-Diabetes-Therapie, erhielt die Diabetes Forscherin Lotte Bjerre Knudsen beim Kongress der Deutschen Diabetes Gesellschaft (DDG) 2023 die höchste Auszeichnung der Fachgesellschaft – die Paul-Langerhans-Medaille.
  14. ^ Chen, Elaine (18 October 2023). "Lotte Knudsen, who pushed Novo Nordisk into the Ozempic era, wins STAT Innovation award". STAT. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
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