Svetlana Mojsov

Svetlana Mojsov is a Macedonian American, ex- Yugoslavian-born 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 Skopje, Macedonia, ex Yugoslavia and did her undergraduate degree in physical chemistry in Belgrade. She joined the graduate program at the Rockefeller University in 1972, where she worked alongside Robert Bruce Merrifield (1984 Nobel Prize in Chemistry) 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.^{[citation needed]}

Research and career

In the 1980s, Mojsov moved to the

In the 1990s, Mojsov returned to New York City, where she went back to Rockefeller University and the laboratory of Ralph M. Steinman (2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine). In 1992, the group at Massachusetts General Hospital using GLP-1 synthesized by Mojsov tested the GLP-1 in humans.^[6] Drugs that emulate the action of GLP1 have been developed into treatments for obesity and diabetes by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[8][9]

Prizes and awards

• 2023 VinFuture, Innovators With Outstanding Achievements In Emerging Fields - Jens Juul Holst, Joel Francis Habener, Daniel Joshua Drucker and Svetlana Mojsov^[10]
• 2023 Nature 10 most influential people who shaped science^[11]
• 2024 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize by the Rockefeller University^[12][13]
• 2024 Time 100 Most Influential People, Pioneers section^[14]
• 2024 Princess of Asturias Awards, Technical and Scientific Research - Daniel J. Drucker, Jeffrey M. Friedman, Joel F. Habener, Jens Juul Holst and Svetlana Mojsov^[15]
• 2024 Tang Prize, Biopharmaceutical Science - Joel F. Habener, Svetlana Mojsov and Jens Juul Holst^[16]
• 2025 Warren Triennial Prize - Joel Habener, Daniel J. Drucker, Jens Holst and Svetlana Mojsov^[17]

Selected publications

• Mojsov, Svetlana; Merrifield, R. B. (1984-12). "An improved synthesis of crystalline mammalian glucagon". European Journal of Biochemistry. 145 (3): 601–605.
  ISSN
  0014-2956.
• Svetlana Mojsov; Gordon C. Weir;
  Wikidata Q40920945
  .
• S Mojsov; G Heinrich; I B Wilson; M Ravazzola; L Orci;
  Wikidata Q68895656
  .
• Nathan, David M; Schreiber, Eric; Fogel, Howard; Mojsov, Svetlana; Habener, Joel F (1992-02-01). "Insulinotropic Action of Glucagonlike Peptide-I-(7–37) in Diabetic and Nondiabetic Subjects". Diabetes Care. 15 (2): 270–276.
  ISSN
  0149-5992

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

References