Speaker
Description
In the 1960s and 1970s, considerable interest was directed toward understanding the role of peptides in glucose metabolism. Particular attention was given to incretins, intestinally secreted peptides that stimulate insulin release from pancreatic β-cells following food intake, thereby regulating glucose homeostasis. In parallel, research efforts focused on glucagon, a peptide secreted by pancreatic α-cells that increases blood glucose levels.
The presentation describes the research leading to the discovery of the biologically active sequence of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), identified as the 31-amino-acid peptide GLP-1(7–37), and demonstrates that this peptide functions as an incretin with therapeutic potential for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. These findings are considered in the context of the broader body of work by other investigators that contributed to the understanding of GLP-1 biology.