Svetlana Moisov / Rockefeller University
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In the spring of 2021, Canada’s Gairdner International Award was awarded to three scientists who contributed to the development of new drug candidates that were attracting the greatest attention at the time. The recipients of this award, which is the most prestigious award in the field of biomedicine, were Dr. Joel Hebner of Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor Daniel Drucker of the University of Toronto, and Professor Jens Holst of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. While the world was celebrating their awards, there were people who were angry. It was Professor Svetlana Mojsov, a female chemist at Rockefeller University. In a recent interview with the international academic journal Science, he said, “I don’t understand why I was excluded,” and “I was so angry.” Moisov has been fighting fiercely to reclaim her own rights since she was forgotten. Her moisov’s battle features both the long-standing practices and prejudices of the scientific community and the patents and prestige surrounding some of the most valuable drugs in the world today. What has happened in the past 40 years?
◇First author of the paper on the birth of GLP-1
3 2021 Gairdner Award winners / Cell
Born in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia), Moisov received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Belgrade and then entered graduate school at Rockefeller University in 1972. He worked in the laboratory of Bruce Merrifield, a Nobel Prize winner and authority on protein synthesis. The lab mainly synthesized peptides, which are short chains of amino acids, and Moisoff focused on the synthesis of glucagon, which is secreted by the pancreas. At the time, scientific research was coming out that glucagon could be helpful in treating type 2 diabetes.
In the 1980s, Moisoff became director of the peptide synthesis facility at Massachusetts General Hospital. At this facility, Moisoff worked with Hebner and Drucker, winners of the 2021 Gairdner Prize. After much effort, the three synthesized in the laboratory the hormone ‘glocagon-like peptide (GLP-1)’, which is produced in the intestines and triggers insulin secretion. At the time, Moisoff was the first author of the paper that demonstrated that this synthetic GLP-1 actually causes insulin secretion. Science said, “Everyone thought that GPT-1 could not be made using (master) Merrifield’s synthesis method, but it was Moisov who made it possible.” Hebner was even the last of five co-authors. Afterwards, Moisov’s name was consistently included in GLP-1-related papers and he led the research. Professor Holst created GLP-1 around the same time through independent research in Denmark.
◇Leads to world-class inventions
Since then, GLP-1 has been the subject of research by numerous scientists and pharmaceutical companies, but it took quite a long time to see the light of day. When GLP-1 was injected, it was ineffective as it disappeared before reaching the pancreas, and commercialization began in earnest only after a substance capable of maintaining GLP-1 for a long period of time was discovered in 1990. Denmark’s Novo Nordisk developed the GLP-1 drug liraglutide and received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 under the name ‘Victoza’. Afterwards, Novo Nordisk created semaglutide, an improved substance over liraglutide, through continuous research, and launched groundbreaking diabetes treatments called Saxenda and Ozempic.
However, the reason semaglutide gained worldwide fame is because of its side effects. A weight loss effect was observed in users. Novo Nordisk has decided to develop semaglutide as a treatment for obesity and is conducting clinical trials. An average weight loss of 15% was proven in a 68-week clinical trial. This was the moment when Wigobi, the ‘miraculous obesity treatment’ that can help you lose weight by taking it once a week, was born. Obesity treatments about to be released, such as Eli Lilly’s Maunzaro and Pfizer’s oral obesity treatment Danuglyprone, all use GLP-1. This is possible because GLP-1, which induces insulin, increases satiety and reduces hunger.
◇A name that has been completely forgotten
The GLP-1 craze brought enormous wealth and fame to several scientists. In particular, Hebner and Drucker, who participated in the creation of GLP-1, became giants representing academia and won several awards. Hebner also received royalties by selling four original patents of GLP-1 to Novo Nordisk. While the media looked at their success, Moisov was completely forgotten.
Science cites the fact that Moisov took a different path from other scientists. Moy Thorpe worked at Massachusetts General Hospital before moving to Rockefeller University after his marriage and childbirth. Like Hebner and Drucker, he did not set up his own laboratory or receive large-scale research grants. Science said, “He was not in an environment where he could focus on individual research, and it was difficult for him to leave his position as a teaching assistant while supporting his junior researchers.” He was unaware of Hebner’s GLP-1 patent application or the purchase of Novono Disk’s patent rights, which occurred after he left Massachusetts General Hospital. Moisov found out about this fact late and filed a lawsuit against Hebner to have the patent rights recognized, but it was already too late. He only received royalties for one year following the release of Novo Nordisk’s Victoza. Science said, “The fact that Hebner, Drucker, and other colleagues did not mention Moisoff exacerbated the problem.” Even though he contributed the most to the ‘first discovery and invention’, which is the most important thing in science, he became completely forgotten. Moisov’s reluctance to step forward was also a factor in worsening the situation.
◇Should I take the path of a dark lady?
Rosalind Franklin / King’s College
Moisov is actively working to restore his reputation. A friend of his requested a correction last month when the New York Times omitted Moisov’s name from an article describing the history of GLP-1. Moisov was also omitted in a special article on GLP-1 in the international academic journal Nature in January. After receiving complaints, Nature decided to revise the article. The 2021 cell review paper is also undergoing a correction process. In the scientific community, Moisoff’s particular excitement about the Gairdner Prize is attributed to the Nobel Prize. GLP-1, which has cured diabetes in countless people around the world and changed the history of obesity treatment, is likely to win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in the near future. However, the Nobel Prize only selects up to three joint winners in one field each year. This means that if the criteria were the same as the Gaithner Award, Moisov would not be able to receive the Nobel Prize.
What makes Moisov’s case so notable is that she is a woman. Moisov reflects the many female scientists whose roles have been forgotten or whose roles have been reduced in the history of modern science. Rosalind Franklin, who played a key role in identifying the structure of genes (DNA) but was overshadowed by James Watson and Francis Crick, and Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who almost lost the Nobel Prize to her advisor even though she found a ‘pulsar’, evidence of the death of a star, using a radio telescope she made herself. Likewise, many female scientists have been ignored despite their contributions to human development. There is even an expression called ‘dark lady’ to refer to them. What kind of ending will Moisov see? It is natural to want to be recognized for a fair share of inventions that changed the world.
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2023-10-04 22:01:45
