Matthias Tschöp has shaped the field of metabolic diseases, diabetes and obesity over the last decades on a global scale. His research has generated several novel preventive and therapeutic approaches for diabetes and obesity.

In 2000, he discovered that the human body relies on a hunger hormone called ghrelin that drives appetite, promotes fat storage and tells the brain when additional calories are needed. Building on this discovery, he collaborated with the chemist Richard DiMarchi to develop a series of novel drug candidates that combine the action profiles of multiple hormones into single molecules. These so-called poly-agonists have proven successful as candidates for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes and are now already progressing through phase 2 and 3 clinical trials.

Today, Matthias Tschöp is serving as the CEO of Helmholtz Zentrum München. His strategic vision is centered on transformative acceleration of the path from basic research breakthroughs to delivering medical solutions for society.

About the award
The Berthold Medal is awarded annually. It is named after the famous German scientist Arnold Adolf Berthold, who is considered the founding father of hormone research, as his experiments were the first to prove the existence of hormones. In his honor, the DGE awards the Berthold Medal internationally to researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the field of hormone research and thus continue Berthold's legacy.

Further information (German only)