The Potsdam-based diabetes researcher Professor Hans-Georg Joost, founding member and board member of diabetesDE - German Diabetes Aid, ombudsperson of the Leibniz Association and former scientific director of the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE), is this year’s recipient of the Von Mering Gold Medal of the German Diabetes Center Düsseldorf (DDZ). The pharmacologist and experimental diabetologist has also been a close scientific cooperation partner of the DDZ for many years.

“Hans-Georg Joost is an excellent pharmacologist, successful scientist and innovative ambassador of experimental diabetes research," said Professor Michael Roden, scientific director and board member of the DDZ, in his laudatory speech. During the repositioning phase, as a long-standing supporter of the DDZ, he played a decisive role in shaping the transition from a clinic to a research institute and strongly supported the new concept, Roden continued. Joost's research areas include the genetics of obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as the regulation of glucose transport in insulin-sensitive cells.

Professor Barbara B. Kahn, professor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, gave a lecture in honor of Professor Joost on the topic “A Novel Class of Mammalian Lipids with Anti-diabetic and Anti-inflammatory
Effects”. In her lecture she illustrated the connections between diabetes and a new lipid group with antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory effects. The leading diabetes researcher has been able to use her research in the field of diabetes to identify fundamental molecular mechanisms in obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. These studies form the basis for new treatment concepts for type 2 diabetes and obesity.

The Von Mering Gold Medal has been awarded by the board of directors of the German Diabetes Center (DDZ) since 2016. The prize is awarded to outstanding individuals who have dedicated decades of work for German diabetes research and the DDZ.

About Josef von Mering:
Joseph von Mering (1849-1908) was born in Cologne and was a physician. He is considered one of the most important diabetes researchers. His research in collaboration with Oscar Minkowski explained how the pancreas and metabolism are related. Von Mering and Minkowski contributed significantly to a better understanding of the endocrine function of the pancreas.

(September 25, 2017)

The German Diabetes Center (DDZ)  is a German reference center for diabetes. Its objective is to contribute to the prevention, early detection, diagnosis and treatment of diabetes mellitus. At the same time, the research center aims at improving the epidemiological data situation in Germany. The DDZ coordinates the multicenter German Diabetes Study and is a point of contact for all players in the health sector. In addition, it prepares scientific information on diabetes mellitus and makes it available to the public. The DDZ is part of the Leibniz Association (Wissenschaftsgemeinschaft Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, WGL) and is a partner of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.).
.

Recent press releases of the DDZ are available at www.ddz.uni-duesseldorf.de

The  press photos of the DDZ may be used for editorial purposes only and should be attributed under “Photo Credits” as: "Source: DDZ e.V." There is no charge for the use of photos, but please send us a copy or a reference to the respective publication. 

For more information, please contact:
Christina A. Becker
Head, Press and Public Relations
German Diabetes Center (DDZ)
Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research
at the Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf
Phone: +49(0)211-3382-450
email: Christina.Becker(at)ddz.uni-duesseldorf.de