A profile of award-winning researcher, Dr. Dan Drucker, who has developed successful drugs used to manage type 2 diabetes.

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for people with
type 2 diabetes
DPP-4 inhibitors. Both groups of drugs help people
with diabetes lower glucose while coping with two key
challenges: weight gain, and hypoglycemia (low blood
glucose), which can result in confusion, loss of
consciousness, and seizures. Other diabetes treatments
may actually inadvertently contribute to these problems,
but liraglutide, exenatide, and the “gliptins” are what
Drucker calls smart medications. “They lower blood
sugar levels only when they need to be lowered, and
they either cause weight loss or do not cause weight
gain,” he explains. For people taking any of these drugs,
that means less blood glucose monitoring, and improved
health and quality of life.
It can take decades for drugs to go from the lab,
to clinical trials, to drug companies, to the patient.
According to Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers
of America, for every 5,000 to 10,000 potential drugs,
only five to 10 will get to clinical trials to determine
whether they are safe and effective for people.
Involved in research for the past 30 years, Drucker
has been recognized for his work here and around the
world. In 1996, he won the CDA’s Young Scientist
Award. Last year, the American Diabetes Association
awarded him the Banting Medal for Scientific
Achievement Award; he is only the third Canadian-born
scientist to receive this award. He also won Japan’s 2014
Manpei Suzuki International Prize for Diabetes Research
for “his extensive and groundbreaking contributions
over the years to many landmark discoveries.” Drucker
says, “These awards are an affirmation of the importance
and quality of the work being done in Canada. I am
grateful for the support I have received from the CDA,
which can share in the accolades of international
awards like this one.”
Dr. Jan Hux, the CDA’s chief science officer, seconds
that. “It has been a privilege for the CDA to fund a
number of Dr. Drucker’s projects over the years. He is
remarkable and demonstrates the best traits of truly
successful scientists—curiosity, innovation, and
perseverance as well as humility, generosity, and
collegiality. He not only continues to advance the fields
of physiology, pharmacology, and medicine, but is
training the next generation of researchers who will
continue that work.”
Four years ago, Drucker closed his endocrinology
practice so he could concentrate more on research.
Although he enjoyed seeing patients, he asked himself,
“Where am I going to make the greatest impact on
people’s lives?” His answer: “The success of my science.”
Making an impact is always on his mind. It’s all part of an
effort, he says, “to meet the unmet needs of our patients.”
Dr. Daniel Drucker’s successful research has led to
the creation of new drugs that improve diabetes
management and quality of life By Denise Barnard
Curiosity is important not only for researchers,
driving them to ask questions about diseases with
the hope of making discoveries, but also for patients,
who can benefit from those discoveries. Just ask
Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist, a senior
investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research
Institute at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, and a
long-time Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA)-funded
researcher. His questions led him and his team to
major discoveries that resulted in the development of
two groups of drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes—a
disease in which the body either cannot properly use
the insulin it has or does not make enough insulin.
If you take diabetes medications such as liraglutide
(Victoza), exenatide (Byetta), sitagliptin (Januvia),
saxagliptin (Onglyza), alogliptin (Nesina), or linagliptin
(Tradjenta), you have benefited from the work done by
Drucker and his team. How exactly?
His research focuses on hormones called incretins, such
as GLP-1, that are made in the pancreas, digestive tract,
and brain. When we eat, our blood glucose (sugar) levels
rise based on the amount of carbohydrates and calories in
our meal. The hormone GLP-1—which is released after
eating—tells the pancreas to produce insulin. It also tells
the pancreas to stop producing glucagon, a hormone that
causes blood sugar to go up when it is too low. As a result,
blood sugar levels go down. DPP-4 is a molecule that
inactivates GLP-1 in the body. Drucker’s research found
ways to copy what GLP-1 does as well as to block what
DPP-4 does. This research led to the development of drugs
that mimic GLP-1 action to lower blood sugar.
The first medications based on this research—
liraglutide and exenatide—were approved for use in the
United States starting in 2005 and a few years later in
Canada. More such medications have been approved
since then. Liraglutide and exenatide are GLP-1-based;
sitagliptin, saxagliptin, alogliptin, and linagliptin are
“Our lab has studied how gut hormones work to
control food intake and the disposal of nutrients,
and we and many others have worked hard to
develop medications to treat type 2 diabetes
based on the action of these hormones.”
– Dr. Daniel Drucker, physician and researcher
“Type 2 diabetes is a growing problem in Canada and
around the world. New and effective drugs like those
developed by Dr. Drucker are critical tools in the
fight to help people with diabetes live healthy lives.”
– Dr. Jan Hux, chief science officer,
Canadian Diabetes Association
“In the past 10 years, it has become apparent
to me that the research we’re doing in the
lab has the potential to impact millions
of people around the world.”
– Dr. Daniel Drucker, physician and researcher
Dr. Drucker describes his research as basic science.
It involves working with mice and test tubes to
study molecules, cells, and tissues, to understand
how our bodies work when healthy and when faced
with disease. Also known as “basic biomedical
research,” this type of research usually takes from
10 to 40 years before it has an impact on patients’
lives. To read more from “Progress in Research,”
including “Research success: Discovering ways to
treat type 2 diabetes” about Dr. Drucker’s work,
visit diabetes.ca/researchprogress.
Did you know?
Visit diabetes.ca/research to read about the
104 research projects and awards funded by the
Canadian Diabetes Association.
How can you help us fund research that changes
lives? Donate now! diabetes.ca/donate
DR. DRUCKER AT A GLANCE
• Awarded Manpei Suzuki International Prize
for Diabetes Research (2014)
• Awarded American Diabetes Association Banting
Medal for Scientific Achievement Award (2014)
• Awarded Claude Bernard Lecture/Award of the
European Association for the Study of Diabetes (2011)
• Awarded Canadian Institutes of Health Research/
Canadian Medical Association Journal Top
Achievements in Health Research Award (2011)
• Joined Mount Sinai Hospital as a clinician-
scientist (2007)
• Became professor of medicine (1996) and director
of the Banting and Best Diabetes Centre at the
University of Toronto (2000)
• Awarded Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA)
Young Scientist Award (1996)
rESEARCH
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Photoby:MountSinaiHospital