Dr. Daniel Drucker honoured with 2020 Baxter Prize for diabetes impact

Dr. Daniel Drucker, a senior investigator at Sinai Health’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and a professor of medicine at University of Toronto, has been chosen for the Endocrine Society’s John D. Baxter Prize for Entrepreneurship for his contributions to diabetes treatment.

“I’m honoured to be recognized by the Endocrine Society, and my success wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my mentors and teammates,” Drucker said. “I became an entrepreneur because of my passion for endocrine discovery and the potential to save lives by developing novel therapies.”

The $50,000 prize is awarded every two years by the Endocrine Society. It recognizes scientists or health-care providers who have demonstrated entrepreneurship by leveraging endocrine research to improve patient care.

Drucker said he is grateful for the prize, adding it will support not only his work, but also young investigators just setting out on the path of translational research.

“Dan Drucker’s work has improved the lives of thousands of patients with diabetes and rare gut disorders,” said Endocrine Society president E. Dale Abel. “His pioneering work bringing new diabetes treatments to market has improved the quality of patients’ lives by making treatment more convenient and lowering risks. We are thrilled to honour his numerous achievements.”

Drucker’s research has contributed greatly to the understanding and treatment of diabetes over the past 25 years. He discovered new drugs for patients with Type 2 diabetes that simplify treatment and reduce the risk of hypoglycemia—dangerous episodes of low blood sugar.

He also discovered the actions of GLP-2 and developed Teduglutide, the only therapy approved for patients with chronic short bowel syndrome, a rare and challenging condition that can lead to liver disease.  

Drucker is no stranger to recognition by numerous scientific and medical societies. Last year, he was awarded the prestigious 2019 Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes.

He will receive the Baxter Prize at the Society’s annual meeting this March, the largest gathering in the world of endocrinologists and professionals working in hormone health.

About the Endocrine Society

Endocrinologists are at the core of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health, and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest and largest organization of scientists devoted to hormone research and physicians who care for people with hormone-related conditions.

The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in 122 countries. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit www.endocrine.org.

About LTRI

The Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, or LTRI, is one of the world’s top biomedical research institutes, powering scientific discovery for almost 35 years. The LTRI is a research powerhouse embedded within Sinai Health and Mount Sinai Hospital. At its core, LTRI creates the perfect storm of creativity, curiosity and observation for the investigation of medicine’s most important questions. It is comprised of 34 highly collaborative labs with cutting-edge facilities, 118 researchers, 250 trainees and more than 500 staff.