The Discovery Dialogues Podcast

Deep Dives E2 with Jens Juul Holst

Jens Juul Holst did something remarkable - he noticed something strange happening to his patients, chased it for decades and ended up discovering the hormone behind the biggest drug revolution of our lifetime. Here, Holst tells us how he ended up where he did. (Breakthrough Prize, Tang Prize, Canada Gairdner Award, Princess of Asturias Award, Banting Medal and many more. Catch this Deep Dive episode here.

Deep Dives E1 - Svetlana Mojsov

In this Deep Dives Episode, Dr. Svetlana Mojsov - co-discoverer of GLP1 - recipient of the Lasker Award, the Tang Prize, and the 2025 Breakthrough Prize, graciously joins us in sharing her story.   Dr. Mojsov shows us the raw data where she predicted what would be the active form of GLP1, describes her years of work on the hormone, and tells us about the moment standing in front of a gamma counter when she knew that this was going to be a drug.   In our Discovery Dialogues podcast episodes, we have only used brief excerpts from conversations with scientists behind the most impactful discoveries in science, here we release the first in a series of full conversations in the  Deep Dives series.

E7 The Hunt for GLP1 - the hidden switch for hunger

Can we eventually cure diabetes? In the Discovery Dialogues podcast series, we uncover the hidden stories behind the science—from the discovery of insulin to the invention of continuous glucose monitors to the excitement behind the latest blockbuster medications. In this episode of the Discovery Dialogues Podcast, hosts Ani Deshpande and Pam Itkin-Ansari explore the fascinating paradox of how nature’s deadliest defenses have become some of modern medicine’s greatest allies. The discussion journeys from medieval folklore to the cutting edge of longevity research, revealing how "plant poisons" were transformed into blockbuster diabetes treatments. Episode 7:  How GLP-1 Was Discovered: From Gastric Bypass Mysteries to a Blockbuster Drug Class The episode explores the explosive rise of GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro) and their broad impacts, then traces the scientific history behind them. Hosts Ani Deshpande and Pam Itkin-Ansari introduce pioneers Jens Juul Holst, Svetlana Mojsov, and David Nathan, starting with the 1970s surprise that gastric bypass could normalize blood sugar within days, before weight loss, suggesting gut hormones (the incretin effect) stimulate insulin. Researchers pursued glucagon-like peptides, aided by Joel Habener’s anglerfish work that enabled cloning the glucagon gene and revealed additional peptides. Early synthesized candidates failed until Mojsov predicted the correct active, shortened GLP-1 form, confirmed by Holst’s gut purification and strong pancreas experiments showing glucose-dependent insulin stimulation. Nathan then led double-blind human studies demonstrating GLP-1 safely boosted insulin and stabilized glucose, while noting the remaining challenge that native GLP-1’s effects vanish without continuous infusion, setting up the next episode.

E6 Medicines from Plant Poisons

Can we eventually cure diabetes? In the Discovery Dialogues podcast series, we uncover the hidden stories behind the science—from the discovery of insulin to the invention of continuous glucose monitors to the excitement behind the latest blockbuster medications. In this episode of the Discovery Dialogues Podcast, hosts Ani Deshpande and Pam Itkin-Ansari explore the fascinating paradox of how nature’s deadliest defenses have become some of modern medicine’s greatest allies. The discussion journeys from medieval folklore to the cutting edge of longevity research, revealing how "plant poisons" were transformed into blockbuster diabetes treatments.   learners. Subscribe to Discovery Dialogues for more untold stories of science and medicine. Don’t forget to like, share, and leave a comment with your thoughts.   This Episode: Sensing Sugar Spikes - The Remarkable Story Behind Painless Glucose Monitoring.  From a childhood shaped by war to a career of world-changing inventions, this episode follows the remarkable life of Adam Heller and his breakthroughs that led to a new kind of continuous glucose monitor. We also hear the podcaster's first-hand experience as a non-diabetic learning to use a CGM and real-world testimonials from families navigating diabetes. Chapters: see timestamps below to jump around. If this resonated, please like, subscribe, and share with your friends. If you are a fan of science stories told in an entertaining manner, or of podcasts and shows such as RadioLab, Hidden Brain, Ologies, Veritasium or Night Science, Veritasium, you might just like this series!   #diabetes [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/diabetes] #a1c [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/a1c] #hba1c [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/hba1c] #bloodsugarmonitoring [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bloodsugarmonitoring] #medicalhistory [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/medicalhistory] #podcast [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/podcast] #DiscoveryDialogues [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/discoverydialogues] #veritasium [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/veritasium] #continuousglucosemonitor [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/continuousglucosemonitor] #cgm [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/cgm] #type2diabetes [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/type2diabetes] #type1diabetes [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/type1diabetes] #diabetesmonitor [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/diabetesmonitor] #glucoselevels [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/glucoselevels] #hiddenbrain [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/hiddenbrain] #npr [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/npr] #radiolab [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/radiolab] #kurzgesagt [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/kurzgesagt] #ted [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ted]

E5 Sensing Sugar Spikes

Can we eventually cure diabetes? In the Discovery Dialogues podcast series, we uncover the hidden stories behind the science—from the discovery of insulin to the invention of continuous glucose monitors to the excitement behind the latest blockbuster medications. This podcast is for anyone curious about how science changes lives—from students and researchers to history buffs and lifelong learners. Subscribe to Discovery Dialogues for more untold stories of science and medicine. Don’t forget to like, share, and leave a comment with your thoughts.   This Episode: Sensing Sugar Spikes - The Remarkable Story Behind Painless Glucose Monitoring.  From a childhood shaped by war to a career of world-changing inventions, this episode follows the remarkable life of Adam Heller and his breakthroughs that led to a new kind of continuous glucose monitor. We also hear the podcaster's first-hand experience as a non-diabetic learning to use a CGM and real-world testimonials from families navigating diabetes. Chapters: see timestamps below to jump around. If this resonated, please like, subscribe, and share with your friends. If you are a fan of science stories told in an entertaining manner, or of podcasts and shows such as RadioLab, Hidden Brain, Ologies, Veritasium or Night Science, Veritasium, you might just like this series!   #diabetes [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/diabetes] #a1c [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/a1c] #hba1c [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/hba1c] #bloodsugarmonitoring [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/bloodsugarmonitoring] #medicalhistory [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/medicalhistory] #podcast [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/podcast] #DiscoveryDialogues [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/discoverydialogues] #veritasium [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/veritasium] #continuousglucosemonitor [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/continuousglucosemonitor] #cgm [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/cgm] #type2diabetes [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/type2diabetes] #type1diabetes [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/type1diabetes] #diabetesmonitor [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/diabetesmonitor] #glucoselevels [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/glucoselevels] #hiddenbrain [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/hiddenbrain] #npr [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/npr] #radiolab [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/radiolab] #kurzgesagt [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/kurzgesagt] #ted [https://www.youtube.com/hashtag/ted]