Biography
Bernard Thorens is Professor emeritus of the University of Lausanne. He was the first to structurally and functionally characterize the GLP-1 receptor and the human GIP receptor. His work further described how these two hormones control pancreatic beta-cells mass and function. On a separate line of investigations, he described a network of glucose sensing cells, located at different anatomical sites – in particular, in the central nervous system – which control glucose homeostasis and feeding behavior. Using genomics and physiological studies he also identified previously unknown regulators of fat, liver, pancreatic beta-cells and neuron function involved in whole body metabolic regulations.
His work has been funded by Swiss and European grants, including Advanced Research Grants from the European Research Council. He coordinated two large EU Innovative Medicine Initiative grants. He served as vice-president of the EASD (2012-2015). He was an elected member of the Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation; he is a member and of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences. His work has been recognized by several national and international awards, including the 2002 Cloëtta Award, the 2009 Albert Renold Award from the EASD, the 2017 Claude Bernard Award from the EASD, The Roger Assan Prize from the SFD, the 2024 Manpei Suzuki International Prize for Diabetes Research, Tokyo.