We are deeply saddened to share that Dr. Joel F. Habener, an extraordinary physician‑scientist whose laboratory helped identify and characterize GLP‑1, passed away on December 28, 2025, at the age of 88.
Through seminal work in the 1970s and 1980s on the glucagon gene and its peptide products, Dr. Habener and collaborators illuminated the biology and function of GLP‑1 and the incretin pathway. Four decades on, these fundamental discoveries laid the scientific foundation for GLP‑1–based therapies that have transformed care for diabetes and obesity—now widely known through medicines such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro—and improved the lives of millions worldwide.
In 2024, Dr. Habener received numerous prestigious international honors in the field of biopharmaceutical science, including the Tang Prize, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to medicine.
Dr. Habener’s visionary research represents a generational breakthrough that has reshaped our understanding of metabolism and obesity. His enduring influence on science and medicine is evident in clinics and laboratories around the world.
We extend our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Habener’s family, his colleagues at Massachusetts General Hospital, and all those whose lives he touched. His legacy endures in clinical care and at the bench, and in the many scientists he inspired.
