February 25, 2020, Shanghai

Franz Matschinsky, Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, was awarded the Rolf Luft Award 2020. Dr. Matschinsky was recognized"for the discovery that glucokinase (GK) is the sensor controlling glucose-stimulated insulin secretion in the pancreatic β-cell".

▲ Franz Matschinsky

Dr. Matschinsky published a critical scientific paper in 1968 stating that GK can sense glucose level changes in the β-cell, and regulate glucose metabolism according to changes in glucose levels. In addition, the paper emphasized the important role of insulin secretion in regulating energy metabolism. This article and subsequent scientific papers laid a solid foundation for the study of glucose sensing mechanisms. The research by Professor Matschinsky and colleagues validated GK as the core in glucose homeostasis, and provided the theoretical basis for Hua Medicine’s innovative drug, dorzagliatin. "Repairing GK sensing function, reshaping blood glucose homeostasis, and treating the cause of diabetes" has become the core concept of dorzagliatin, and has been validated in basic and clinical research.

Dr. Matschinsky's excellent research has increased the scientific community's understanding of the relationship between β-cell function and early phase insulin secretion in healthy people and diabetes patients. Under his initiative, Roche R&D initiated the development of glucokinase activators (GKA) in 1997, and jointly published on the pharmacological effect of GKA on blood glucose regulation for the first time in 2003 in Science, which led to an upsurge of GKA drug development. At present, dorzagliatin, Hua Medicine’s dual-acting GKA, has advanced into Phase III. It is expected to be the first to provide a new treatment option for type 2 diabetes patients worldwide.

Dr. Matschinsky is a senior scientific consultant of Hua Medicine. This award, for Hua Medicine and many clinical researchers and patients with diabetes worldwide, is extremely encouraging. Dr. Matschinsky and Hua Medicine have been exploring the core role of GK in the regulation of glucose homeostasis. The cooperation between the two parties has improved the understanding of the pathogenesis of diabetes and could open up a whole new realm for the development of diabetes drugs and its clinical application.

In 2018, Hua Medicine’s Phase II results were published in the authoritative Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, and Dr. Matschinsky was one of the first to reach out with his congratulations. In November 2019, Hua Medicine announced that dorzagliatin had achieved its primary efficacy endpoint in its 24-week phase III, monotherapy registration trial (HMM0301). This demonstrated in clinical data the value of dorzagliatin and glucokinase in the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Dr. Li Chen, the founder and CEO of Hua Medicine, said: "I am very happy that Dr. Matschinsky has been awarded this honor and it is very well deserved! For more than a decade, I have personally witnessed Dr. Matschinsky's persistent pursuit in the study of the physiological and biochemical functions of GK, starting from GK's function in regulating insulin secretion, to exploring its function in α-cells and liver tissue, so that we can understand the GK sensor more thoroughly. The deeper understanding of the GK sensor in regulating glucose homeostasis has accelerated the progress of basic and clinical research of dorzagliatin, and has achieved gratifying results. We believe that under the guidance of Dr. Matschinsky and the efforts of Chinese clinical physicians, Hua Medicine will be able to translate scientific knowledge into innovative treatments for diabetes patients globally."

About the Rolf Luft Award
Rolf Luft Award is given annually by Karolinska Institutet for outstanding scientific contribution in endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes. The award consists of medal, diploma and prize money. The prize committee includes previous award winners and professors Per-Olof Berggren, Claes-Göran Östenson and Kerstin Brismar at Rolf Luft's Research Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery.

About the Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet is one of the world’s leading medical universities. Its vision is to advance knowledge about life and strive towards better health for all.As a university, KI is Sweden’s single largest centre of medical academic research and offers the country’s widest range of medical courses and programmes.Since 1901 the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has selected the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine.

About Dorzagliatin
Dorzagliatin is a first-in-class, dual-acting glucokinase activator, designed to control the progressive degenerative nature of diabetes by restoring glucose homeostasis in people with type 2 diabetes. By addressing the defect of the glucose sensor function of glucokinase, dorzagliatin has the potential to restore the impaired glucose homeostasis state of people with type 2 diabetes and serve as a first-line standard-of-care therapy for the treatment of the disease, or as a cornerstone therapy when taken in combination with currently approved anti-diabetes drugs.

About Hua Medicine
Hua is a leading, clinical-stage innovative drug development company in China focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of diabetes. Founded by an experienced group of entrepreneurs and international investment firms, Hua advanced a first-in-class oral drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes into NDA-enabling stage and is currently evaluating the therapy in adults with diabetes in two Phase III trials in China and in two Phase I trials in the United States. The company has also initiated product life-cycle management studies of this novel diabetes therapy and advanced its use in personalized diabetes care. Hua Medicine's strategy is to leverage the cost-efficient and high-quality drug development capabilities available in China, while working closely with disease experts and regulatory agencies in China and across the world to advance diabetes care solutions for patients worldwide.

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