Endocrinology Diabetes and Metabolism

Four Weill Cornell Medicine investigators received the Ritu Banga Healthcare Disparities Research Awards, recognizing innovative research that will help close care gaps in clinical settings.

Tirzepatide (trade name Zepbound) promoted greater weight loss in individuals with obesity than did semaglutide (trade name Wegovy) in a clinical trial led by an investigator at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian that compared the safety and efficacy of the injectable drugs. 

Tirzepatide, a new injectable weight-loss drug with the trade name Zepbound, reduced the risk of diabetes in patients with obesity and prediabetes by more than 90% over a three-year period, compared with placebo, according to a new study led by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian, Yale School of Medicine and other institutions.

Dr. Marcus D. Goncalves, the Ralph L. Nachman, M.D. Research Scholar and an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been elected as a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) for 2024.

The current class of anti-obesity drugs is proving remarkably effective at removing excess pounds. However, a phase 3 randomized clinical trial led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian found that people who stopped taking the medication regained much of that weight within a year.

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine have uncovered a novel route to stimulate the growth of healthy insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells in a preclinical model of diabetes. The findings hold promise for future therapeutics that will improve the lives of individuals with type 2 diabetes—a condition that affects more than half a billion people worldwide.

Dr. Imperato-McGinley, who has dedicated nearly 50 years to Weill Cornell Medicine, accepted her award June 8 at a gala held in her honor.

Weill Cornell Medicine, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have received a $25 million Cancer Grand Challenges award to tackle cancer cachexia, the debilitating wasting syndrome that is responsible for up to 30 percent of cancer-related deaths.

Dr. Laura Alonso, chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism and the Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been selected to be a fellow of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine.

Eating fructose appears to alter cells in the digestive tract in a way that enables it to take in more nutrients, according to a preclinical study from investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian. 

While diet, exercise and behavior modification are essential components of obesity management, a successful long-term weight loss strategy should also include avoiding or minimizing medication-related weight gain.