Laureate Announced for Hamm International Prize for Diabetes Research

Honoree has made outstanding contributions toward understanding the pathogenesis and prevention of Type 1 diabetes

OKLAHOMA CITY, May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The prestigious Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes, an honor bestowed by OU Health Harold Hamm Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, will be awarded this fall to Professor Dr. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, Director of the Institute of Diabetes Research, Helmholtz Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health. She is also Chair in Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes at Technische Universität München, School of Medicine. She is being honored for her research to understand the pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes and efforts toward its prediction, early diagnosis and prevention. 

The Hamm Prize recognizes and encourages lasting advances in research related to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. It is awarded to an individual who has either demonstrated lifelong contributions to the field or realized a singular advance, especially one that promotes curative potential. The honor includes a $250,000 award, the largest of its kind in the world. It was established to recognize and promote lasting achievements in diabetes research focused on progress toward a cure. 

"The award is an incredible motivation to look ahead and continue on the path toward understanding the pathogenesis of Type 1 diabetes and developing preventive therapies – with the ultimate goal of finding a cure," Ziegler said. 

The prize, established in 2012, is named for Harold Hamm, chairman and chief executive officer of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources Inc., who provided an endowment to fund the prize in perpetuity. The Hamm Prize laureate is selected by a rotating jury of national and international leaders in the diabetes research community and is awarded every two years.

"This prize honors work that changes the course of science – and Dr. Ziegler's research does exactly that. Her leadership in uncovering how Type 1 diabetes begins and how we might stop it before it starts is the kind of bold, life-changing progress this prize was meant to recognize. Her work fuels our hope – and brings us all one step closer to the cure," Hamm said.

Ziegler's research has been at the forefront of translating important research questions into longitudinal studies, including more than 20 clinical trials, as well as implementing findings into public health. Her achievements include:

• Launched BabyDiab, the first birth cohort to study when and how Type 1 diabetes begins.
• Launched Fr1da, a public screening program to detect early signs of Type 1 diabetes, now a model for similar global efforts.
• Initiated and serves as speaker of GPPAD (Global Platform for the Prevention of Autoimmune Diabetes), a European platform to translate knowledge about disease pathogenesis into trials seeking to prevent Type 1 diabetes. More than 2,000 infants have been enrolled in GPPAD's clinical trials and screened for genetic risk of Type 1 diabetes.
• Conducted research that led to a landmark clinical trial resulting in Food and Drug Administration approval for teplizumab, the first immunotherapy drug shown to delay the onset of Type 1 diabetes in at-risk individuals.

In addition, Ziegler has made the following research discoveries:

• Autoimmunity to insulin is a key starting point for Type 1 diabetes in children, and Type 1 diabetes susceptibility genes predispose for autoimmunity.
• Islet autoimmunity (when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas) starts early in life, with a peak incidence around age 1 to 2.
• Children with two or more islet autoantibodies almost always develop diabetes.
• Respiratory viral infections in early life, including COVID-19, raise the risk of islet autoimmunity in genetically at-risk children.
• Early changes in blood sugar and immune activity appear to precede the onset of autoimmunity to insulin.

A physician who conducts research, Ziegler said caring for patients has informed her career as a scientist.

"My mentor always used to say, 'A researcher is the best doctor,'" she said. "I'm not sure if the reverse is true, but my daily work with people living with diabetes and my experience as a physician have certainly shaped my research. They have especially influenced my strong focus on translational research, clinical trials, and investigating the origins of the disease in humans."

Ziegler will receive the Hamm Prize during a gala in October. Jed Friedman, Ph.D., director of Harold Hamm Diabetes Center, said Ziegler's distinguished research career has significantly advanced the aim of preventing Type 1 diabetes.

"Professor Dr. Ziegler's visionary leadership and unwavering commitment have not only advanced scientific understanding but also paved the way for novel interventions that improve patient outcomes by delaying the onset of Type 1 diabetes," Friedman said. "Her work exemplifies the integration of rigorous research with compassionate clinical application, embodying the highest ideals of medical science. We are privileged to honor [her] for her unparalleled contributions to diabetes research and her enduring impact on public health."

About the project
For more information about the Harold Hamm International Prize for Biomedical Research in Diabetes, visit the prize website here.

About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university with campuses in Norman, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. As the state's flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. In Oklahoma City, OU Health Sciences is one of the nation's few academic health centers with seven health profession colleges located on the same campus. OU Health Sciences serves approximately 4,000 students in more than 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs spanning Oklahoma City and Tulsa and is the leading research institution in Oklahoma. For more information about OU Health Sciences, visit www.ouhsc.edu.

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SOURCE University of Oklahoma