Diabetes Insights - Breakthroughs and Innovators

Back to the future: Re-centring the Role of the Pancreas in Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes Insights - Breakthroughs and Innovators

Show Notes

In this episode, Dr Teresa Mezza, recipient of the 2025 EASD Minkowski Prize, takes listeners inside her pioneering research on the early mechanisms of type 2 diabetes. As both a clinician and researcher at the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli in Rome, Dr Mezza studies patients before and after partial pancreatectomy, offering a unique perspective on beta cell adaptation, function, and decline.

Her work is revealing early biomarkers that could identify individuals at risk of diabetes - even before hyperglycaemia develops - paving the way for earlier intervention and prevention. Dr Mezza also discusses the importance of translational research, the challenges facing young scientists, and her belief that perseverance and curiosity are the driving forces of meaningful discovery.

Join us for this inspiring conversation about science, mentorship, and the future of diabetes research.

More from Diabetes Insights - Breakthroughs and Innovators

Oct 23, 2026

In this EASD TV interview, Prof. Zachary Gerhart-Hines (Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research), 61st EASD Minkowski Prize recipient, discusses research into the neurokinin-2 receptor (NK2R) and its potential to change how we approach weight management and metabolic health. Where many existing treatments focus on reducing food intake, NK2R activation could offer a complementary strategy by increasing energy expenditure, influencing appetite and improving insulin sensitivity.

Oct 16, 2026

How does exercise stimulate glucose uptake in muscle and what can this teach us about treating type 2 diabetes?

Oct 9, 2026

Prof. Anette-Gabriele Ziegler, this year’s Claude Bernard Prize Lecture recipient, reflects on her career in type 1 diabetes research and the evolution of our understanding of the disease.

Sep 17, 2026

The EASD’s first clinical practice guideline on the assessment and management of diabetes distress in adults living with type 1 or type 2 diabetes has now been published in Diabetologia.

Aug 7, 2026

How can people living with diabetes help shape the future of diabetes care?

See all episodes →