2023 Awards from the Simonart Foundation and the FNRS : Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Awards

To date, most biological drugs on the market are administered intravenously, which means daily injections for the treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes.  Ana Beloqui (WEL Research Institute - UCLouvain) developed a more patient-friendly approach to enable these biological molecules to be administered orally.  Her laboratory developed an oral, lipid-based formulation (nanocapsules) containing a therapeutic peptide, and demonstrated the ability of these lipid nanocapsules to produce therapeutically relevant levels of peptides in the context of various diseases such as gastrointestinal/metabolic disorders.

In recognition of her research into the development of a new oral drug delivery method for treating gastrointestinal diseases, Ana Beloqui has been awarded the Simonart Foundation's 2023 prize and the FNRS's 'Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Award' (EDMA).

Sources: UCLouvain and Simonart Foundation press releases

Photo: Courtesy of Ana Beloqui Garcia