Svetlana Mojsov receives standing ovation after MANU lecture

The auditorium of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU) rose to its feet in applause after a public lecture by Svetlana Mojsov, the 79-year-old biochemist from Rockefeller University who is one of the co-discoverers of the peptide behind modern treatments for diabetes and obesity, including the drug Ozempic.

Lecture in English, full hall and an official honour

Mojsov delivered a lecture titled "GLP-1: Chemistry matters: From a Putative Peptide to Effective Medicines for Diabetes and Obesity" before an audience that filled both the MANU hall and its galleries — an assembly of academy members, scientists, physicians and students, many of whom followed the talk standing.

"I am honoured to have been chosen and invited to give a lecture before the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts. The lecture will be in English, because it is easier for me as I have spoken English for science for 50 years," Mojsov said; she was elected to MANU as an external member.

Academician Dimitar Efremov praised her scientific career as an example of how long-term, curiosity-driven, precise and persistent basic research can lead to discoveries with profound medical importance. "Her scientific work is a rare example of how fundamental research guided by scientific curiosity, precision and perseverance can lead to discoveries of exceptional significance for medicine and human health. Through her research on peptide hormones, she laid the scientific foundations for the development of a new class of drugs that today improve the health, quality and length of life of millions of people worldwide," Efremov said.

Academician Zhivko Popov formally presented her certificate of membership in MANU (outside the regular staff), and expressed hope that she will return to Macedonia again soon.

On September 26, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova decorated Mojsov with the Order "8 September" for her outstanding contributions to biochemistry as a leading global scientist and researcher. Mojsov, born in Skopje, completed elementary and secondary school there, graduated in physical chemistry from the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Belgrade in 1971, and enrolled in doctoral studies at Rockefeller University in New York in 1972, where she worked under the mentorship of Nobel laureate Bruce Merrifield.

Mojsov is the daughter of Lazar Mojsov, the Macedonian and Yugoslav statesman and diplomat who also presided over the UN General Assembly. She has received numerous international awards and recognitions, and in North Macedonia has been honoured with the World Award of Humanism from the city of Ohrid and named an honorary professor at American College Skopje; she has also been proposed as an honorary professor at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje.

Photo: K. Popov)