Juleen Zierath receives Kirsten and Freddy Johansen Preclinical Research Prize 2025
CBMR’s Executive Director Professor Juleen Zierath is the recipient of the Kirsten and Freddy Johansen Preclinical Research Prize. She receives the award today at the University of Copenhagen’s Ceremonial Hall that includes a DKK 1.75 million prize of which DKK 250,000 is a personal award.
The prize is awarded based on the recommendation of a unanimous selection committee, which emphasized Professor Zierath’s years of dedicated research that has influenced her field at the highest international level.
On receiving the prize, Juleen Zierath says: “I am truly honored to receive this distinction. Receiving this prize is both humbling and motivating, and I am thankful to the faculty and the Kirsten and Freddy Johansen Foundation for recognizing the importance of this research area. The research grant will enable my team to expand our investigation of exercise-responsive molecular pathways and accelerate the translation of our findings toward potential therapeutic applications.”
At CBMR, the Zierath Group investigates how exercise improves insulin sensitivity and preserves muscle mass in type 2 diabetes through energetic stress mechanisms, including exercise. By understanding exercise-responsive molecular pathways, the Group aims to develop therapeutic targets that could mimic exercise benefits for diabetes treatment, potentially leading to new approaches to improve blood sugar control while preventing muscle loss.