Celebrating the 2026 General’s Innovation Awards Recipients
The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is proud to announce the 2026 recipients of the Governor General’s Innovation Awards (GGIA). These
Ontario
Discovery and therapeutic translation of glucagon-like peptides
Nominated by:
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Year: 2026
About the Innovation
Dr. Daniel Drucker discovered the actions of GLP‑1 and GLP‑2, advancing GLP‑1 science into transformative diabetes and obesity therapies. He identified GLP‑2’s biological activity and discovered the degradation‑resistant analogue Teduglutide, the first approved chronic treatment for intestinal failure. GLP‑1 therapies reduce kidney disease, heart attacks, stroke, liver and cardiovascular complications, profoundly improving outcomes for people with chronic metabolic disorders.
About the Innovator
Dr. Drucker is an Endocrinologist and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology at University of Toronto. He is a Senior Scientist at the Lunenfeld Tannenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital and studies the molecular biology and physiology of the glucagon-like peptides. His discoveries have enabled development of several new GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide 1)- based therapies for the treatment of diabetes and obesity and GLP-2 (Glucagon-like peptide 2) analogues for intestinal failure. Drucker has received numerous international awards and has been elected to the Order of Canada, the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame, Fellowship in the Royal Society (London) and the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Medicine (USA).
