Jens Juul Holst is Professor of Medical Physiology at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. He is Senior Group Leader at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Copenhagen.
Holst's scientific work has focused on the regulatory peptides of the pancreas and the gut and their importance in the regulation of the functions of the GI-tract and metabolism, with particular focus on blood glucose and appetite regulation, obesity and diabetes. A particular emphasis has been on the role of the incretin hormones of the gut (GLP-1 and GIP). Professor Holsts great scientific achievements include the discovery of GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) a gut hormone regulating insulin secretion and appetite and food intake and his subsequent both basic and translational research in this field.
He is among the most cited European scientists in his field.