From Farm Fields to GPCR Discovery, GLP-1 and GIP
- Dr. GPCR Podcast
- 4h
- 4 min read
The Career That Was Never Planned To Focus on GLP-1
Hodson didn’t begin with the identity of “scientist” — and that’s the point.
He grew up working on farms and initially aspired to operate heavy machinery simply because it looked satisfying. Later, exposure to veterinarians working in agricultural settings inspired him to train in veterinary medicine, where he was introduced to physiology and pharmacology for the first time.
Those courses didn’t feel like career-defining moments at the time — just requirements to pass. But seeds planted early often germinate later.
The real pivot came during clinical rotations.
Surgery electives meant long nights, constant patient responsibilities, and unpredictable call schedules. Meanwhile, researchers in the building across the way turned off the lights at 6 PM. Hodson made what seemed like a purely tactical decision: choose a research elective to focus on exams.
That choice led him to immunology research on pigs — and, eventually, to a PhD.
Early decisions don’t need to be perfect. They need to keep you moving. Curiosity compounds. And paths reveal themselves while walking.
Following the Data Into GPCR, Metabolic Disease and GLP-1
After his PhD, Hodson entered neuroendocrinology — the “interface” between brain and body. The work introduced him to hormonal signaling, appetite regulation, and cellular communication systems.
But something was missing. Growth hormone disorders, while scientifically rich, were relatively rare. Hodson wanted to contribute to a disease that affects millions.
That brought him to type 2 diabetes — a condition affecting nearly every family, marked by social and economic disparities in care.
Studying the pancreatic islet — specifically the beta cells that release insulin — offered a unique model:
Rich in GPCR signaling pathways
Experimentally accessible
Deeply relevant to metabolic disease and obesity
This shift also aligned Hodson’s work with a major scientific wave: The rise of incretin-based therapies, especially GLP-1 receptor agonists, now used in diabetes and obesity management.
You always need a scientific anchor — but you also need the courage to follow data where it leads.
GPCRs Re-Enter the Story — Not as Theory, but as Tools
GPCRs have always been powerful drug targets — yet challenging to drug. Receptor localization, ligand access, and intracellular signaling can look different in actual tissues vs. cell lines.
For real translational understanding, you need to see the receptor in context.
Enter a long-term collaboration with chemist Dr. Johannes Broichhagen - aka JB — which, amusingly, began when Hodson opened the door wearing cleaning gloves mid home renovation.
That partnership eventually produced fluorescent GPCR tools that allow researchers to visualize GPCR engagement in live tissues, including:
Mapping where GLP-1 and GIP receptors are expressed
Observing which cell types respond to different therapies
Understanding why similar drugs perform differently in different patients
These tools have now been shared with hundreds of labs, accelerating research in obesity, hypertension, platelet biology, and more.
Collaborations don’t start with strategy decks. They start with people you actually like working with.
Skills + respect + shared curiosity = long-term impact.
The “Aha” Moment — Ten Years in the Making
Many discoveries unfold slowly — dozens of experiments that don’t make sense yet.
For Hodson, one sustained curiosity thread involved a protein released by alpha cells in the pancreas: Vitamin D Binding Protein (GC-globulin). It affected hormone signaling between alpha and beta cells, but the mechanism was unclear.
The breakthrough finally came when imaging and structural studies revealed that this protein was interacting with GPCRs involved in metabolic signaling — explaining confusing data that had accumulated for years.
Suddenly, the puzzle snapped into place.
A long-running side project became a central insight. GPCR–islet signaling links extended beyond classical ligand models.Collaboration and long-term persistence proved essential to discovery.
Sometimes the experiments you almost quit are the ones that matter most.
The Future of GPCR Therapeutics in Metabolic Disease
Even with GLP-1 and GIP agonists reshaping diabetes and obesity care, the biggest questions — and opportunities — are still ahead.
Key next questions:
Why do some patients respond better than others?
Why it matters: Personalizing care depends on understanding biological variability.
Emerging direction: Genetics + receptor-distribution mapping.
How do we prevent lean muscle loss during weight loss?
Why it matters: Muscle mass shapes longevity, resilience, and overall metabolic health.
Emerging direction: Multi-target GPCR + myostatin-pathway combinations.
Should patients stay on incretin therapies for life?
Why it matters: Cost, tolerance, and long-term side effects will define real-world adoption.
Emerging direction: Treatment sequencing + guided de-escalation.
Can GPCRs act as “delivery ZIP codes” for targeted therapies?
Why it matters: Cell-specific delivery reduces off-target effects and boosts efficacy.
Emerging direction: Peptide–drug conjugates for precision targeting.
The next breakthroughs will come not from new receptors, but new ways of engaging and combining the ones we already know.
This conversation is part of a three episode series produced in collaboration with our partners at Celtarys Research.