Stephen Bloom is an endocrinologist whose work has revealed the intrinsic endocrine system of the gut. He discovered that food intake stimulates the release of peptide hormones from the gut, which act in our brains to satiate us. This feedback loop falters in obesity, and Stephen is leading the development of treatments to restore it.

Stephen identified that one of the gut peptides he discovered, GLP-1, stimulated the release of insulin. This finding led to the development of a new class of injectable drug for type 2 diabetes. Other gut hormones are now also thought to have great potential in the global fight to control obesity.

Stephen is passionate about tackling obesity, due to its global burden and the personal ill-health and distress it causes his patients. He has set up spin-out companies in his quest to bring endocrine-acting obesity treatments to market, including a combination hormone therapy. Stephen was knighted in 2012 for services to medical science.