Carolyn Deacon’s research interests centre on the degradation and metabolism of the entero-pancreatic hormones (GLP-1, GLP-2, GIP, PYY, glucagon), the physiology and pathophysiology of the incretin hormones, and the therapeutic applications of the incretin hormones, GLP-1 analogues and DPP-4 inhibitors in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In particular, early studies investigating the metabolic stability of GLP-1, originating from her laboratory in the mid-1990s, have been instrumental in establishing the principle of using DPP-4 inhibition as a novel antihyperglycaemic therapy.