CSL Behring Announces Winners of 2009 Prof. Heimburger Awards
Project Grants Awarded to Next Generation of Coagulation Researchers
King of Prussia, PA — 01 June 2009
CSL Behring
, a global leader in the protein biotherapeutics industry, announced today the five grant winners of the 2009 Prof. Heimburger Awards. The grants of 20,000€ ($26,780 US) each were awarded to young clinicians conducting preclinical and/or clinical research in coagulation. Each project was chosen based on the scientific merit of the proposed initiative.
The grant is named in honor of Professor Dr. Norbert Heimburger, a pioneer of modern coagulation therapy and a CSL Behring employee for more than three decades. Among Dr. Heimburger's many achievements was the development of virus-safe plasma products based on pasteurization. Because of his research efforts, CSL Behring launched the world's first effectively virus-inactivated FVIII concentrate in 1981. Prof. Dr. Heimburger, honored with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1981, passed away in September 2006.
"In keeping with our mission to advance the understanding and science of coagulation disorders, CSL Behring proudly supports the outstanding research projects proposed by these young clinicians," said Val Romberg, Head of Research and Development at CSL Behring. "A major part of our commitment to the bleeding disorders community is to provide the next generation of coagulation researchers with an opportunity to establish themselves professionally, and to support their efforts to improve treatment and patient outcomes."
The 2009 Prof. Heimburger Award recipients and their research projects are as follows:
- Francesco Dentali -- Department of Clinical Medicine, Insurbia University, University Hospital of Varese, Italy
Effects of use of very low doses of vitamin k on INR stability in patients on chronic oral anticoagulant therapy: a randomized double-blind controlled study
- Luis Graca -- Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Portugal
Tolerance induction to recombinant clotting factors
- Albert T. A. Mairuhu -- Slotervaart Hospital, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Formation and circulation of cell-derived microparticles: Evaluating their potential as prohemostatic agents
- Grazia Loredana Mendolicchio -- Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Rozzano (Milano), Italy
Role of Platelet Glycoprotein Ibα in Modulating α-Thrombin Function
- Rochelle Winikoff -- Sainte Justine Hospital, Montreal, Canada
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and menorrhagia revisited
The applications were reviewed by a select committee of four renowned clinicians in the coagulation field:
- Erik Berntorp,
MD, PhD
Malmö University Hospital, Sweden
- Jorge DiPaola, MD
Great Plains Regional Hemophilia Treatment Center, USA
- David Lillicrap, MD,
FRCPC
Queen’s University, Canada
- Johannes Oldenburg, MD, PhD
University of Bonn, Germany
For more information regarding the Prof. Heimburger Award and specific criteria for 2010 applications, please go to
www.cslbehring.com/ProfHeimburgerAward.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global leader in the plasma protein biotherapeutics industry. Passionate about improving the quality of patients' lives, CSL Behring manufactures and markets a range of safe and effective plasma-derived and recombinant products and related services. The company's therapies are used in the treatment of immune deficiency disorders, hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, other bleeding disorders and inherited emphysema. Other products are used for the prevention of hemolytic diseases in the newborn, in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation and in the treatment of burns. The company also operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, ZLB Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited, a biopharmaceutical company with headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit
www.cslbehring.com.
Contact:
Sheila A. Burke, Director, Communications & Public Relations
Worldwide Commercial Operations
CSL Behring
610-878-4209
Sheila.Burke@cslbehring.com