ROME, June 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck Serono, a
division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, today announces the recipients of its
first Grant for Fertility Innovation. The company has awarded
around 1 million Euros to five
innovative research projects with the same common goal: to improve
the chances for couples to conceive a baby. The Grant for Fertility
Innovation program was developed by the company to support the
advancement of medical science in the field of fertility.
"This initiative represents an unprecedented commitment from
Merck Serono to encourage innovative thinking among the scientific
community in the fertility area", said Fereydoun Firouz, Head of the Global Business
Unit Fertility and Metabolic Endocrinology at Merck Serono. "Today,
we are proud to award the first grants to five breakthrough
projects which have demonstrated a potential to develop into novel
applications for clinicians to improve patients outcomes. We will
continue to stimulate innovation in the fertility field by offering
new grants for next year."
A total of 212 entries were received from scientists from 33
countries worldwide. Projects were selected by a scientific
committee composed of fertility experts. Each entry was blinded and
evaluated according to five criteria: support to increase the
chances to conceive a baby, innovation, scientific rationale,
feasibility and practical utility.
The awardees were announced at a ceremony held at the 26th
annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and
Embryology (ESHRE), in the presence of Professor André Van
Steirteghem, a recognized pioneer in fertility treatment, Professor
Emeritus of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB; Brussels Free
University), Honorary Consultant of the Centre for Reproductive
Medicine of the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel, and
Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal Human
Reproduction.
Grants were awarded to:
- Dr. Nathalie Ledee, Professor of Assisted reproduction at the
University of Paris, France: Non-invasive approaches on oocyte
competence to predict pregnancy.
- Dr. Dominique Royere, Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Biology,
University of Tours, France: Cumulus cells biomarkers detection by
reverse phase protein microarray.
- Dr. Carlos Simon, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at the
University of Valencia, Spain: New Non-Invasive Diagnostic Method of
Human Endometrial Receptivity.
- Dr. Carl Spiessens, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Catholic
University of Leuven and Director of the Laboratory of the Leuven
University Fertility Center, Belgium: Selecting the embryo with the
highest implantation potential using novel non-invasive methods.
- Dr. Dagan Wells, BRC Scientific Leadership Fellow in Reproductive
Genetics at the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology,
University of Oxford: Rapid inexpensive DNA fragmentation analysis of
sperm & cumulus cells.
Funding of each project is dependent on fulfillment of
predetermined, specific milestones. Further details on the five
research programs and information relating to the 2011 entry
submissions are available on the Grant for Fertility Innovation
website: http://www.grantforfertilityinnovation.com.
Notes to editors
Photos of the award ceremony can be downloaded from the Grant
for Fertility Innovation website:
http://www.grantforfertilityinnovation.com from Tuesday, June 29, 2010.
About Merck Serono and Fertility Treatment
Merck Serono is the world leader in fertility treatments, and
the only company to offer a full portfolio of fertility drugs for
every stage of the reproductive cycle and recombinant versions of
the three hormones needed to treat infertility: GONAL-f(R)
(follitropin alfa), to stimulate the ovaries and produce eggs in
women and spermatogenesis induction in men; Luveris(R) (lutropin
alfa), to stimulate follicular development in women who are
profoundly LH deficient; Ovitrelle(R) (choriogonadotropin alfa), to
help follicles mature and release eggs; Pergoveris(R) (follitropin
alfa/lutropin alfa) to stimulate follicular development in women
with severe LH and FSH deficiency; Cetrotide(R) (cetrorelix
acetate) to prevent a premature ovulation; and Crinone(R)
(progesterone gel), to help establish and maintain a pregnancy. Not
all products are available in all markets.
About Merck Serono
Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription
pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical and chemical
company. Headquartered in Geneva,
Switzerland, Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures
and markets innovative small molecules and biopharmaceuticals to
help patients with unmet medical needs. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono operates through separately
incorporated affiliates.
Merck Serono has leading brands serving patients with cancer
(Erbitux(R), cetuximab), multiple sclerosis (Rebif(R), interferon
beta-1a), infertility (Gonal-f(R), follitropin alfa), endocrine and
metabolic disorders (Saizen(R) and Serostim(R), somatropin),
(Kuvan(R), sapropterin dihydrochloride) as well as cardiometabolic
diseases (Glucophage(R), metformin), (Concor(R), bisoprolol),
(Euthyrox(R), levothyroxine). Not all products are available in all
markets.
With an annual R&D expenditure of more than EUR 1 billion, Merck Serono is committed to
growing its business in specialist-focused therapeutic areas
including neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, fertility and
endocrinology, as well as new areas potentially arising out of
research and development in autoimmune and inflammatory
diseases.
About Merck
Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total
revenues of EUR 7.7 billion in 2009,
a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by approximately
33,600 employees in 64 countries. Its success is characterized by
innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck's operating
activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the
Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and free
shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S.
subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated and has been an
independent company ever since.
For more information, please visit http://www.merckserono.com or
http://www.merck.de