OREANDA-NEWS. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has announced five winners of the competitive research programme ‘Grants for Medical Research Innovation’, exclusively supported by an independent grant from Boehringer Ingelheim. The grants are awarded to research projects that will address areas of unmet medical need in thromboembolic disease.

“We were astounded at the quantity and quality of the proposals submitted. The judges had an extremely difficult task, even selecting five winners instead of four as originally planned”, said Professor Francesco Cosentino, from Karolinska, Stockholm, the chairperson of the programme’s Scientific Committee. “With one in four people dying as a result of thromboembolic disease, innovative research in this field is urgently needed. We look forward to supporting the winners to advance knowledge in this important area.”

The five winners were selected from 554 entry submissions by leading researchers and institutes worldwide and will provide important insights into cardiovascular care.

The grant winners and awardees are:

    David-Alexandre Trégouët, PhD, from the Pierre & Marie Curie Medical School, Paris, France
    Timo Heidt, MD, from Heart Center Freiburg University, Freiburg, Germany
    José Manuel Soria Fernandez, PhD, from Institute of Biomedical Research - Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (IIB-Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
    Christina Christersson, MD, PhD, from Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
    Michael Joner, MD, from CVPath Institute in Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, and Deutsches Herzzentrum München, Munich, Germany

According to ESC President, Professor Fausto Pinto, "The ESC has a major commitment to support cardiovascular research. These grants supported by Boehringer Ingelheim are an excellent example of transparent partnership between industry and the scientific world. Supporting this research is helping peoples’ lives."

“As a company firmly grounded in research, we believe that it is very important to support scientific initiatives. Therefore we are grateful to be able to support the ESC and the grant recipients and look forward to seeing the outcomes in the near future. We trust that the results of the grant programme will drive innovation in cardiovascular science.” said Professor Jörg Kreuzer, Vice President Medicine, Therapeutic Area Cardiovascular, Boehringer Ingelheim.

The ESC Grants for Medical Research Innovation website, which includes information about the programme and selected projects, is accessible via: www.escardio.org/innovationgrants. Results of the projects are expected to be presented at the 2017 ESC Congress.

About ESC ‘Grants for Medical Research Innovation’
The ESC ‘Grants for Medical Research Innovation’ will focus on improving patient outcomes in thromboembolic diseases. The awarded grants are made possible by an independent grant from Boehringer Ingelheim.

Evaluation and selection of the winners was conducted by a dedicated Scientific Committee independently appointed by the ESC. The Committee evaluated all grant proposals. The selected studies are required to have a publishable outcome or data within 18 months from the grant being awarded. The Committee will continue to oversee the implementation of the successful research programmes moving forwards.

About thromboembolic diseases
Thromboembolic diseases, or diseases that can cause abnormal blood clotting, include atrial fibrillation, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery disease and/or peripheral artery disease. One in four people die from causes related to thrombosis; it is a leading cause of mortality worldwide – ongoing research into the area is vital to enhance the treatment and care for patients at risk.

About the European Society of Cardiology
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) represents more than 95,000 cardiology professionals across Europe and worldwide. Its mission is to reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe.

The ESC provides an array of scientific and educational activities, such as the production and continuous updating of Clinical Practice Guidelines, the organisation of educational courses and initiatives, pan-European surveys on specific disease areas.

The ESC organises the ESC Congress, the world’s largest and most influential cardiovascular event. The ESC is proud to hold, in conjunction with its constituent bodies, subspecialty congresses.

The ESC also edits and publishes 12 of the world's leading journals on cardiology.

Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates globally with 146 affiliates and a total of more than 47,700 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects, such as the initiative “Making more Health” and caring for the employees. Respect, equal opportunities and reconciling career and family form the foundation of the mutual cooperation. In everything it does, the company focuses on environmental protection and sustainability.

In 2014, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 13.3 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.9 per cent of its net sales.