FRANKFURT, Germany, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The founding team of t2cure GmbH, the two clinicians and scientists from the university clinics, Frankfurt, Professor Dr. med. Andreas Zeiher, Director of the department of internal medicine/cardiology, and Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Stefanie Dimmeler, Head of the department of Molecular Cardiology, have been awarded the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine 2007 together with Professor Dr. med Josef M. Penninger, Vienna. The prize is being awarded by the Jung-Foundation for Science and Research. With an allocated 250,000 Euro it is among the highest European prizes for research.
Professor Zeiher und Professor Dimmeler have jointly translated research on the regenerative potential of bone marrow-derived precursor cells from bench to bedside. In a recently published double blind, placebo controlled clinical phase II study they could show that the administration of such progenitor cells has a significant benefit on top of standard of care in patients that have suffered from a severe acute myocardial infarction. Pump function of the affected heart recovered significantly better and even longer-term the therapy seems to have a beneficial effect on morbidity and mortality of patients that have suffered from a severe acute myocardial infarction.
Prof. Penninger contributed to the better understanding of the role of certain genes in the organism or in disease by changing or suppressing the expression of those genes. With his research he elucidated basic mechanisms and elaborated on the development of certain diseases.
The Hamburg-based Jung-Foundation for Science and Research (www.jung-stiftung.de) was founded in 1967 by the businessman Ernst Jung. The distinction is conferred annually and the prize will be awarded during a ceremonial act on May 11, 2007 in Hamburg.
Contact: t2cure GmbH Bettinastrasse 35-37 D-60325 Frankfurt am Main Tel: +49-69-75-61-46-87-0 Fax: +49-69-75-61-46-87-9 Email: info@t2cure.comwww.t2cure.com About t2cure GmbH
t2cure GmbH is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the field of stem cell-based regenerative medicine. It develops autologous bone marrow-derived progenitor cells as regenerative therapeutics for cardiovascular disease including ischemic heart disease (acute myocardial infarction and chronic ischemic heart disease, non-ischemic heart failure, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, and diabetic polyneuropathy). The most advanced project (t2c001-AMI) has successfully passed phase II of clinical development and is now prepared to enter phase III. t2cure is privately financed with Entrepreneurs Fund BV, Amsterdam as lead investor.
t2cure GmbH
CONTACT: Contact: t2cure GmbH, Bettinastrasse 35-37, D-60325 Frankfurt amMain, Tel: +49-69-75-61-46-87-0, Fax: +49-69-75-61-46-87-9, Email:info@t2cure.com
