The ZKB TECHNOPARK® Pioneer Award, which has been sponsored by the Zürcher Kantonalbank since 2000, was presented for the 20th time at TECHNOPARK® Zurich. The award is given for technological innovations which – thanks to pioneering entrepreneurial achievements – are about to be launched on the market. This year’s award winner is Neurimmune Therapeutics AG, represented by Dr. Jan Grimm, Professor Christoph Hock, Professor Roger Nitsch and Dr. Michael Salzmann. The award honors their internationally unique research work in the development of drugs for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Neurimmune Therapeutics AG received the award for its unique and promising avenue of research known as RTM™ (Reverse Translational Medicine) for the treatment and cure of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurimmune’s technology platform identifies immunologic factors that help keep elderly people cognitively healthy. It employs sophisticated technology to identify health-maintaining antibodies and produces them biotechnologically. It has already been demonstrated in animals that it is possible not only to halt the death of nerve cells in the brain characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease, but also to actually restore their function. Clinical trials are anticipated to begin next year.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most prevalent age-related neurodegenerative disease affecting more than 35 million patients worldwide. There are currently no treatments approved to slow or stop the progression of the disease. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease experience the progressive loss of cognitive functions, particularly those related to memory, followed by death after a progressive decline in their disease. The pathology of Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the deposition of beta-amyloid in senile plaques, the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, and the loss of specific neuronal populations in the brain.
The ZKB TECHNOPARK®Pioneer Award
The name «Pioneer Award» expresses two qualities: the pioneering spirit of young entrepreneurs who develop a project to market maturity, and the mathematical symbol pi, (3.141592), which symbolizes science and technology in general and stands for the squaring of the circle in antiquity. The Award is endowed with CHF 98,696.04, a figure that represents 10,000 times pi squared.2010 marks the 20th anniversary of the award.
About Neurimmune Therapeutics AG
Neurimmune Therapeutics AG is a Swiss biotechnology company dedicated to the identification of novel therapeutics for the treatment of human diseases with a focus on neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Based on novel scientific concepts developed at the University of Zurich, Neurimmune Therapeutics has established a unique technology platform – RTM™ (Reverse Translational Medicine) – that supports Neurimmune Therapeutics’ translational research-focused drug discovery programs.
Neurimmune Therapeutics’ business strategy focuses on the discovery and development of human-derived antibodies through RTM™ at an early stage of the pharmaceutical value chain and partnering product candidates targeting significant markets and unmet medical needs with leading biopharmaceutical companies for later-stage development and marketing.
