Press Release: 27 July 2014
Bionorica: Polish junior scientist wins German research prize in
herbal medicines field
World market leader in herbal medicines awards the sum of EUR 1 million to 20
international prize winners for excellent research projects.
Majorca, Spain / Warsaw, Poland: “I think that this prize is a
terrific idea because it supports young scientists in starting their
own projects and transforming their research ideas into reality”,
rejoices Dr Miroslaw J. Szczepanski of the Medical University of
Warsaw.
Dr. Quave is one of 20 winners at the Global Research
Initiative (GRI), which was honored by the Executive Board of
German herbal medicines specialist Bionorica at the end of 2013.
“I am pleased that so many innovative and promising entries were
submitted. Such a large and high-quality response to the firsttime call for submissions proves that herbal medicine is gaining
further relevance among the scientific community as well,” says
Dr. Michael Popp, CEO and owner of the internationally successful manufacturer of
scientifically researched herbal medicines, German-based Bionorica SE.
Dr. Popp will pay out a total of one million euros for the unique herbal medicine research
campaign. He is expecting that the 20 prizes of EUR 50,000 each for research will result in
new stimulus for the field of herbal medicine to be able to offer patients an even greater
variety of products. “In addition to new analysis processes, the focus is also the search for
innovative approaches to new development of herbal medicines,” says pharmacist Dr.
Popp.
The only Polish prize-winner, Dr Miroslaw J. Szczepanski, from the Faculty of ENT Medicine
of the Medical University of Kiev, has chosen a very specialised field of activity. His
proposed research project concerns the potential in
vitro anti-carcinogenic properties of a certain botanical
pharmaceutical. The results derived could justify the
potential
utilisation
of
this
preparation
in
chemoprevention or the concomitant treatment of
cancers of the head and neck, according to the
reasoning of the jury.
The 20 prize winners from 13 nations received their
awards on Sunday, 27 July 2014, within the scope of
the international symposium “Inflammations –
Challenges and Opportunities” at the Bionorica
Herbal Medicines Competence Center Sa Canova in Sa Pobla, Mallorca. The jury
reviewed some 130 submissions from various treatment fields, including respiratory
diseases, osteoporosis, gynecological diseases, bladder cancer and Alzheimer’s disease,
among others. In addition, ideas for research methods and technologies were also
honored.
Bionorica is a manufacturer of herbal medicines and is active in some 50 countries. With its
unique quality concept and its focus on consistent standardization of cultivation and
production, Bionorica has been able to grow into a worldwide leading company in the
promising sector of herbal medicines in the past 15 years.
Media contact:
Thomas Eibenberger
Senior Referent Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 9181 231-450
thomas.eibenberger@bionorica.de
Press kit and additional images available at:
www.bionorica.de/research.initiative2013.
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Global Research Award 2013/14
All 20 prize winners according to category
Group 1: Respiratory System
Rebecca Clarke, Queens University Belfast, Ireland, for a novel human in-vitro model to
study modulatory properties of plant-based medicines.
Dr. Claudina Perez Novo, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium, for analysis of the
molecular mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory action of an herbal preparation
on chronic rhinosinusitis.
Dr. Laura Sadofsky, University of Hull, England, for researching the effect of the natural
agonists and antagonists of the airway irritant receptors in vitro.
Prof. Adil Katarbayev, Kazakh State Medical University in Almaty, Kazakhstan, for
Preclinical studies of an herbal preparation in acute intestinal infection.
Dr. Diana Zabolotnaya, National Academy of Medical Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine, for a study
of an adjuvant effect of phyto products on antibody formation against influenza virus
antigens in experimental animals.
Group 2: Gynaecology / Osteoporosis
Dr. Annekathrin Keiler and Dr. Oliver Zierau, Technical University Dresden, Germany,
for researching the effects of a hops extract on osteoporosis in a rat model.
Dr. Anastasia Savilova, Moscow State University, Russia, for an investigation the
mechanism of action of an herbal preparation on endometrial mesenchymal stromal cells.
Dr. Petra Stute, Inselspital Bern, Switzerland, for researching the impact of black cohosh
on hippocampal and hypothalamic gene expression profiles in ovariectomized rats.
Group 3: Other Indications
Dr. Johanna Brandner, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany, for a study on
the Effects of Arnebia euchroma extracts on different stages of wound healing.
Dr. Temuujin Dansranjavin, University of Giessen, Germany, for the Characterization of
the epigenetic regulation in prostatitis and prostate cancer by an herbal preparation.
Dr. Svetlana Kalinina, Perm State Pharmaceutical Academy, Russia, for researching
Verbascum nigrum extract as a new complex phytotherapeutic agent.
Dr. Markus Krohn, University of Magdeburg, Germany, for Defining specific extracts from
St. John’s Wort for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Cassandra Leah Quave, Emory University Atlanta, USA, for a study on Botanical
natural product inhibitors of acne biofilms.
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Dr. Miroslaw Szczepanski, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, for Researching anticancer effect of an herbal preparation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
Group 4: Optimisation, New Technologies and Targets
Dr. Camilla Bergonzi, University of Florence, Italy, for Innovative formulations to
enhance oral bioavailability of herbal extracts.
Dr. Andreas Köberle, University of Jena, Germany, for Targeting of bioactive lipid
networks: a novel pharmacological strategy for anti-inflammatory phytomedicine.
Dr. Birgit Kraus, University of Regensburg, Germany, for Correlating the structure of
differently substituted chalcones with transcriptome data and bioactivity in liver cells.
Dr. Denisa Margina, University of medicine and pharmacy Bucharest, Rumania, for
Studies on certain biological effects of encapsulated vegetal extracts with known cardiovascular positive outcome.
Dr. Stefan Schwaiger, University of Innsbruck, Austria, for researching Natural products
with effects on the NPS/NPSR system.
Dr. Jens Wild, University of Regensburg, Germany, for researching Bactericidal/
permeability-increasing protein as potential new target for antimicrobial and
immunomodulatory activities.
Service:
You can find images of the prize winners, brief CVs, abstracts of the selected projects and
photos of the awards ceremony at: www.bionorica.de/research.initiative2013
Media contact:
Thomas Eibenberger
Senior Referent Corporate Communications
Tel.: +49 9181 231-450
thomas.eibenberger@bionorica.de
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