PR98117

LAUSANNE, Switzerland , Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

Debiopharm ( www.debiopharm.com ), a Swiss-based global biopharmaceutical

company, today announced the two winners of JCA Mauvernay Award for

breakthrough Japanese oncology research projects in 2 categories: Innovative

and/or Disruptive Research – Dr. Akihide Yoshimi and for Translational Research

– Prof. Mamiko Sakata-Yanagimoto. The winners were honored with trophies and a

monetary prize during the live event of the 81st Annual Meeting of the Japanese

Cancer Association (JCA) on Saturday, October 1st in Yokohama, Japan by Prof.

Hideyuki Saya President of the JCA and Thierry Mauvernay, President of

Debiopharm, and Bertrand Ducrey CEO of Debiopharm.

"Japan and Switzerland share a variety of similar values such as commitment to

excellence and professional diligence. With these values, we can maximize the

chances that the next generation of drugs could result from collaboration

between these two countries." expressed Thierry Mauvernay, President of

Debiopharm. "Together with the JCA, Debiopharm hopes to encourage young

scientists such as Drs Yoshimi and Sakata-Yanagimoto, to transfer their

innovative research to the clinic and to the benefit of worldwide patients

rapidly."

"The previous winners of the Mauvernay Award have immediately become very

well-known scientists in our country, becoming professors and leaders in

significant institutes. Therefore, I would say that the Mauvernay Award is

definitely a huge step for young cancer research scientists in our country."

stated Prof. Hideyuki Saya, President of the JCA.

Dr. Akihide Yoshimi's disruptive research at the National Cancer Center

Research Institute, is aimed at understanding and targeting aberrant RNA

splicing in hematological malignancies. He has contributed to the discovery of

aberrant events in this process in tumor cells, identified key alterations in

several splicing factors (SF) and provided insights into aberrant splicing and

its association with key oncogenes (such as isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and

myelocytomatosis (Myc)). This work within an emerging field could have

important biological as well as therapeutic implications for patient with SF

mutant hematologic malignancies (e.g. in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), chronic

lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and

myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)).

Prof. Mamiko Sakata-Yanagimoto's translational research at the Medicine Faculty

of the University of Tsukuba is offering new insights into targeting

intractable lymphomas with an elegant application of gene expression analysis

in the aggressive angioimmunoblastic lymphoma (AITL). Her research started with

the characterization of sequence of events between TET2 and RHOA mutations in

the AITL patient samples (now included in the diagnostic criteria), continued

with the identification of new actionable targets in the disease (RHOA/Vav1)

and is currently focused on testing in the clinic therapeutic options using

dasatinib to treat those patients.

The JCA-Mauvernay Award

Since 2005, the Japanese Cancer Association (JCA) and Debiopharm have

co-organized the 'JCA-Mauvernay Award'. This prize illustrates the curiosity

that drives researchers as well as the scientific cooperation between Japan and

Switzerland. It aims to recognize the outstanding achievements in the field of

oncology amongst Japanese researchers, in both the fundamental and the clinical

aspects. The award has a total value of CHF 25'000.

Debiopharm's commitment to patients

Debiopharm develops innovative therapies that target high unmet medical needs

in oncology and infectious diseases. Bridging the gap between disruptive

discovery products and real-world patient reach, we identify high-potential

compounds and technologies for in-licensing, clinically demonstrate their

safety and efficacy and then select large pharmaceutical commercialization

partners to maximize patient access globally.

For more information, please visit www.debiopharm.com 

We are on Twitter. Follow us @DebiopharmNews at

http://twitter.com/DebiopharmNews 

Debiopharm Contact

Dawn Haughton-Bonine

Communication Manager

dawn.bonine@debiopharm.com

Tel: +41 (0)21 321 01 11

Source: Debiopharm International SA