University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, and Andrea Aliverti, a graduate in Electronic Engineering who obtained his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the Politecnico di Milano, Italy, are this year`s two main winners of the Society`s annual award for research in the field of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

The ERS COPD Research Award, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim in its fourth consecutive year, recognises the work of young European ERS members active in pulmonology research. The two main awards total 50,000 euro, to be used for scientific purposes in the field of COPD.

The first prize, 30,000 euro, was awarded to Ravindran Mahadeva (MD). After having graduated from King`s College Hospital Medical School, Dr Mahadeva underwent specialist clinical respiratory training in Cambridge, UK. His initial research training was at the University of Cambridge. He was then awarded a Wellcome Trust Advanced Clinical Fellowship to work at Harvard Medical School, USA. Currently based in the Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK, his research interests are the molecular pathogenesis of COPD in particular that associated with Z alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency. “I feel very honoured to receive this award. It is my hope that the results of my research contribute to a better understanding of this devastating disease,“ said Ravindran Mahadeva after the announcement.

The second prize of 20,000 euro, went to Andrea Aliverti, a graduate in Electronic Engineering who obtained his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering. As an assistant professor since 1998 in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano, he does his research in the Biomedical Technologies Laboratory (TBMLab), and teaches Bioengineering of the Respiratory System and Sensors and Instrumentation Technologies. Dr. Aliverti’s current research is focused on determining the major cause of exercise limitation in individual patients with COPD.

“The ERS wishes to thank all applicants for their contributions and congratulates Ravindran Mahadeva and Andrea Aliverti for their excellent work. We are also grateful to Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in the research and treatment of COPD, for making this award possible,” said Claudio Donner, ERS Secretary General. “We would like all of our members to be aware that the ERS COPD Award will be continued during the coming year and we encourage young researchers to submit applications for the award,” he added.

European members of the ERS up to age 35 are eligible to apply for the award. Applications can be downloaded from the ERS Website on www.ersnet.org. The deadline for applications is February 24, 2005. Selection of the successful candidates will be made by the Scientific Committee of the ERS.

The European Respiratory Society

Founded in 1990, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) is a non-profit, international medical organisation with more than 7,000 members – scientists, doctors and allied health professionals, coming from over ninety countries. The Society’s mission is to advance respiratory medicine by stimulating and coordinating the actions of its members, in order to achieve the highest possible medical, paramedical and social standards in the treatment of respiratory disease. The Society cooperates with national and international societies to promote education, research, patient care and public health in the field of respiratory medicine. Through its activities, the ERS seeks to improve the prevention, management and treatment of lung disease

Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim has for a long time been in the forefront of treatment and research of COPD with its inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilators, which are recommended in first-line maintenance therapy for the management of COPD by many guidelines. As COPD is underdiagnosed and undertreated, Boehringer Ingelheim has campaigned to raise awareness and understanding of COPD world-wide. It has widely supported COPD research, development and implementation of COPD guidelines, patient and medical education in COPD, public awareness campaigns for COPD etc. An important feature of these activities has been close partnership with healthcare organisations.

The Boehringer Ingelheim Group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 152 affiliates in 45 countries and more than 34,000 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

In 2003, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of 7.4 billion euro while spending more than one fifth of net sales in its largest business segment Prescription Medicines on research and development.