Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health supports PCV2 research projects with 500,000 euro

Ingelheim, Germany, 9 April 2014 – For more than seven years Boehringer Ingelheim has been funding independent European research projects related to Porcine Circovirus Type 2 (PCV2) infection and associated diseases. Since 2007, the company has supported 20 research projects with 25,000 euro each - in total 500,000 euro.

In 2013 the independent review board had to choose between eleven high-quality projects. In the 7th edition of the PCV2 awards they selected the following projects to be awarded:

• The effect of dam PCV2a vaccination on subsequent challenge with a variant PCV2b strain during late gestation and the effect of exposure of piglets from vaccinated and unvaccinated dams to porcine parvovirus type 1 (PPV1) at weaning. (Prof. Tanja Opriessnig, UK)
• PCV2 vaccination of sows at different stages of the production cycle: Effects on the reproductive parameters and transfer of maternal antibodies. (Sergio López Soria, Spain)
• Prevention of initial replication of PCV2 by vaccination with CircoFLEX. (Prof. Dirk Werling, UK)

The PCV2 research award celebration was held at the University of Barcelona in Cerdanyola de Vallès, Barcelona, Spain. The 2013 awards were presented to the winning researchers by the head of the review board, Prof. Maurice Pensaert, former head of the Laboratory of Virology of Ghent University in Belgium, and Dr Petra Maaß, Global Senior Technical Manager for Swine Biologicals at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health.

European Porcine Circovirus (PCV2) Research Award
Boehringer Ingelheim intends to continuously support independent applied research in the field of PCV2 immunity, pathogenesis, epidemiology and interaction with other (potential) pathogens. The European Porcine Circovirus (PCV2) Research Award is an annual award that recognizes research proposals in this area of applied immunological PCV2 research.

The award has an independent review board with leading European scientists in applied porcine research reviewing the entries and deciding upon the winning proposals. A maximum of three prizes, worth 25,000 euros each, are granted to European researchers every year, to advance scientific knowledge in these areas.

How to apply
Applications for the next European PCV2 Research Award can be submitted by September 15, 2014. For more details please contact maurice.pensaert@ugent.be or bernd.grosse_liesner@boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 140 affiliates and more than 46,000 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Social responsibility is a central element of Boehringer Ingelheim's culture. Involvement in social projects, caring for employees and their families, and providing equal opportunities for all employees form the foundation of the global operations. Mutual cooperation and respect, as well as environmental protection and sustainability are intrinsic factors in all of Boehringer Ingelheim’s endeavors.

In 2012, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 14.7 billion euro. R&D expenditure in the business area Prescription Medicines corresponds to 22.5% of its net sales.The winning researchers: Sergio López Soria, Prof. Tanja Opriessnig and Prof. Dirk Werling (from left to right).