EFSD and Boehringer Ingelheim: celebrating joint research and support Academic Diabetes Research in Europe

In recognition of this exciting research opportunity, EFSD and Boehringer Ingelheim are co-hosting a two-day symposium on 12 and 13 March 2015 at the Boehringer R&D premises in Biberach a.d. Riss, Germany.

On the occasion of this Symposium, EFSD and Boehringer Ingelheim have invited all prior grant awardees to present and discuss both the results of their supported research to date, as well as the significance of current research for the future. The event provides an excellent opportunity for participants to share their experiences and to discuss how funding has positively influenced the work of others.

“These programmes contribute substantially to a further strengthening of European diabetes research. EFSD programmes attract outstanding applications from all over Europe, and are at the forefront of promoting the very best ideas of European researchers” commented Professor Andrew Boulton, President of EFSD and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

“Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to support medical innovation in diabetes and metabolism. This joint research programme with the EFSD will aid our understanding of the disease and ultimately help to improve therapeutic options for patients.” said Prof Hans-J. Woerle, Vice President, Head of Medicine, Therapeutic Area Metabolism, Boehringer Ingelheim.
“The projects enabled by these grants try to answer so far unresolved questions in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Translation of these findings could eventually lead to the discovery of novel targets and pathways as a foundation for novel therapeutics”, added Dr. Michael Mark, Vice President, Head of CardioMetabolic Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim.

Recipients to date are:

Isabella Artner - Lund University, Malmö, Sweden (Maf transcription factors regulate neurotransmitter signalling in beta cell development and function)
Sebastian Barg - Uppsala University, Sweden (Molecular mechanisms of pancreatic hormone secretion)
Gavin Bewick - King's College London, UK (Does the neuropeptide Y1 receptor have a key role in the physiological maintenance of beta cell mass?)
Bertrand Blondeau - University Pierre and Marie Curie - Paris, France
Influence of ambient amino acid and potassium concentrations on glucagon secretion
Fiona Gribble - University of Cambridge, UK (Role of pancreatic delta cells in coordinating islet responses to nutritional and hormonal stimuli)
Didac Mauricio - University Hospital Germans Trias Pujol, Badalona, Spain (Scavenger receptors CD36 and AIM as biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in chronic kidney disease in type 2 diabetes)
Stefan Amisten - King`s College London, UK (Identification and functional characterisation of peptide ligands of G-protein coupled receptors in mouse and human islets)
Hiddo Heerspink - University Medical Centre Groningen, The Netherlands (Urinary proteomics to predict and unravel mechanisms of renal and cardiovascular disease in diabetic nephropathy)
Markus van der Giet - Charity University Berlin, Germany (Biomarker-based formula to predict HDL functionality in patients with chronic kidney disease and diabetes mellitus)
Charna Dibner - University Hospital of Geneva, Switzerland (Pancreatic alpha cell clockwork: roles in glucagon secretion, islet physiology and pathophysiology)
Peter Flatt - University of Ulster, Coleraine, UK (Production of GIP by islet alpha cells and role in beta cell compensatory response to pregnancy and cellular stress)
Patrick Gilon - Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium (Mechanisms of control of glucagon secretion in normal conditions and diabetes)
Ivan Quesada - Miguel Hernandez University, Elche, Spain (Functional and structural adaptations in the alpha cell and changes in glucagon action during obesity)
Ariela Benigni - Mario Negri Institute, Milan, Italy (A novel link between complement and thrombosis promotes vascular events in type 2 diabetes)
Nikolaus Marx - University Hospital Aachen, Aachen, Germany (Surrogate markers for sudden cardiac death in patients with diabetes mellitus and end stage renal disease (ESRD))

About EFSD
In 1999 the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) created its own Foundation – the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes (EFSD) – in order to support more actively diabetes research in Europe and to serve even more effectively the goals of EASD, which are: to encourage and support research in the field of diabetes; rapidly diffuse acquired knowledge, and to facilitate its application.
EFSD is a non-profit foundation, which seeks to support the highest quality research in Europe to find a cure for all types of diabetes and associated complications and to prevent their onset. EFSD aims to co-operate with other government and non-government agencies in order to increase funding in European diabetes research as a means of achieving its goals. Through its various activities and programmes, the Foundation also strives to enhance awareness in Europe of the severity and magnitude of this devastating disease. It is the ambition of the Executive Committee to develop EFSD as the main European funding agency for diabetes research.
The Foundation is closely related to EASD; it is governed exclusively by the Executive Committee of EASD, which itself is under the close supervision of the EASD Council and General Assembly. The Foundation operates on a strictly non-profit basis under the control of the relevant authorities in Germany.

About Boehringer Ingelheim
The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim operates globally with 142 affiliates and a total of more than 47,400 employees. The focus of the family-owned company, founded in 1885, is researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing new medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Taking social responsibility is an important element of the corporate culture at Boehringer Ingelheim. This includes worldwide involvement in social projects, such as the initiative "Making more Health" and caring for the employees. Respect, equal opportunities and reconciling career and family form the foundation of the mutual cooperation. In everything it does, the company focuses on environmental protection and sustainability.

In 2013, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about 14.1 billion euros. R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.5% of its net sales.

Contacts:
Brian Carey
+49 211 7584690 (office)
Brian.Carey@easd.org