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Merz funded Alois Alzheimer Award 2007 bestowed upon Professor Dr. Agneta Nordberg

Frankfurt / Main, 15.06.2007

Swedish scientist and professor, Professor Dr. Agneta Nordberg of Karolinska University in Stockholm received the Alois Alzheimer Award (AAA) for the outstanding work of her lifetime performed in Alzheimer’s dementia research. According to the internationally renowned and independent AAA jury of experts, Professor Dr. Agneta Nordberg’s research work has made significant contributions to the improved understanding of the disease, its early diagnosis and consequently also the further development of therapeutic approaches to Alzheimer’s dementia. The research award, which comprises USD 20,000, is funded by the pharmaceutical company Merz.

On the occasion of an academic celebration at Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main, the Alois Alzheimer Award (AAA) was bestowed upon Swedish Professor Dr. Agneta Nordberg on last Friday 15, June. The prize was awarded to Nordberg by the international experts who are members of the AAA-Jury for the outstanding work of her lifetime in the research of Alzheimer’s disease. In her guest lecture delivered in conjunction with the award celebration, Nordberg emphasized that Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most devastating neuro-degenerative disorders. Current projections indicate that the number of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease worldwide will quadruple by 2050 and rise to 107 million. According to the scientist, research is therefore focusing on obtaining more thorough insights into the fundamental mechanisms of the complex intra and extra cellular progression of Alzheimer’s disease. She explained that it is the objective of her research to develop diagnostic methods that make it possible to detect Alzheimer’s dementia early-on and that are prerequisites for the development of new approaches to treatment based on medication.

The research award, which comprises USD 20,000, is funded by the pharmaceutical company Merz. Dr. Martin Zügel, CEO of Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH comments: "Based on the demographic development it is our responsibility as an integral community to make every effort to continue the intensive research of Alzheime’s disease to develop innovative diagnosis and therapy options. Dr. Nordberg’s groundbreaking work in the area of early diagnosis helps us to develop even better treatments for the Alzheimer’s dementia. Merz meets this challenge in its own research work and also through providing support to scientific research activities and guest professorships in the disciplines of neurology and psychiatry. We strive to make living with Alzheimer’s more bearable for patients and their families and to find ways to detect the disease earlier in the future – all of these area objectives of our efforts."

As an innovative and internationally engaged healthcare company, Merz Pharmaceuticals focuses on the research of neurological and psychiatric diseases and on the development of medicines to treat them. Merz Pharmaceuticals is a leader in Alzheimer’s disease research and has developed substance Memantine, which is the first active ingredient (Memantine) available worldwide to treat moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

The laudators and presidents of the AAA jury, Professor Hans-Jürgen Möller, Director of the University Clinic for Psychiatry at LMU Munich and Professor Konrad Maurer, Director at the Clinic for Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy emphasized that Nordberg has earned great merits for its research of the molecular biology elements of dementia diseases. Accordingly, the focus of her work was on the characterization of neuronal nicotinic receptors and their neurodegenerative impact. As a result, she has made substantial contributions to a better understanding of the disease and its early diagnosis as well as the furtherance of therapeutic approaches. Her work makes her a member of a league of internationally successful award recipients.

The Alois Alzheimer Award

The Alois Alzheimer Award was created by the Psychiatric Clinic of Munich’s Ludwig-Maximilians-University in 1995 and has since been bestowed upon recipients by an internationally renowned jury of experts. The AAA honors outstanding scientists whose research work has significantly enriched the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic or therapeutic knowledge pertaining to Alzheimer’s disease (AD), dementia and related indications through new findings. The research award, which comprises USD 20.000 in prize money, is funded by the pharmaceutical company Merz.

AAA-Board of the Jury:

• Prof. Dr. K. Maurer, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (President)
• Prof. Dr. H.-J. Möller, München, Germany (President)
• Prof. Dr. C.G. Gottfries, Göteborg, Sweden
• Prof. Dr. R. Levy, London, Great Britain
• Prof. Dr. J.-M. Orgogozo, Bordeaux, France
• Prof. Dr. B. Winblad, Stockholm, Sweden
• Prof. Dr. K. Beyreuther, Heidelberg, Germany
• Prof. Dr. F. Henn, Mannheim, Germany

AAA Award Recipients to date:

1995	Dr. Peter St. George-Hyslop Center for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases Universitiy Toronto, Canada
1996	Prof. Allen D. Roses Duke University Medical Center Durham, North Carolina, USA
1997	Dr. Bengt Winblad Department of Clinical Neuroscience And Familiy Medicine Karolinska Institute, Huddinge Hospital, Sweden
1998	Dr. Colin Masters Department of Pathology Universitiy of Melbourne, Australia
1999	Prof. Dr. rer. Nat. Christian Haass Adolf-Butenandt-Institute at Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany
2001	Prof. Dr. Kaj Blennow University of Goteborg, Sweden
2002	Prof. Bart de Strooper University of Leuven, Belgium
2004	Professor Dr. med. Heiko Braak Anatomisches Institute at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
2007	Prof. Dr. Agneta Nordberg Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden

Alzheimer’s Dementia(www.alzheimerinfo.de):

First scientifically described by Alois Alzheimer in 1906, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia (loss of intellectual and cognitive brain functions / thinking). Typical symptoms are loss of memory, loss of argumentative and judgment skills and orientation capabilities as well of changing mood and behavior patterns. Basic triggers are neurotransmitters. A particularly critical neurotransmitter is glutamate. It has an important impact on learning and memory processes. Glutamate allows calcium to stream into nerve cells to enable the signal to be transmitted within the cell. In the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, the concentration of Glutamate is unnaturally high – even if no signal is to be transmitted. In Germany, about 15 % of the population, i.e. about 9.5 million people, are currently older than 65. The number of people suffering from dementia is around 1.2 million. Due to the growing epidemiological and socio-economic importance of the disease, dementia has become a focal point of research in recent years.

About Merz (www.merz.com)

Merz specializes in drugs for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric illnesses and is a leader in the field of Alzheimer’s research. Merz developed Memantine, the world’s first drug for the treatment of moderate to severe stages of Alzheimer’s disease. Among drugs to combat Alzheimer’s, Memantine is the second-largest in the world. Another area of competence at Merz is clinical and cosmetic dermatology. Along with the pharmaceuticals market, Merz is active in the healthcare sector outside of pharmacies as well. With its tetesept® and Merz Spezial® brands, in German-speaking countries Merz is a leading provider of products for self-medication, dietary supplements, beauty and wellness.
A Merz subsidiary, Senator GmbH & Co. KGaA, is one of the leading manufacturers of high-quality promotional writing instruments worldwide. The Merz Group employs 1,900 employees worldwide. The company achieved revenues of € 475 million in the 2005/06 fiscal year.

Downloads

Pressrelease
Curriculum Vitae Prof. Dr. Nordberg
Abstract „Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease“

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Photo Prof. Dr. Nordberg (72dpi)
Photo Prof. Dr. Nordberg (300dpi)

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Ina Meyer
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Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH
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Phone: +49-69 / 15 03 165
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E-Mail: ina.meyer@merz.de

Susanne Heiß
Corporate Communications
Merz GmbH & Co. KGaA
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60318 Frankfurt am Main
Phone: +49-69 / 15 03 411
Fax: +49-69 / 15 03 581
E-Mail: susanne.heiss@merz.de

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