Author
Alpha1 Germany eV, as published in Alpha1 Journal 2/2023.
Since 2004, Grifols has been supporting the realization of innovative ideas and visions in the field of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD) through the ALTA AWARD. Each year, the ALTA AWARD provides the recipients with scientific and financial freedom to pursue clinical and scientific research in AATD and AATD-associated diseases, to gather new insights into Alpha-1, and thus to help shape the future of AATD therapy.
Grifols funds two research projects each year with an annual prize of €50,000 per grant. The ALTA AWARD is therefore one of the most prestigious prizes in the field of respiratory research.
The award winners are selected by an independent panel of experts. The 2023 winners are from the USA and France: Dr. Vickram Tejwani (Assistant Professor at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Ohio) and Dr. Samuel Amintas (Associate Professor at the Bordeaux Institute of Oncology and Bordeaux Hospital).
Dr. Tejwani He is working on a better understanding of the natural course and manifestation of the disease in individuals with a heterozygous deficiency. His award-winning project is entitled "Respiratory inflammation, transcription profile and CT densitometry in Alpha-1-Antitrypsin PI*MZ individuals".
Dr. Amintas He is an expert in the molecular biology of cancer, particularly digestive tumors. His research focuses on the link between alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and liver cancer, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma. His project, entitled "Molecular Signature of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency-Induced Hepatocellular Carcinoma," was selected as the best basic research project.
