Licentia Ltd. has announced that long term partner, Professor Kari Alitalo, has been awarded the InBev-Baillet Latour Health Prize 2009,
a prestigious annual award for outstanding applied biomedical research.

Professor Alitalo, a researcher at the University of Helsinki, is to share the award with his Finnish collaborator, Professor Seppo Ylä-Herttuala of the University of Kuopio, for their joint research on cancer and cardiovascular disorders.

The InBev-Baillet Latour Health Prize is regarded as the most important scientific prize in Belguim and is awarded annually for contributions in biomedical research, particularly its practical application. The prize includes a 200, 000 Euro payment. Previous winners of this award include Nobel Laureate in Medicine Sir James Black.

In granting this award to Dr. Alitalo, the InBev-Baillet Latour Fund cited his “cloning and characterisation of the first specific growth factor of the lymphatic system, VEGFR-3,” and his demonstration that VEGFR-3 plays a key role in the spread (metastasis) of tumour cells via the lymphatic system. The work has inspired the development of novel treatments for cancer that act by blocking the spread of the disease through the lymphatics.

Licentia negotiated the sale of world wide patent rights to develop Professor Alitalo’s work covering VEGFR-3 for biomedical applications to Circadian Technologies through Vegenics, a joint venture company it formed with Circadian Technologies and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR). Vegenics has now been merged into Circadian Technologies and Licentia maintains an interest through their shareholding in Circadian.