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On September 15th, 2005 Stockholm saw the second international scientific seminar and grant award ceremony of the GEMI Fund (Gas Enabled Medical Innovations). Attended by nearly 100 guests, including nine recipients of research grants totalling USD one million, the seminar featured presentations of research into the use of gases in a number of new preventive, therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
In his opening address, Head of Linde Gas Therapeutics, Lars Källsäter welcomed the extended interest in and increased awareness of the Fund and he also noted with satisfaction that the quality of the applications was uniformly of a high standard.
The 2005 GEMI Fund Grantees from left to right:
Ana Pamplona Santos (for Maria M Mota), Ajay Verma, Brian Zuckerbraun, Benjamin Williams, Nikolaus Plesnila, Martin Bienengraber, Michael Fries, Bastiann Driehuys, and Gaio Paradossi
As well as providing the occasion to present the successful grantees of this 2005 round of funding, the seminar and ceremony proved to be a lively forum for debate. David Pinsky, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan, and member of the GEMI Fund Board, praised the broad appeal of the topics, the high quality of the presentations as well as the pioneering role of the Fund in general. He said: ‘The GEMI Fund is unique in the world. Here we have industry disbursing a very large sum of money in the interest of science. I really feel the Fund’s work is going to leverage further development in the field of gas enabled medical innovation.’
Six of the 2003 GEMI Fund grantees presented findings of the work they have been conducting with the assistance of GEMI funding over the past two years. Each presentation was followed by lively questioning from the floor and active discussion during the coffee and lunch breaks. The work presented included research into the diagnostic and therapeutic use of carbon monoxide, nitric oxide as well as imaging gases and participants clearly had ‘favourite’ molecules whose benefits they were quick to champion.
These presentations were complemented by an inspiring presentation on the therapeutic effects of nitric oxide in China during the SARS epidemic, as well as by a stimulating talk on stem cell research.
As well as previous grantees, guests present at the seminar and ceremony included representatives from the GEMI Fund board and from Fund founders Linde Gas Therapeutics, Harvard Medical International and the Karolinska Institute of Sweden.
The lively informal discussion continued after the seminar, and the award ceremony that followed it, as the participants visited the nearby unique Vasa Museum, housing the restored remains of the 17th century warship Vasa which sank on its maiden voyage. After a guided tour, a Swedish banquet beside the restored ship and an informal concert by the Stockholm Academic Male Chorus marked the end to a highly stimulating and successful day. |
