Professor Blanka Říhová from Czech Academy of Sciences has been nominated for European Inventor Award 2011 in lifetime achievement category. Blanka Říhová, currently Head of Department of Immunology and Gnotobiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (2000 – 2007, Director of the Institute of Microbiology in Prague, Czech Republic), and her team have, in close collaboration with the team of professor Karel Ulbrich, Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic strived to develop a more targeted treatment with positive results. Her research has enabled the development of several anti-cancer drugs with specific anti-tumour targeting mechanisms. The combination of the drugs’ increased specificity and efficacy along with the ability to enhance the immune system’s response to the tumour cells themselves reduce the chances of new tumours developing later on.
Again a large number of proposals were submitted to the European Patent Office and had to undergo rigorous examination on formal and legal criteria. From those that passed, the high calibre international jury, including prominent personalities such as European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, selected the fifteen finalists, the key factors in its choice being technical content, economic impact and social relevance of the inventions. It is worth noting that the inventors come from a dozen countries covering nearly every region of Europe. Medical research leads the field, followed by energy technology and then construction engineering, vehicle technology and telecommunications. Europe's most prestigious innovation prize will be awarded in five categories on 19 May in Budapest.
4 Mar 2011
