CSL Behring Awards Young Researchers Around the World to Advance Coagulation Science

CSL Behring Professor Heimburger Award Provides 100,000 Euros in Start-Up Grants to Emerging Coagulation Investigators; Underscores CSL Behring's Longstanding Commitment to Pioneering Science to Improve the Care for Patients with Bleeding Disorders

MARBURG, Germany, April 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- CSL Behring announced today that the company has named five recipients of the 2015 CSL Behring Professor Heimburger Award for coagulation research. Now in its eighth year, the global awards program helps fund the work of young, emerging researchers by providing start-up grants.  The goal of the award is to encourage the next generation of coagulation specialists to establish themselves professionally and to continue innovative research. The total value of the five grants is 100,000 euros.

Recipients of the 2015 CSL Behring Professor Heimburger Award were selected from more than 60 applicants, from 30 countries, by an independent committee of world-renowned clinicians. This year's recipients, receiving 20,000 euros each, are:

• Ashwini Bennett, M.D.
  Hematology Department, Level 4, Monash Health (Australia)
  Neutrophil extracellular traps: Their role in acute venous thromboembolism, sickle cell crisis and myeloproliferative neoplasms
  
• Jenny Klintman, M.D.
  Skane University Hospital, Clinical Collaboration Research Unit Lund University (Sweden)
  Clinical evaluation and characterization of suspected atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS)
  
• Tesse Leunissen, M.D. 
  University Medical Centre Utrecht (Netherlands)
  High accuracy platelet function testing to predict perioperative micro embolic signals (MES) during carotid endarterectomy (CEA)
  
• Michelle Sonneveld, M.D.
  Erasmus University Medical Center (Netherlands)
  Complement factor H and the relation with von Willebrand Factor and ADAMTS13
  
• Bryce Andrew Kerlin, M.D.
  Associate Professor of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine (U.S.)
  Thrombin signaling mechanisms in nephrotic syndrome

"Coagulation disorders can be debilitating for patients and have a negative impact on their quality of life," said Jens Oltrogge, Ph.D., Senior Director, Commercial Development Coagulation, CSL Behring. "Professor Heimburger was a pioneer in improving the care for patients with coagulation disorders. Supporting these young investigators dedicated to advancing coagulation therapy, in his honor, underscores CSL Behring's longstanding commitment to improving patient outcomes through science and innovation. We would like to congratulate all of the recipients of the 2015 CSL Behring Professor Heimburger Award and wish them success with their research."

More information about the CSL Behring Professor Heimburger Award, including the names of previous winners, can be found at: http://www.cslbehring.com/products/bleeding-disorders/professor-heimburger-award.htm

About Professor Heimburger
Professor Norbert Heimburger was an employee of CSL Behring for more than 30 years and devoted his work to blood coagulation. One of his major contributions in this area was the development of virus-safe plasma products based on pasteurization; a development that led CSL Behring to produce the world's first virus-inactivated factor VIII concentrate to treat hemophilia patients.

About CSL Behring's Commitment to Advancing Coagulation Science
CSL Behring has a commitment to innovation and a thorough understanding of the bleeding disorders community.  Through this commitment and understanding, CSL Behring continues to advance its recombinant factor development program. 

The AFFINITY clinical development program is studying CSL Behring's recombinant Factor VIII SingleChain (rVIII-SingleChain) to treat hemophilia A and the PROLONG-9FP clinical trial program is studying the company's recombinant fusion protein linking coagulation factor IX with recombinant albumin (rIX-FP) to treat hemophilia B. Regulatory submissions for rIX-FP are currently being reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency. CSL Behring also continues to advance its long-acting recombinant fusion protein linking recombinant coagulation factor VIIa with recombinant albumin (rVIIa-FP) to control bleeding episodes in hemophilia patients who have inhibitors.

Pivotal data from CSL Behring's recombinant factor development program will be presented during the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) Congress in Toronto in June 2015.

About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide.

CSL Behring therapies are used around the world to treat coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema and inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders in certain markets. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn.

CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a global biopharmaceutical company and a member of the CSL Group of companies. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.

Contacts:
Jack Herberg
CSL Behring
Office: + 49 (0) 6421 39 4022
[email protected]

Greg Healy
CSL Behring
Office: 610-878-4841
Mobile: [phone]
[email protected]

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SOURCE CSL Behring