Bayer Awards $2 Million in Grants to Advance Hemophilia Research and Patient Care

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Jul 11, 2017, 09:00 ET

WHIPPANY, N.J., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer has awarded grants totaling more than $2 million to 16 recipients across eight countries as part of its prestigious Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program (BHAP). Four U.S. clinicians and researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland are among the winners. Grant recipients were announced last night during a reception at the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH) 2017 Congress, Berlin, Germany.

Currently in its 15^th year, BHAP is the largest program of its kind that recognizes and supports innovative research and educational initiatives to benefit the hemophilia community and exemplifies Bayer's mission of "Science for a Better Life."

"Breakthroughs in science and technology are rapidly changing how we think about research and the promise it holds for identifying new ways to address unmet needs and improve the standard of care," said Aleksandra Vlajnic, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs, Bayer. "We're proud to support efforts that drive greater understanding of hemophilia and other bleeding disorders to positively impact patients."

The BHAP grants will support research into a broad range of projects, including anxiety among female carriers of hemophilia, FVIII splicing-switching molecules for tailored hemophilia A therapies, and the assessment of therapeutic relationships in hemophilia care. The U.S. BHAP winners are:

Ai-Hong Zhang, Ph.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda
Bhavya Doshi, M.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Manjunath Goolyam Basavaraj, Ph.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Paris Margaritis, DPhil., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

"Being selected as a 2017 BHAP award recipient, among such a high standard of entrants, is a huge honor and shows the research interest in hemophilia," said Ai-Hong Zhang, Ph.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, recipient of the Special Project award. "My particular research will focus on investigating a novel strategy to promote anti-FVIII inhibitor development, which with continued funding from government and industry supporters such as Bayer, I hope will contribute to improving understanding in the medical community and ultimately benefit the hemophilia community."

The BHAP award recipients are selected by a global panel of distinguished hemophilia clinicians, researchers and caregivers. To date, BHAP has awarded more than 280 grants, totaling more than $33 million, to researchers and caregivers from 32 countries around the world and contributed to more than 400 publications, poster presentations and other scientific communications by awardees.

To learn more about BHAP, please visit the website here.

About Bayer Hematology

Bayer is a global life science leader providing therapeutic options for people around the world living with rare, serious and life-threatening hematologic diseases. For more than 30 years, Bayer has been a committed partner to the hemophilia community delivering novel therapies and first-in-class educational and support programs designed to meet the needs of patients throughout their life journey. Bayer continues to explore new technologies and scientific approaches as part of the company's ambitious program to provide advanced treatment options for people living with blood and bleeding disorders.

Bayer: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2016, the Group employed around 115,200 people and had sales of EUR 46.8 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.7 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

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