Key advisor of DecoDerma awarded by Albert Lasker Prize
Dr. Erkki Ruoslahti (MD, PhD), the chairman of the advisory board for the Finnish SPARK project DecoDerma, is one of three winners of the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award in 2022. It is the most prestigious American Award for biomedical research. Additional winners for the “Discovery of Integrins” are Richard Hynes and Tim Springer.
The DecoDerma team is led by Professor & Chief Surgeon Tero Järvinen (MD, PhD) from Tampere University (Finland). The team is developing a life-saving drug for rare pediatric skin disease, epidermolysis bullosa. Their molecule is a recombinant, multi-functional fusion protein that has both a targeting peptide domain (tCRK peptide) for a delivery to normal skin and skin wounds and Decorin (DCN) anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic protein as an active therapeutic component. DCN was originally discovered by Dr. Ruoslahti.
Project team is targeting to create novel treatments for lethal skin diseases, but the molecule has other potential disease indications within derma-space; among them scar reduction after surgical procedure and suppression of tumor growth.
DecoDerma has carried out proof-of-concept studies successfully, received in Europe the orphan drug designation for their molecule and the company was selected as one of the most promising startup companies in Scandinavia by both the Nordic Innovation Fair and the Nordic Life Science days. DecoDerma is currently raising capital for moving the molecule to clinical trials in RDEB patients to address the unmet medical need.
SPARK Finland program congratulates both Dr. Ruoslahti for the prestigious award and DecoDerma team for the success of their development work!
The recognition of Dr. Ruoslahti: https://laskerfoundation.org/winners/integrins-mediators-of-cell-matrix-cell-adhesion/
DecoDerma at NLSDays Rising Stars: https://www.nlsdays.com/presenters-and-exhibitors/rising-stars/