NEWS & INSIGHTS

Lorenzo Pradella of GreenBone Ortho, srl has been selected from eleven finalists as the winner of the first-ever Lyfebulb-Helsinn Innovation Award in Oncology.

Gitte Pedersen of Genomic Expression, Inc. has been selected as the winner of the Lyfebulb-Helsinn Innovation Award in Oncology by Denise LePera and Dr. Stephen Squinto.

The Jury created a special recognition award for Aaron Horowitz of Sproutel, Inc.

The Awards recognise outstanding innovations by Patient Entrepreneurs’ innovations for cancer and cancer supportive care using drugs, medical devices, consumer products, or healthcare information technologies.

The winners were presented with their awards at the Lyfebulb-Helsinn Innovation Summit & Award in Oncology, on 27 March, in Monaco, Principality of Monaco.

MONACO, PRINCIPALITY OF MONACO and NEW YORK, NY, 28 March 2018:

Lyfebulb, a patient empowerment platform that connects patients, industry and investors to support user-driven innovation in chronic diseases, and Helsinn, with activities focused on earlystage investments in areas of high unmet patient need, today announced that Lorenzo Pradella of GreenBone Ortho, srl and Gitte Pedersen of Genomic Expression, Inc. have been chosen as winners of the first ever Lyfebulb-Helsinn Innovation Awards in Oncology. In addition, Aaron Horowitz of Sproutel, Inc. received a special recognition award from the jury.

“The innovation demonstrated by all eleven finalists exemplifies how the insights of personal experience can combine with entrepreneurial skills to create solutions which will improve the lives  of people affected by cancer. In my mind, all finalists are winners in the Patient Entrepreneur category,” said Dr. Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD and CEO and Founder of Lyfebulb.

Eleven finalists were invited to compete at the Lyfebulb-Helsinn Innovation Summit & Award in Oncology event, which was hosted on 26–27 March 2018, by Lyfebulb and Helsinn at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort, in Monaco. Over the course of the summit, the finalists presented their businesses to an independent, curated panel with expertise in oncology.

Helsinn Group Vice Chairman and CEO Riccardo Braglia commented, “The expert panel has chosen worthy winners. I know Lorenzo and Gitte’s ideas have the potential to make real progress in areas of unmet patient need, and to make a difference to those living day-to-day with cancer. Helsinn is proud to support innovation of this quality and we hope that this award will inspire a generation of patient entrepreneurs to come forward with similar levels of enthusiasm.”

Mr. Pradella of GreenBone Ortho, srl has built a business that develops highly innovative, woodderived, biometric and re-absorbable bone implants to repair critical defects in load bearing and non-loaded bones, which product can be used for cancer related bone loss. In winning the LBH Award, GreenBone Ortho, srl will receive a $25,000 monetary grant in recognition of its pioneering product.

Ms. Pedersen of Genomic Expression, Inc. has developed a diagnostic business that identifies the ideal drug for a patient and the ideal patient for the drug by sequencing RNA. Genomic Expression will receive the LBH Award by Denise LePera and Dr. Stephen Squinto, also a $25,000 monetary grant.

Finally, the jury created a special recognition award for Aaron Horowitz of Sproutel, Inc., who has created play-based healthcare innovations for children afflicted with disease, specifically the My Special Aflac Duckâ„¢ for children with cancer.

The LBH Award recognises outstanding potential among entrepreneurs who have demonstrated an ability to develop and bring to the market innovation, using drugs, medical devices, consumer products and healthcare information technologies, designed to improve the quality of life of people with cancer. The LBH Award by Denise LePera and Dr. Stephen Squinto, derived from the generous donation by the couple, was added to the Summit to provide additional recognition among a highly talented pool of finalists:

• Samuel Wagner of Batu Biologics, Inc.
• Massimo Bocchi of Cellply, srl
• Walid Al-Akkad of Engitix Ltd
• Gitte Pedersen of Genomic Expression, Inc.
• Lorenzo Pradella of GreenBone Ortho, srl
• Samir Housri of TheMednet, Inc.
• Till Erdmann of Myelo Therapeutics GmbH
• Christian Apfel of SageMedic, Inc.
• Aaron Horowitz of Sproutel, Inc.
• Thierry Desjardins of Surgisafe Ltd
• Boaz Gaon of Wisdo Ltd

About Lyfebulb

Lyfebulb is a chronic disease focused, patient empowerment platform that connects patients, Industry (manufacturers and payers) and investors to support user-driven innovation. Lyfebulb promotes a healthy, take-charge lifestyle for those affected by chronic disease. Grounded with its strong foundation in Diabetes, the company has expanded disease states covered into Cancer and Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

See www.lyfebulb.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Lyfebulb LinkedIn, and Karin Hehenberger LinkedIn.

About Helsinn International Services sarl

Helsinn International Services sarl is the Helsinn subsidiary which provides a range of advisory services and strategic activities to the Group and its specific companies. In particular, it acts as the advisory company to Helsinn Investment Fund.

About Helsinn Investment Fund S.A., SICAR

The Helsinn Investment Fund is focused on early-stage investments in areas of high unmet patient need. Backed by the Helsinn Group, and guided by Helsinn’s core values of quality, integrity and respect, Helsinn Investment Fund aims to help companies with innovative technologies to transform new ideas into commercial solutions with the potential to impact healthrelated quality of life of patients.

Drawing on Helsinn’s over 40 years of investment into research and development and commercial expertise, the investment fund selects companies with technologies in a range of areas including cancer therapeutics and diagnostics, cancer supportive care, metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders, and dermatology conditions.

For more information, visit www.helsinninvestmentfund.com

About the Helsinn Group

Helsinn is a privately owned pharmaceutical group with an extensive portfolio of marketed cancer care products and a robust drug development pipeline. Since 1976, Helsinn has been improving the everyday lives of patients, guided by core family values of respect, integrity and quality. The Group works across pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices and nutritional supplements and has expertise in research, development, manufacture and the commercialisation of therapeutic and supportive care products for cancer, pain and inflammation and gastroenterology. In 2016, Helsinn created the Helsinn Investment Fund to support earlystage investment opportunities in areas of unmet patient need. The company is headquartered in Lugano, Switzerland, with operating subsidiaries in Switzerland, Ireland, the U.S., Monaco and China, as well as a product presence in approximately 190 countries globally.

To learn more about Helsinn Group please visit www.helsinn.com

For more information:

Helsinn Group Media Contact
Paola Bonvicini
Group Head of Communication
Lugano, Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 91 985 21 21 Info-hhc@helsinn.com

For more information, please visit www.helsinn.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo.

Press Contact for Lyfebulb:

Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD
CEO & Founder, Lyfebulb,
Phone: + 00 1 917-575-0210
Email: karin@lyfebulb.com
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