Eberbach, Germany, July 07, 2008 – This year’s international Bone and Joint Decade Award for Clinical and Experimental Cartilage Research in Osteoarthritis goes to a German medical scientist: Professor Dr. Thomas Aigner, University of Leipzig, Germany. The sponsor of the 25,000 euro research award is the GELITA Health Initiative (GHI).

The independent jury of the worldwide Bone and Joint Decade 2000 - 2010 is made up of international scientists actively involved in osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis research. The annual award winners are primarily chosen for their commitment to and accomplishments in OA basic research and management. The idea behind the award is to motivate scientists to further develop promising research projects or to open up new areas of research. This year’s winner, Professor Dr. Thomas Aigner, Vice President of the Leipzig University Institute of Pathology, has made a name for himself through many years of research into the cellular basis of OA. His innovative research projects won the jury’s approval: One focus of Aigner’s research is on functional genomics with the aim of better understanding the pattern of gene expression and thus the genetic basis of OA development. Another line of research focuses on chondrocyte aging in osteoarthritic degenerated articular cartilage compared with the mechanisms at work in healthy cells.

“We are happy to give this award to Professor Aigner, a medical scientist committed to OA research at the highest level. A main objective of the Bone and Joint Decade and the GELITA Health Initiative is to promote our understanding of and research into degenerative joint disease in order to gain new insights into potential ways to treat and prevent OA, a debilitating condition that is on the rise worldwide,” said Dr. Werner Badziong, Head of Research & Development at GELITA AG.

The jury additionally awarded two 2,500 euro scholarships to budding scientists, also supported by the GELITA Health Initiative. This year’s winners, Dr. Rana S. Hinmann of Australia and Dr. Qiang Fu of China, are also engaged in promising OA research projects.
The official award ceremony will be held at this year’s Bone and Joint Decade Network Conference in Pune, India, from November 29 through December 1, 2008.

GELITA Health Initiative
The international company GELITA AG based in Eberbach, Germany, is world market leader in the production of collagen hydrolysate and is a pioneer in collagen hydrolysate research. For over 25 years, GELITA has sponsored experimental research and clinical studies intending to investigate the effect of collagen hydrolysate on joint health. The GELITA Health Initiative was founded in 2003 to intensively research the degenerative joint disease and to make the results of this research available to physicians, nutritionists, pharmacists and sufferers. GELITA is a member of the Advisory Council of the international "Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010".

Media contacts for further information, photos and other artwork:

PLEON GmbH, Carolin Schambach, Phone +49 (0)89-590 42 1240,
Fax +49 (0)89-590 42 1100, email: carolin.schambach@pleon.com
www.gelita-health-initiative.com