SciLifeLab researcher Maurice Michel awarded with the Maximon Longevity Prize 2023
Maximon, a company builder based in Switzerland, has been awarding its distinguished prize since 2022 to groundbreaking research in the field of longevity. A SciLifeLab based project won the award with Maurice Michel as the recipient. This research must have potential clinical or non-clinical applications and show promise in significantly enhancing the health span or lifespan of humans.
This year, the announcement came during the Longevity Investor Conference in Gstaad, Switzerland. At this event, investors and academics convened to explore investments in pioneering technologies and startups. Maximon highlighted a project from SciLifeLab, stating: “The trailblazing work targeting the enzyme function of OGG1 as a therapeutic method for improving DNA repair deepens our comprehension of both animal and human longevity. It presents vast potential for prolonging healthspan by combatting inflammaging.”
Maurice Michel received the Maximon Longevity Prize. Winners, including Maurice, showcased their research through 2-minute flash presentations. Representing Maurice was student Florian Ortis, who made the journey to Switzerland for the event.
In other notable recognitions, Philip Atherton of the University of Nottingham was honored as a merited runner-up, securing the Biolytica Prize for his studies on mTOR inhibition. Additionally, Jorge Sanz Ros and Consuelo Borrás Balsco from the University of Valencia received the Avea Life Prize for their investigation into stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles.
The jury consisted of:
- Elisabeth Roider, Partner & Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at Maximon
- Evelyne Yehudit Bischof, Associate Professor at Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences
- Andrea Maier, Oon Chiew Seng Professor in Medicine, Healthy Ageing and Dementia Research
- Nir Barzilai, Director, Einstein Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
- Collin Y. Ewald, Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich
- Heike Bischoff-Ferrari, Professor of Geriatrics and Aging Research, UZH
- Aubrey de Grey, President and CSO at LEV Foundation
- Sebastien Thuault, Chief Editor of Nature Aging and Sophie Chabloz, Co-Founder and CPO at AVEA