BARCELONA, Spain, April 19, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The Astellas European Foundation is delighted to announce the winner of the 2010 Urology Prize Fund:

Professor Jenny Southgate and Dr Simon Baker from the University of York, UK

Professor Southgate and Dr Baker received the prize fund of US$ 300,000 to support work on their project entitled 'The Urotheliome' at the Astellas European Foundation Award Event, last night.

Dr John Bolodeoku, Astellas European Foundation Officer and Vice President of Medical Affairs and Health Economics for Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. commented, We received 54 entries from 13 European countries. As always, the standard of these entries was extremely high covering a broad range of topics in urology. It was very difficult to choose one winner but Professor Southgate's research will provide vital information to advance our understanding of the signalling and functioning of the human urothelium and its contribution to disorders such as overactive bladder. He continued the Foundation would especially like to acknowledge all those who submitted excellent proposals.

The Astellas European Foundation is a registered charity set up in 2005 with the long-term goal of providing support for programmes and activities that contribute to the advancement of an increasingly healthy society. The Astellas European Foundation Urology Award supports basic medical and related scientific programmes which contribute to advancements in urology. The winner of the prize fund was chosen by a Judging Faculty, including independent European opinion leaders.

At the Awards Presentation Event in Barcelona, the winner of last year's Award, Dr Wouter Everaerts and team from KU Leuven, Belgium, talked about how their project is progressing and how the prize fund has helped advance their research.

Dr Wouter Everaerts said The funding from the Astellas European Foundation has allowed our team to begin essential work in exploring the involvement of TRP channels in OAB and we hope to ultimately identify new targets for OAB, benefiting those patients not currently helped by available therapies. We remain most grateful to the Foundation for their support of our project.

Notes to Editors

About The Astellas European Foundation

The Astellas European Foundation is a registered charity, formed in 2005, with the long-term goal of providing support for programmes and activities that contribute to the advancement of an increasingly healthy society. In line with this aim, the Foundation made substantial donations to the global charities. The Astellas European Foundation also supports Astellas employees in their private fundraising efforts for charitable causes. The Foundation is supported through funding from Astellas Pharma Europe Limited.

About Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.

Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd., located in the UK, is a European subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. The organisation is committed to becoming a global company by combining outstanding RD and marketing capabilities and continuing to grow in the world pharmaceutical market. Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. is responsible for 20 affiliate offices located across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, an RD site, and three manufacturing plants. The company employs approximately 3,400 staff across these regions.

SOURCE: Astellas European Foundation

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