Belgian research couple rewarded for their work on incurable diseases
The Gagna & Van Heck International Prize for incurable diseases is awarded for the first time to a Belgian team.
Prof. Miikka Vikkula has received the Lifetime Achievement Award in Lymphatic Research during the Gordon Research Conference on Lymphatics in Ventura, USA. The prize is awarded every two years by the Lymphatic Education and Research Network (LE&RN).
The LE&RN-GRC Lifetime Achievement Award is intended to recognize an individual who has had a lifetime of outstanding achievements in the field of lymphatics, such as significantly advancing lymphatic research or finding improved treatments and cures for lymphedema, lipedema and related lymphatic diseases.
For almost 30 years, Miikka Vikkula’s lab at the de Duve Institute (UCLouvain) has been studying vascular anomalies, among which lymphatic malformations and lymphedema. The group has identified the genetic causes and molecular mechanisms of several of these disorders, which has led to the conception of new treatments.
The LE&RN Lifetime Achievement Award was presented by William Repicci, President of LE&RN (right), to Miikka Vikkula (left).