Bayer Launches Pulmonary Hypertension Accelerated Bayer (PHAB) Awards to Help Propel Clinical Advancements Forward with up to 1 Million Dollars in Grants

WHIPPANY, N.J., May 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer U.S today announced the launch of the Pulmonary Hypertension Accelerated Bayer (PHAB) Awards to support clinical research in pulmonary hypertension (PH), with a focus on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH). The program will award up to a total of $1 million in grants over a two-year period cycle. 

"We believe that more can be done to develop more effective treatments for these chronic and often debilitating conditions, and to improve overall care for patients for whom every moment counts," said Aleksandra Vlajnic, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Bayer. "The Pulmonary Hypertension Accelerated Bayer Awards is a reflection of our commitment to ensuring continued advancement in pulmonary hypertension science and care, and to the continued growth of young scientists, clinicians, and allied healthcare professionals involved in pulmonary hypertension research and education."

Grant applications will be open to all level of physician practitioners and non-physicians in the United States (U.S.) only. Letters of Intent with a short proposal will be accepted from May 28 through June 30, 2019. Following evaluation by an independent Grants Review Committee comprised of six to eight leading experts from clinical and academic medicine, applicants will be invited to submit a full proposal by August 31, 2019. Up to 8 awardees will be invited to an awards dinner and ceremony at the CHEST Annual Meeting, October 19-23, 2019 in New Orleans.

"I know from personal experience that young clinical researchers often find it difficult to secure government funding," said Sameer Bansilal, MD, MS, Director of Medical Affairs for Cardiopulmonary at Bayer US. "With the PHAB grants, we want to provide a solid bridge from fellowship through to the first few years as an academic to help them continue in their journey."

Bayer is inviting applications for U.S. based clinical research in PAH or CTEPH in the following categories:

• Level 1
  • This award will appeal to investigators who wish to perform a clinical trial in a single center or restricted multicenter (<5) sites in the U.S.
  • Duration of award: 2 years
  • Number of new awards per year: Maximum of 2
  • Award: Up to $200,000 in total
• Level 2
  • This award will appeal to early-mid career (<7 years since terminal training degree) pulmonary hypertension professionals to support research initiated by them.
  • Duration of award: 2 years
  • Number of new awards per year: Maximum of 2
  • Award: Up to $150,000 in total
• Level 3
  • This award will appeal to fellows and will support research to be completed within the initial 2 years of their first faculty position.
  • Duration of award: 2 years
  • Number of new awards per year: Maximum of 2
  • Award: Up to $100,000 in total
• Level 4
  • This award will appeal to allied PH healthcare professionals, including nurses, nurse practitioners, physiotherapists, pharmacists and psychologists to support research initiated by them.
  • Duration of award: 1-2 years
  • Number of new awards per year: Maximum of 2
  • Award: Up to $50,000 in total

The PHAB Award Letter of Intent submissions are due by 12 midnight PST on June 30, 2019. The PHAB review criteria will be modeled after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) system; entries will be graded on significance, investigator(s), innovation, approach, and environment.

For more information, e-mail [email protected].

Grants will be made on the merits of the research and research must be posted on ClinicalTrials.gov. Every effort should be made to publish or present study outcomes. Once a grant is provided, additional funding cannot be received for the same grant. If the research is not conducted the grant must be returned.

About Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH, WHO Group 1) is defined by elevated pressure in the arteries going from the right side of the heart to the lungs. Typical symptoms of PAH include shortness of breath on exertion, fatigue, weakness, chest pain and syncope. PAH is caused by abnormalities in the walls of the pulmonary arteries.^1.2

About Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH)
Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH, WHO Group 4) is a progressive type of pulmonary hypertension, in which it is believed that thromboembolic occlusion (organized blood clots) of pulmonary vessels gradually lead to an increased blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, resulting in an overload of the right heart.^3,4 CTEPH may evolve after prior episodes of acute pulmonary embolism, but the pathogenesis is not yet completely understood. The standard and potentially curative treatment for CTEPH is pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE), a surgical procedure in which the blood vessels of the lungs are cleared of clot and scar material.^5,6 However, a considerable number of patients with CTEPH (20%-40%) are not operable and in up to 35 percent of patients, the disease persists or reoccurs after PTE.^7,8

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to benefit people by supporting efforts to overcome the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development, and the Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2018, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of 39.6 billion euros. Capital expenditures amounted to 2.6 billion euros, R&D expenses to 5.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

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Forward-Looking Statements 
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

References:
¹ Galie et al. 2015 ESC/ERS Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Eur Heart. 2016;37:67–119.

² American Lung Association. Pulmonary Hypertension. Accessed November 22, 2017. http://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/pulmonary-hypertension.

³ Piazza G and Goldhaber SZ. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. N Engl J Med. 2011; 364: 351-360.

⁴ Simonneau G et al. Updated Clinical Classification of Pulmonary Hypertension. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2013; 62(25):

⁵ D'Armini M. Diagnostic advances and opportunities in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Eur Respir Rev. 2015; 24: 253–262.

⁶ Kim et al. Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2013; 62: D92-9.

⁷ Mathai et al. Quality of life in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Eur Respir J. 2016 Aug; 48(2): 526–537.

⁸ D'Armini M. Diagnostic advances and opportunities in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Eur Respir Rev. 2015; 24: 253–262.

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SOURCE Bayer

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