Boston, USA, July 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

At the 17^th International Photodynamic Association World Congress in Boston, Massachusetts, the Tookad™ Early Prostate Cancer Clinical Trial Team was the recipient of the Inaugural Tayyaba Hasan IMPACT Award for its clinical and regulatory successes with a significant new indication for photodynamic therapy (PDT).

This team award recognizes the clinical success and European regulatory approval for vascular targeted PDT of low risk early prostate cancer with Padeliporfin (Tookad soluble), and the individuals and their teams at multiple institutions involved with this effort. Tookad vascular targeted PDT was invented by Professors Avigdor Scherz and Yoram Salomon at the Weizmann Institute, Rehovat, Israel and developed for clinical use by Steba Biotech, Paris, France. The trial was peer-reviewed and published in The Lancet Oncology, Vol. 18, Issue 2, P181-191, February, 2017: “Padeliporfin vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy versus active surveillance in men with low-risk prostate cancer (CLIN1001 PCM301): an open-label, phase 3, randomized controlled trial.”

The institutions and the team leaders who contributed to the Early Prostate Cancer trial success are:

• Abdel-Rahmène Azzouzi, MD - Department of Urology, Angers University Hospital, Angers, France
• Sébastien Vincentia, MD - Department of Urology, CIC-INSERM 1414, Rennes University Hospital, Rennes, France
• Eric Barret, MD - Department of Urology, Institut Montsouris, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France
• Antony Cicco, MD - Department of Urology, Centre Catalan Urologie Andrologie, Cabestany, France
• François Kleinclauss, MD - Department of Urology, Besançon University Hospital, Besançon, France
• Henk G van der Poel, MD - Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Christian G Stief, MD - Department of Urology, LMU-Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
• Jens Rassweiler, MD - Department of Urology, SLK Kliniken, Heilbronn, Germany
• Georg Salomon, MD - Martini-Clinic Prostate Cancer Center, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany 
• Eduardo Solsona, MD - Department of Urology, Fundación Instituto Valenciano de Oncología, Valencia, Spain
• Antonio Alcaraz, MD - Department of Urology, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
• Teuvo T Tammela, MD - Department of Urology, Tampere University Hospital and School of Medicine, Tampere, Finland
• Derek J Rosario, MD - Academic Department of Urology, University of Sheffield, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, UK
• Francisco Gomez-Veiga, MD - Department of Urology, Salamanca University Hospital GITUR-IBSAL, Salamanca, Spain AND Department of Urology, University Hospital Complex, La Coruna, Spain
• Göran Ahlgren, MD - Department of Urology, Skäne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden
• Fawzi Benzaghou, MD - Medical Department, Steba Biotech, Paris, France
• Bertrand Gaillac, MD - Medical Department, Steba Biotech, Paris, France
• Billy Amzal, PhD - LA-SER Analytica, London, UK
• Frans M J Debruyne, MD - Andros Men's Health Institute, Arnhem, Netherlands
• Gaëlle Fromont, MD - Department of Pathology, Tours University Hospital, Tours, France 
• Christian Gratzke, MD - Department of Urology, LMU-Klinikum der Universität München, Munich, Germany
• Mark Emberton, FMedSci – Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK (Principal Investigator)

IPA World Congress

The Boston World Congress was the 17^th conference held by the International Photodynamic Association, marking 34 years of this global meeting. The IPA World Congresses, held every two years, are the leading PDT meetings bringing together members of the global photodynamic community to advance scientific and clinical research relating to photodiagnosis and photodynamic therapies. The Boston World Congress was led by Congress Chair and IPA President Dr. Tayyaba Hasan, Professor of Dermatology at the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a Professor of Health Sciences and Technology (Harvard-MIT) and had record attendance with representatives from 33 countries.  The 2021 IPA World Congress will be hosted in Moscow, Russia and the 2023 IPA World Congress will be held in Shanghai, China.

About Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is a combination therapy involving light activated photosensitizers to diagnose and treat various types and stages of cancers and pre-cancers, macular degeneration and multidrug-resistant infections involving bacteria, viruses and fungi. First developed in the 1980s, PDT has demonstrated superior patient outcomes with considerable cost savings. Over the past 30 years, millions of patients globally have been successfully treated with PDT.

About the International Photodynamic Association

The International Photodynamic Association (IPA) was founded in 1986 to support and endorse the scientific advancement and clinical development of photodynamic therapy and photodiagnosis. With members and associates from over 30 countries, the IPA represents a truly global community consisting of prominent international scientists, clinicians and translational researchers, healthcare professionals and students across academic, hospital, government and private sector organizations. The IPA promotes the study of diagnosis and treatment using light-activated photosensitizers and disseminates scientific information to its members, the research community, and to the community at large. The IPA organizes a biennial World Congress around the world, providing members and non-members a unique opportunity to share and learn more about global developments relating specifically to photodynamic therapy and photodiagnosis. 

For further information: ipasecretary@internationalphotodynamic.com

Attachment

• Professor Avigdor Scherz and Dr. Emmanuel Coeytaux