The two scientists won the European Inventor Award jointly in the SMEs category from the European Patent Office (EPO) for their vaccine assembly platform, the office announced on Tuesday.
The vaccine could be used to treat different types of cancer, boosting the immune system’s response to the disease and offering new hope for cancer treatment, the EPO saidExternal link.
“Derouazi and Belnoue’s invention assembles three essential components of a vaccine into a single protein [……] to produce vaccines for different types of cancer. They are intended for use alongside treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy,” the EPO said.
The KISIMA platform was first used to produce a vaccine designed to treat metastatic colorectal cancer, and early-stage human trials are underway.
Derouazi studied biology and biotechnology in Geneva, Berlin and Lausanne before completing a post-doc at the French National Center for Scientific Research in Paris.
Launched in 2006, the award, which is attributed in five different categories, honours individuals and team solutions to some of the biggest challenges, the EPO said.
Popular Stories
More
Multinational companies
Azeri fossil-fuel cash cow brings controversy to Switzerland
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Environment minister outlines Swiss efforts to limit global warming
This content was published on
Switzerland will do its part to achieve the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celcius, said Environment Minister Albert Rösti, who's attending COP29 in Baku.
This content was published on
Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled. Switzerland remains by a large margin the European champion of train travel, both in terms of the number of journeys per person and the number of kilometres travelled.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.