SAN JOSE, Calif. & HERTZELIA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Personalized Medicine World Conference (PMWC) announced that Dr. Michael Hayden, President of Global R&D and Chief Scientific Officer of Teva Pharmaceuticals, is the recipient of the 2014 PMWC Luminary Award, for his contribution to the advancement of Personalized Medicine.
Dr. Hayden has led the field in researching the development of Huntington disease and is credited with creating the first predictive test for the disease - the first for any genetic disorder. Dr. Hayden has also discovered several genes associated with rare conditions, discovering new pathways and approaches that are leading to new levels of understanding and new treatments, such as Glybera, the world’s first approved gene therapy.
The PMWC Luminary Award has honored those who have been instrumental in the growth of the Personalized Medicine field and past recipients include: Lee Hood the co-inventor of the first DNA sequences, George Church the co-developer of the Human Genome Project, Brian Druker the co-inventor of Gleevec, Janet Woodcock the CDER Director at the FDA (who fast tracked two targeted drugs), Kim Popovits the CEO Genomic Health which pioneered the first Diagnostic test for breast cancer) and Jay Flatley the CEO, Illumina which offers full coverage human genomes for less than $1,000
PMWC is an independent and established conference dedicated to catalyzing cross-functional collaboration to further adoption of personalized medicine in the clinic. PMWC, co-hosted with Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Oracle Health Sciences, attracts experts across healthcare and biotechnology sectors.
In his speech, Dr. Hayden referred to the largest challenge that is hindering the movement of personalized medicine into the clinic: "Currently the medical arena is focused on reimbursing and treating diseases. The entire concept should be changed, refocusing health care from treatment to prevention. Now that reading a patients’ genetic information is cheaper and easier than an MRI test we should approach this avenue more often. One area that has embraced personalized medicine is the field of cancer, where therapeutic direction depends on the genomes of the cancer and the patient. This is an area where TEVA has embedded a personalized approach into virtually all of its research projects, playing a significant role in the personalized medicine revolution."
About PMWC
PMWC International provides a platform to foster collaboration among these key stakeholders and catalyze change. Launched by Silicon Valley investors and entrepreneurs in 2009, PMWC International has held several conferences in the U.S. and abroad to forge connections.
Marc Perlman, Global Vice President, Oracle Healthcare and Life Sciences, and Rivka Carmi, M.D., President of Ben Gurion University, gave keynote addresses at the reception that was held in honor of Dr. Hayden in Hertzelia, Israel.
