TARRYTOWN, N.Y., July 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced the winners of the 12th annual Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation (the Regeneron Prize), an award that recognizes, celebrates and rewards outstanding talent and creativity from early-career scientists in biomedical research.

Each year, Regeneron asks leading research universities across the United States to nominate their top graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, who are then invited to conceptualize and propose "dream projects" within the realm of biomedical science. The finalists present their proposals to a selection committee comprised of Regeneron’s leading scientists who evaluate the projects based on scientific merit, creativity and originality.

This year’s winners are Christopher Giuliano and Julian Roessler, both Ph.D. candidates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Each has been awarded $50,000, in addition to a $10,000 grant to their home institution to support its seminar series. Six other finalists each received $5,000 awards.

“We launched the Regeneron Prize twelve years ago to help encourage and reward ‘blue sky’ thinking in biomedicine,” said George D. Yancopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., co-Founder, Board co-Chair, President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron. “Every amazing medical breakthrough that exists today — from a vaccine for polio, to a treatment for Ebola, to technologies that can edit genes within a patient’s body — was once just a crazy idea. Society needs more big ideas that could one day change lives, and these remarkable students have impressed and inspired us with their ability to think deeply, strategically and ambitiously.”

Christopher Giuliano, a Ph.D. candidate in Biology at MIT, is working in the laboratory of Dr. Sebastian Lourido at the Whitehead Institute. As an undergraduate, Christopher simultaneously researched biochemistry in Dr. Steve Glynn’s lab at State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and cancer biology in Dr. Jason Sheltzer’s lab at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York. Throughout his graduate career, he has pursued an interest in infectious disease and immunology studying the host response to Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that causes toxoplasmosis. Christopher aims to repurpose the parasite's ability to manipulate muscle cells to improve the efficiency of muscle-directed gene therapies. Christopher’s Regeneron Prize winning proposal leveraged insights from his focused studies on infectious agents to enhance broader therapeutic strategies, aiming to revolutionize how we design treatments for complex diseases.

Julian Roessler, a Ph.D. candidate in Biology at MIT, is working in the laboratory of Dr. Siniša Hrvatin from the Whitehead Institute. Julian earned his BA in Biochemistry from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences Scholar. He completed a Master’s degree in Chemistry, also from the University of Pennsylvania, studying the heat shock response in ants with Dr. Shelley Berger. Since joining MIT, Julian has worked with Dr. David Sabatini studying the mTORC1 pathway before joining Dr. Hrvatin’s laboratory in 2021 to study the hypothalamic basis of torpor, a hypometabolic state. His research focuses on understanding the neurocircuitry and organ systems that coordinate responses to environmental challenges. Julian’s Regeneron Prize winning proposal applied ideas from his specialized research areas to broader systems, with the goal of understanding the brain circuitry required to deal with particular stressors to human survival.

"Regeneron's Prize encourages early career scientists to work independently to solve a problem that is important to them. We look for originality and creativity on the one hand, and practicality on the other," said David Glass, M.D., Vice President of Research and Chair of the Postdoctoral Program at Regeneron.

A key focus of Regeneron’s social impact work is to inspire and prepare young people to pursue STEM careers. As a company founded and led by physician-scientists, Regeneron is committed to fostering the next generation of scientific innovators who can help solve society’s greatest challenges. Since its inception in 2013, the Regeneron Prize has supported early-career scientists with more than $1.7 million in awards. Additionally, since 2020, our STEM efforts and partnerships have supported over 2.4 million students, including through premier high school science competitions, such as the Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS) and the Regeneron International Science & Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF).

Requests for applications for the Regeneron Prize are distributed to academic institutions each December. Regeneron asks institutions to nominate two graduate students and two postdoctoral fellows. In addition to the dream project proposals, submissions must include a curriculum vitae and samples of publications that enable the selection committee to review each nominee's scholarly productivity. For more information, please email science.education@regeneron.com.

About Regeneron 
Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) is a leading biotechnology company that invents, develops and commercializes life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. Founded and led by physician-scientists, our unique ability to repeatedly and consistently translate science into medicine has led to numerous approved treatments and product candidates in development, most of which were homegrown in our laboratories. Our medicines and pipeline are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, hematologic conditions, infectious diseases, and rare diseases. 

Regeneron believes that operating as a good corporate citizen is crucial to delivering on our mission. We approach corporate responsibility with three goals in mind: to improve the lives of people with serious diseases, to foster a culture of integrity and excellence and to build sustainable communities. Regeneron is proud to be included on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index and the Civic 50 list of the most “community-minded” companies in the U.S. Throughout the year, Regeneron empowers and supports employees to give back through our volunteering, pro bono and matching gift programs. Our most significant philanthropic commitments are in the area of early science education, including the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS) and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

For more information, please visit www.Regeneron.com or follow Regeneron on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook or X.

Media Contacts:
Joseph Brown, Regeneron
386-283-1323
Joseph.Brown2@regeneron.com