Marc Feldmann and Sir Ravinder Maini win Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research

New York, N.Y. – May 13, 2008 – Johnson & Johnson today announced that Professor Marc Feldmann, FMedSci, FAA, FRS and Emeritus Professor Sir Ravinder N. Maini, FRCP, FMedSci, FRS of the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Imperial College London have been named the recipients of the 2008 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research by an independent selection committee of world-renowned scientists.

The award salutes the most passionate and creative scientists in basic or clinical research, whose scientific achievements have made, or have strong potential to make, a measurable impact on human health. Feldmann and Maini were selected for their role in the discovery of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, or TNF-alpha, as an effective therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic inflammatory conditions afflicting millions worldwide. The award, which includes a $100,000 prize, will be presented to the winners at events in New York and Beerse, Belgium in September.

According to Solomon Snyder, Ph.D., Distinguished Service Professor of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Chairman, Janssen Award Selection Committee, “The work of Feldmann and Maini exemplifies the bench-to-bedside approach that Paul Janssen’s contributions epitomized. It is extremely rare for researchers to identify a molecular messenger in test tube studies, demonstrate its physiologic relevance in animals and themselves carry these efforts forward to a successful clinical demonstration. Feldmann and Maini did all of this, leading to therapeutic agents of inestimable, lifesaving importance.”

Established by Johnson & Johnson, the Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research honors the founder of Janssen Pharmaceutica. Known to his colleagues as “Dr. Paul,” Janssen was one of the 20th century's most gifted and passionate researchers, a physician-scientist who helped save millions of lives through his contribution to the discovery and development of more than 80 medicines. Janssen’s legacy continues to inspire Johnson & Johnson’s commitment to finding innovative cures for unmet medical needs.