• In this fifth edition of the awards, 123 nominations were received from 10 countries, further reinforcing the internationalisation of the Zendal Awards.
• After the jury’s deliberation, this year’s prizes were awarded to Ivone Martins, from the Centre for Biological Engineering at the University of Minho (Portugal), for her project HERCULES – Bacteriophages against Alzheimer’s disease, in the human health category; and to José de la Fuente, from the SaBio group at the Institute for Research into Game Resources, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), in the animal health category.
• The awards ceremony will take place on 7 November in Vigo. 

The jury of the 5th edition of the Zendal Awards awarded the prize in the human health category to the research group of Ivone Martins, from the Centre for Biological Engineering at the University of Minho, for her project HERCULES-Bacteriophages against Alzheimer’s disease. In the animal health category, the prize went to José de la Fuente, from the SaBio group at the Institute for Research into Game Resources, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), for his project on the development of vaccines in cattle. 

The Zendal Awards, now in their fifth edition, aim to highlight, promote and recognise new research projects in the field of human health (40,000 euros category) and animal health (25,000 euros). Once again, this year’s edition saw an increase in the number of applications, 29% more than in the previous year, with a total of 123 from 10 different countries. This number reflects the growing interest in these awards, which have received applications of great scientific quality 

Early detection of Alzheimer’s disease 

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and is increasing as the world’s population ages. AD is characterised by the presence of the beta-amyloid peptide (Aβ), with soluble oligomers of Aβ being responsible for neuronal damage, neurodegeneration and consequent memory loss. 

Current detection methods generally detect the disease at a late stage. 

Making it possible to do this at earlier stages is the aim of the HERCULES project, winner of the human health prize, led by Ivone Martins from the Centre for Biological Engineering at the University of Minho (Portugal). The aim is to use phage-based technology to detect soluble Aβ in brain tissue – the culprit responsible for neuronal degeneration that begins to accumulate years before the first symptoms are detected – and to select soluble Aβ oligomers in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. 

Phages, used for over a century to fight bacterial infections, are safe for human applications and are widely used as delivery vehicles for specific therapies due to their ease of handling and versatility of manipulation. For these reasons, they are seen as one of the best options for application in this project. 

Vaccination against ticks 

The project selected as the winner in the animal health category has the challenge of preventing one of the problems that most affects livestock, tick infestation, a problem that has to be tackled by livestock farmers, since it affects around 80 per cent of livestock at some point in their lives. 

The routine method for combating ticks is treatment with chemical acaricides, with the consequent problem of the appearance of resistant strains and negative effects on the environment. Faced with this problem, the group led by José de la Fuente, from the SaBio group at the Institute for Research into Game Resources, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), proposes to develop two vaccines against ticks based on the manufacture of the r8m86 antigen produced in yeasts. One of the vaccines would consist of an oily emulsion that incorporates the antigen, and the other vaccine would consist of a polycrystalline emulsion (9 valences) into which the tick antigen is incorporated. 

Specialists in biotechnology and health 

The jury responsible for analysing the different projects is made up of renowned personalities in the fields of biotechnology and health. In the animal health category, the scientific committee is made up of: Juan José Badiola Díez, professor of animal health and director of the Centre for Encephalopathies and Emerging Transmissible Diseases at the University of Zaragoza; María Jaureguízar Redondo, general director of the Vet+i Foundation – Spanish Technological Platform for Animal Health; Juan Carlos Castillejo, former general director of Zoetis and MSD. 

In the human health category, the jury is made up of Carlos Martín Montañés, professor of Microbiology, Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Zaragoza; Miguel Ángel Llamas, PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, CEO of Crazy Science & Business, associate professor at UCM and member of the board of directors of ConunicaBiotec; María Vallet-Regí, researcher and professor of Inorganic Chemistry and director of the Department of Inorganic and Bioinorganic Chemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Complutense University of Madrid; Pilar Domingo-Calap, director of the Environmental and Biomedical Virology Group and researcher at the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (University of Valencia-CSIC). 

In both categories, Grupo Zendal is represented by Esteban Rodríguez, CEO of Biofabri (Zendal) and Andrés Fernández Álvarez-Santullano, CEO of Grupo Zendal.