Bayer: Science For A Better Life - research

International Aspirin® Award 2004

Old faithful blazes new trails

Honored: Dr. Leon Iri Kupferwasser and Dr. Nina Grosser received the 2004 International Aspirin® Award in recognition of their work into acetylsalicylic acid.

Headache? Fever? Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA for short), the active ingredient in Aspirin®, has been helping to relieve pain and inflammation and prevent myocardial infarction for more than 100 years. The International Aspirin® Award is sponsored by Bayer to encourage upcoming young scientists to direct their scientific creativity towards studying new uses for ASA. This year, the award went to two scientists, Dr. Nina Großer and Dr. Leon Iri Kupferwasser, in recognition of their outstanding work.

Effects on blood-vessel cells and against staphylococci

Dr. Nina Großer, a pharmacist working in the Department of Pharmacy at Halle-Wittenberg University, elucidated a biochemical pathway which the active ingredient in Aspirin® uses to make a major contribution to preventing vascular damage. Dr. Leon Iri Kupferberg from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, USA, discovered the potential of Aspirin® to reduce the aggressiveness of Staphylococcus aureus. This pathogen can cause wound and heart valve infections, sepsis and pneumonia. Read the following article (PDF file) to find out how acetylsalicylic acid can help in preventive medicine and in controlling this dangerous bacterium.