Mario van der Stelt and Annelot van Esbroeck win awards at international conference in Canada
Mario van der Stelt (Head of the department of Molecular Physiology at the Leiden Institute of Chemistry) has received the Young Investigator Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society during the annual meeting of the society in Montreal, Canada. The Young Investigator Award was given to Van der Stelt for his dedication to endocannabinoid research, his contribution to the society and the development of a cohesive research program of excellence in the field.
Award for best oral presentation
At the same meeting, Annelot van Esbroeck, a PhD-student in the group of Van der Stelt, received an award for the best oral presentation. Annelot presented her work on “Activity-based protein profiling reveals off-target proteins of the FAAH inhibitor BIA 10-2474”.
Van Esbroeck, together with Anthe Janssen and other colleagues, discovered the off-target proteins of the fatal FAAH inhibitor BIA 10-2474, thereby providing a potential explanation for the severe side effects observed in a phase I clinical trial in France last year. The work was published in Science on June, 9th 2017.
About the ICRS
The International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS) is a professional society for scientific research in all fields of the cannabinoids. The ICRS was formally incorporated as a scientific research society in 1992. Membership in the Society has risen from 50 original members in its first year to over 500 members from all over the world. The society holds an annual meeting, which generally alternates between North America and Europe. It has been announced that the 28th ICRS conference will be held in Leiden in 2018.