Merck Serono Awards EUR1 Million to the Winners of the First Grant for Oncology Innovation

Darmstadt, Germany (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Global winners selected for their unique research projects that have the
potential to advance research for the personalized treatment of solid tumors
- Winners chosen by a Scientific Steering Committee comprising internationally
renowned oncologists and researchers

Merck Serono, the biopharmaceutical division of Merck, today
announced the winners of the first Grant for Oncology Innovation
(GOI), who will receive grants totaling EUR1 million. The 2014
winners were formally announced at an awards ceremony coinciding with
the annual meeting of the European Society for Medical Oncology
(ESMO) 2014 in Madrid, Spain.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140927/708704 )

Launched in September 2013 at the European Cancer Congress
(ECCO-ESMO-ESTRO) 2013 in Amsterdam, the GOI aims to support
researchers who are leading innovative projects that have the
potential to advance research for the personalized treatment of solid
tumors.

Areas of interest for the GOI are:

- Access to personalized treatment/care for patients
- Innovative research with clinical relevance and benefits for patients
- Solid tumor malignancies

The international Scientific Steering Committee of leading
oncologists and researchers selected the following winners:

Dr Clara Montagut, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain; for
proposed research on Ultra-selection and molecular monitoring of CRC
patients treated with anti-EGFR therapy using NGS platforms and
serial liquid biopsies

Dr Stefan Sleijfer, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Rotterdam,
Netherlands; for proposed research on Non-invasive monitoring of
breast cancer therapy using cell-free tumor DNA in blood

Dr Ulrich Güller, Cantonal Hospital, St. Gallen, Switzerland; for
the proposed project entitled: Prospective, double-blinded,
placebo-controlled, phase III randomized trial of adjuvant aspirin
treatment in PIK3CA mutated colon cancer patients

"I would like to congratulate the winners and their teams for the
quality of their proposed research projects. In the last decade
alone, innovative research in oncology has made a number of
ground-breaking discoveries leading to a better understanding of
individual tumor biology that has allowed for a personalized approach
to patient care," said Belen Garijo, President and CEO, Merck Serono.
"We hope that this first Grant for Oncology Innovation will help
enable further pioneering research into the personalized treatment of
cancer that may ultimately lead to improved clinical outcomes for
patients."

The Merck Serono Grant for Oncology Innovation builds on the
success of the Grant for Fertility Innovation (GFI), the Grant for
Multiple Sclerosis Innovation (GMSI) and the Grant for Growth
Innovation (GGI), which between them have awarded grants totaling
over EUR10 million to research projects since 2010.

For more information on GOI and details of how to apply of the
2015 award, please visit:

http://www.grantforoncologyinnovation.org

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the biopharmaceutical division of Merck. With
headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, Merck Serono offers leading
brands in 150 countries to help patients with cancer, multiple
sclerosis, infertility, endocrine and metabolic disorders as well as
cardiovascular diseases. In the United States and Canada, EMD Serono
operates as a separately incorporated subsidiary of Merck Serono.

Merck Serono discovers, develops, manufactures and markets
prescription medicines of both chemical and biological origin in
specialist indications. We have an enduring commitment to deliver
novel therapies in our core focus areas of neurology, oncology,
immuno-oncology and immunology.

For more information, please visit http://www.merckserono.com.

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Merck is a leading company for innovative and top-quality
high-tech products in the pharmaceutical and chemical sectors. With
its four divisions Merck Serono, Consumer Health, Performance
Materials and Merck Millipore, Merck generated total revenues of EUR
11.1 billion in 2013. Around 39,000 Merck employees work in 66
countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to further the
success of our customers and to help meet global challenges.

Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company -
since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success
and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70%
interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the
company to this day.

Merck, Darmstadt, Germany is holding the global rights to the
Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United
States, where the company is known as EMD.

Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140927/708704

ots Originaltext: Merck Serono GmbH
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Contact:
Cornelia Bartels, Phone +49-6151-72-3890