Today, Prince Joachim attended the inauguration of the LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences of the University of Copenhagen.
The new research center aims to bring together international specialists in basic immunology to focus on research and education in skin diseases. Their research will help develop therapeutic principles to strengthen the immune system’s fight against skin diseases. The center also aims to promote education in higher sciences and to establish a close collaboration between universities and hospitals.
The Minister for Higher Education and Science, Tommy Ahlers said: “With this center, we will get a beacon for research in skin disease. It is excellent news for Denmark and for the many people around the world who are suffering from skin diseases like psoriasis and eczema. The center is a great example of how collaboration between universities and private foundations can strengthen basic research and lead to great research breakthroughs in the future.”
The research center will benefit from a 400 million DKK (=$60 779 021) grant from the LEO Foundation over the next ten years that will help the center reach its goals. The LEO Foundation is one of Denmark’s largest commercial foundations which aims to ensure the long-term independence and success of LEO Pharma and to support “the best dermatology research worldwide and make Denmark a global beacon for skin research.”
In its press release for the event, the LEO Foundation insisted on the fact that at any point in time one in every four persons will suffer from a skin disease. Jesper Mailind, the CEO of the LEO Foundation said: ”Most skin diseases arise because of failure in our immune systems. The immune system attacks our organism instead of protecting it. By combining research into the skin and the immune system, the LEO Foundation hopes to support world-class research at the University of Copenhagen. The aim of the new center is to increase our understanding of skin conditions and so enable us in the future to find better ways of treating and completely curing them.”
Before the official opening, a symposium on the skin and skin diseases during which international experts shared their researches. Afterward, Prince Joachim, as Patron of the Asthma Allergy Foundation, and the Minister for Higher Education and Science officially opened the center. They had the opportunity to visit the laboratories and the facility and Prince Joachim made a speech.
Princess Marie's Closet 