Professor Norman Maitland, founder and CSO of Pro-Cure Therapeutics Limited, has been awarded the second Dominique Chopin ESUR Distinguished Award in recognition of his research in the field of prostate cancer biology and contributions to European scientific networks. The award was presented on 22 June 2009 in Amsterdam at the ''Prostate Cancer Translational Research in Europe'' conference supported by the EAU Research Foundation, where he delivered the award lecture.

Professor Norman Maitland leads a team of cancer researchers based in the YCR Cancer Research Unit at the University of York funded by the independent medical research charity, Yorkshire Cancer Research. He founded Pro-Cure Therapeutics Limited (Pro-Cure) to identify and validate therapeutic targets on cancer stem cells as a basis for development of innovative therapeutics that will significantly improve the prognosis and outcome for prostate cancer patients. Pro-Cure recently established its first drug development programme with a monoclonal antibody therapeutic that can target prostate cancer stem cells and prevent their ability to establish new resistant tumours.

The object of the European Society for Urological Research is to promote scientific research in Urology. Researchers who have significantly advanced basic, translational or clinical urological research are honoured with the Dominique Chopin Award. The award, sponsored by Elli Lilly and Company, is named in Memory of the late Dominique Chopin, a leading exponent of translational research in Europe.

Mick McLean, Chief Executive at Pro-Cure, commented: ''We're delighted that Norman has received this highly prestigious award from the ESUR, in recognition of the leadership in translational research in prostate cancer that he and his teams have shown over the years. We're proud to work closely with him, and his team at the YCR Cancer Research Unit, as we develop new approaches to the treatment of prostate cancer''.

Yorkshire Cancer Research is an independent charity that funds world class research, principally in Yorkshire, into the causes and cures of cancer.