VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Jun 11, 2013) - During the opening of the Personalized Medicine and Individualized Drug Delivery conference at the University of British Columbia today, the $50,000 Ronnie Miller Scholarship in Personalized Medicine was presented to a deserving student studying life sciences at the University. Mr. Ronnie Miller, past Chair of the Rx&D Board (2011) and President and CEO, Hoffmann-La Roche Limited, Dr. Roger Brownsey, Department Head, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Dr. Pieter Cullis, Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Mr. John Willow, Regional Director for British Columbia, Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) were on hand for the presentation.

"My colleagues and I in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Faculty of Medicine at UBC are extremely grateful to Rx&D and Hoffmann-La Roche for their wonderful act of generosity and foresight in making this donation. The support of young trainees is critical and yet remains a continuing challenge. Providing such support for one of our brightest young scientists will pay huge dividends in the future and is one of the best investments we can make," said Dr. Brownsey.

The Scholarship was awarded to Joslyn Quick, who is focusing her work on the treatment of advanced prostate cancer in the hopes that treatments eventually be tailored to a patient's own genetic profile.

The Ronnie Miller Scholarship in Personalized Medicine has been created in honour of Mr. Ronnie Miller, past Chair of the Rx&D Board (2011) and President & CEO, Hoffmann-La Roche Limited. It was awarded to a graduate student of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia, whose work will provide a significant contribution to the British Columbia Personalized Medicine Initiative (BCPMI). Rx&D and Hoffmann-La Roche Limited have each contributed $25,000, for a total of $50,000 over 5 years.

"I am very proud of this scholarship program, and am excited by what the next generation of scientists will do to further advance personalized healthcare," added Mr. Miller. "At Roche, personalized healthcare is about improving understanding of the disease and the patient to deliver precision medicine. It is about the right treatment at the right time for the right patient. To us, it means using the combined strength of our pharmaceutical and diagnostics arms to deliver better diagnosis, better treatments and, most importantly, better results."

About Rx&D

Rx&D is the association of leading research-based pharmaceutical companies dedicated to improving the health of Canadians through the discovery and development of new medicines and vaccines. Our community represents the men and women working for more than 50 member companies which invest more than $1 billion in research and development each year to fuel Canada's knowledge-based economy, contributing over $3 billion to the Canadian economy. Guided by our Code of Ethical Practices, our membership is committed to working in partnership with governments, healthcare professionals and stakeholders in a highly ethical manner.

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Scholarship in Personalized Medicine Awarded at the University of British Columbia

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