2023 Earl P. Benditt Award

The NAVBO Meritorious Awards Committee and NAVBO Council announced the selection of Miikka Vikkula (WEL Research Institute - UCLouvain) as the 2023 recipient of the Earl P. Benditt Award, in recognition of his numerous contributions to our understanding of the genetic basis of lymphatic and vascular anomalies.

Miikka Vikkula’s research has focused on discovery of the genetic characteristics that drive development of a variety of vascular anomalies, notably Lymphedema and certain cancers. Significant among discoveries in the Vikkula’s lab was the ground-breaking recognition in 2009 that more than 50% of sporadic human vascular malformations are associated with somatic mutations in the angiopoietin receptor TIE2. This finding has led to targeting the over-activated endothelial TIE2-PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling axis as a novel therapeutic strategy.

Reference: NAVBO Meritorious Awards