ITALIAN physician Prof Massimo Martelli bags Mechtild Harf Science Award
Martelli is the 20th recipient of the annual €10,000 prize, which recognises the outstanding scientific work of internationally renowned physicians
DKMS Stiftung Leben Spenden (DKMS Foundation for Giving Life) has honoured Professor Massimo Fabrizio Martelli’s for his achievements in haematology and haploidentical stem cell transplantation with the Mechtild Harf Science Award 2021. The Italian physician has made seminal contributions to the treatment of patients with high-risk acute leukaemia. Martelli is the 20th recipient of the annual €10,000 prize, which recognises the outstanding scientific work of internationally renowned physicians in the field of stem cell donation and transplantation.
Innovative scientific research is a key factor in helping to understand blood cancer treatment and to improve the situation for patients. “It is a great pleasure for us to honour Martelli’s exceptional achievements. He is a visionary pioneer in haploidentical stem cell transplantation for patients with high-risk acute leukaemia. His work on approaches to reduce the risk of graft-versus-host disease while preserving graft-versus-leukaemia effects has been enormously fruitful for the development of medical science in this field,” said Professor Thomas Klingebiel, Chairman of the DKMS Medical Council, at the virtual Mechtild Harf Science Award ceremony on March 15, 2021.
Martelli is a well-known and appreciated specialist in haematology. His multifaceted research activities led to groundbreaking discoveries that profoundly influenced clinical practice and have been translated into clinical success. Martelli facilitated successful stem cell transplantations for high-risk patients with acute leukaemia without compatible donors and conducted the first successful clinical trial on haploidentical stem cell transplantation in 1993, and to this day his research has had a great impact on the lives of patients with blood cancer. During his long career, he has published more than 350 articles in international medical journals and received several prestigious scientific awards.
Martelli has been a professor at the University of Perugia and Head of the Department of Oncology and Hematology. During his 30 years at the university, together with a group of brilliant young scientists, Martelli established a department that achieved excellence in research and clinical care. Under his direction, the Hematology Department has provided top-level care for patients from diagnosis to treatment, educated many renowned haematologists and made seminal contributions to medical science.
Since 2011, the eminent physician has been an Emeritus Professor at the University of Perugia. “I am sincerely honoured by this recognition of my lifelong work, which has been so rewarding in and of itself. Being selected to receive the Mechtild Harf Science Award 2021 took me completely by surprise. It is with deep gratitude that I accept this prestigious honour and I am overwhelmed to follow in the illustrious footsteps of previous award winners,” said Martelli.
“As a leading organisation in the fight against blood cancer, we are highly committed, at the medical and scientific level, to saving as many patients’ lives as possible. New and innovative approaches help to increase the chances of success,” Klingebiel added.
The award is named after Mechtild Harf, mother of two, who lost her battle with leukaemia in 1991. Her husband, Peter Harf, founded DKMS that same year, and the organisation has since grown to become the world’s largest network of donor centres.
