Professeur Rampal and Riccardo Braglia with Aurore Dumond PhD candidate standing in the behind with Helsinn and CSM teams. Photo: Claudia Albuquerque
Helsinn International Services, a subsidiary in Monaco of the Swiss pharmaceutical group specialising in the manufacture of products for the treatment of cancer, and the Monaco Scientific Centre (MSC) have signed a collaborative agreement to support a research project to develop pharmacological inhibitors of the most common form of kidney cancer: renal clear cell carcinoma (ccRCC).
The project aims to develop new treatments for metastatic kidney cancer that remains incurable despite remarkable advances of recent years.
Every year around the world, ccRCC is diagnosed in more than 200,000 patients and the number of affected patients continues to increase. The current survival rate for stage IV patients at five years is only 10 to 20 percent. Although the treatment of ccRCC in the last decade has shifted from an immunological approach to a tumour blood vessel-destroying approach (anti-angiogenic) or targeted therapeutic approach, renal disease remains incurable as long as it is metastatic.
This project will be developed by a doctoral student, Aurore Dumond, under the supervision of Dr Renaud Grépin and Dr Gilles Pagès. The title of the project is: “Relevance of targeting Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) and Neuropilin-2 (NRP-2) and their respective ligands, the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (VEGF-A) and the Lymphatic endothelium (VEGF-C) in the metastatic ccRCC.”
Helsinn will sponsor Ms Dumond’s thesis over the next three years.
“We are very pleased to have concluded this partnership with Helsinn, as this allows us to develop new research on this increasingly common form of cancer worldwide,” said Professor Rampal, CSM President.
Riccardo Braglia, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Helsinn Group, a privately owned pharmaceutical group with a broad portfolio of marketed cancer care products as well as others under development, added: “The Principality of Monaco is becoming a hub in technological innovations, including the life sciences, and we are happy to support this view.
“Clear cells is the most common form of kidney cancer and we are excited about the prospects this project could bring to patients. ”
At the end of March Helsinn will be sponsoring a Patient Entrepreneur in Oncology award. The event will take place at the Monte-Carlo Bay hotel and 10 cancer patient entrepreneurs will compete for the monetary award to help grow their business.
Monaco-based Scorpio Bulkers, the dry-bulk shipping company, issued a market update on Tuesday, January 30, in which it said that for the first time since 2014 dry bulk ton-mile demand growth, at 5.3 percent, outpaced fleet supply growth.
With the advent of new sulphur emission regulations in 2020, modern fuel efficient ships have a competitive advantage over older tonnage through lower fuel consumption. “ECO Ships make a difference,” Scorpio commented.
Scorpio Bulkers has the youngest ECO dry bulk fleet and fuel efficient vessels ready for the new sulphur and ballast water treatment regulations, the company said.
During the last 12 months asset values have increased and resale values now exceed new building values, supporting market expectations of continued recovery.
Scorpio Bulkers Inc. owns 56 mid-size dry bulk “ECO” vessels with an average age of two years and time charters in one vessel. The company is headquartered in Monaco, incorporated in the Marshall Islands, exempt from US income tax, has NYSE-compliant governance and transparency for foreign private issuers and is listed under the ticker “SALT”.
HE Walter Grahammer, Ambassador of the Republic of Austria; HE Martine Schommer, Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg; Gilles Tonelli Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation; HE Brendan Berne, Ambassador of Australia and HE Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Ambassador of the Republic of India. Photo: Manuel Vitali/DC
Gilles Tonelli, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, received four new ambassadors at a luncheon at the Hermitage Hotel on Monday, January 29.
The four diplomats, HE Walter Grahammer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria ; HE Brendan Berne, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Australia; HE Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India and HE Martine Schommer, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, had presented their credentials to the Sovereign Prince in the morning.
Mr Grahammer joined the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in 1990, becoming Director, then Deputy Chief of Staff to the Federal Minister. In 2004, he was appointed Deputy Permanent Representative to the Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union. In 2010, he took up the post of Director General at the Federal Ministry of Foreign and International Affairs.
A trained economist, Mr Bern joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2000, where he held the post of Director of the Commercial Finance Section and then Deputy Director General of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Section. In March 2015, he was promoted Ambassador for Economic Cooperation in Asia-Pacific and First Deputy Director General in the Directorate of Business Investments and Economic Diplomacy. He then became Chief of Staff to the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Investment.
Mr Kwatra joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988. He was appointed Consul in Karachi in 1993, and then in Durban in 1994. He then served as a delegate, successively, to the SAARC Secretariat, to the Policy. Planning and Research in New Delhi and then to the Office of the Prime Minister.
After a degree in the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, where she later occupied the posts of Director of Political Affairs and Director of Development Cooperation, Ms Schommer was in turn, Diplomatic Advisor to the Prime Minister, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Luxembourg to the European Union in Brussels, Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany and Non-Resident Ambassador for the Republic of Mali, Niger, Senegal and Burkina Faso.
JCI 2018 President Olena Prykhodko with Olivier Mura, 2017 President. Photo: Flickr JCE Monaco
Olena Prykhodko was installed as the 55th President of Monaco’s Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCI) on Tuesday, January 23, during a ceremony at La Marée. She succeeds Olivier Mura and is the youngest president to be elected.
She was introduced to JCI in 2015, through Jean-Luc Meoli, who was a very active member of JCE Monaco, unfortunately now deceased. Various assignments were then entrusted to her in the organisation of the Start-Up Weekend and, in 2017, she was appointed Vice-President of the training programme.
Both Olena and Olivier took the opportunity last week to pay tribute to their loved ones, present and absent, who continue to support them in their work for the Chamber and in their lives outside it.
No fewer than 80 people were present at the ceremony, which was followed by dinner.
Founders of Glam Monte Carlo, sisters Oleksandra Melanshenko and Anna Lunhu. Photo: Monaco Life
Anna Lunhu, Founder of Glam Monte Carlo
ML: Tell us about your background. AL: Originally from Ukraine, I earned a Business Law Degree in Germany and worked for nearly five years in the European financial markets as a Specialist for Settlements with Euroclear Bank.
After, I studied for my Masters in Finance for Wealth Management at the International University of Monaco, and worked for several private banks around Monaco before starting my business.
ML: Why did you move to Monaco? AL: When I first came to study in Monaco 7 years ago, I fell in love with the Côte d’Azur – the combination of Monaco’s style and luxury captivated me instantly.
The physical beauty of the Côte d’Azur is inspiring, and many movies with iconic stars such as Grace Kelly and Bridgitte Bardot have been set on her sun-kissed beaches and glittering turquoise seas.
For me, the mere mention of Monaco inspires images of luxury, glamour, excitement and endless possibilities. It’s a place that encourages you to live for the moment and embrace life to the fullest, as many of its residents and tourists do, all year round.
ML: Tell us about student life at the University of Monaco. AL: Student life in Monaco doesn’t compare to the average life of a student elsewhere around the world! You feel very privileged when your Welcome to IUM event is taking place on a Monaco beach and you can combine studying hard (which we did!) with the glamorous lifestyle of Cote d’Azur.
I was really glad to meet people from around the world and to spend amazing times with them!
ML: What attracted you to the beauty and wellbeing industry? How is it similar to banking and finance? AL: On the one hand, the beauty industry has nothing in common with the financial or banking sector. On the other hand, they both cater to the same exclusive clientele and require a very high level of service. We always try to provide the best service and to be ahead of the competition.
Photo: Monaco Life
ML: Why did you decide to start your own business at the age of 36? AL: At one point, I just became inspired to create my own concept as I couldn’t find what I was looking for in terms of treatments elsewhere.
I felt inspired to create and I wanted to capture the essence of the Cote d’Azur in a beauty salon, and the idea of Glam Monte Carlo was born: a unique place where you can experience the best in massage, body and facial services.
A place to disconnect from the outside world and nourish the body, mind and soul and most of all, to make you look and feel your glamorous best!
ML: What were some of the hurdles you faced in opening a business? AL: There were lots of hurdles before we opened our spa salon six months ago in July 2017. For example, the right location, the necessary renovation work and to obtain all the permissions, let alone to start from a client base of zero. It’s not an easy way, but our dedication to this project now drives the results, as well as 500 happy clients.
ML: There are several luxury spas in Monaco. What does Glam offer that’s unique and makes Monaco’s clientele different than other places? AL: There are indeed several luxury spas around Monaco, but we are not in competition with them. We consider ourselves more like a boutique spa and we pay a lot of attention to our services, while in some of the bigger places, like hotels, they know clients will come back anyway.
In our case we need to show that we can provide the best quality treatments – which includes luxury concierge service for yachts and private residences – to keep our clients coming back. We are a highly professional but small team, extremely motivated to make our clients happy.
Yes, customers in Monaco differ from other locations. Often they are familiar with the best treatments from around the world and they will not accept anything less. Our clients come from all over the world, with the main countries being France, Russia, Italy UK, and Germany. Between us, we speak 7 languages in the salon and we try to adapt to all services and needs. For example, for our Russian clientele, we’ve incorporated treatments for them like the Russian manicure and pedicure, which is much more elaborate.
Photo: Monaco Life
ML: Where do you like to shop in Monaco? Where’s your favourite place to meet for business? AL: To be honest, I don’t really have time to shop. That being said, I am a woman and like to look good. My favourite shop is Gucci, but I also shop at the Metropole shopping centre as well as Loona in Larvotto.
For business, I prefer to meet at the Metropole hotel, which has a calm and cosy ambiance.
ML: What’s the one device you can’t live without? AL: I can’t live without my phone, although sometimes I do phone detox!
ML: Advice for anyone starting a business in and around Monaco AL: There’s tons of potential around Monaco, so if you have a good business plan and motivation, go for it! However, you need first of all to calculate taxes and social charges, as these can be quite a shock.
Also it’s crucial to have the right team, especially in the service industry. I experienced many cases of people trying to “sell” me on their skills and they simply couldn’t deliver what they promised. Be aware that the majority of applicants tend to embellish on a CV.
I had several examples where people pretended they were experienced professionals and could provide certain spa treatments, but in the end I was doing everything myself.
Glam Monte Carlo, located at 10 Avenue Camille Blanc in Beausoleil, is open Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 7 pm. Article first published January 30, 2018.
Prince Albert took part in a series of bilateral meetings – as well as two sessions entitled “Hope for elephants” and “Taking action on the oceans” – during the World Economic Forum in Davos which ended on Friday.
Presided over by Klaus Schwab, the flagship event for globalisation, now in its 48th annual edition, was opened by India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and ran for three days from January 23, attracting 3,000 participants, 70 Heads of State or Government, in addition to 38 leaders of international organisations, including the UN, IMF, World Bank, WHO, WTO and ILO.
Prince Albert’s contributions were particularly relevant, since the Global Risk Perception Survey 2018 (GRPS) has identified the five most probable risks, are, in descending order: “Extreme climate events” at the top of the list; then “Natural disasters”; third “Cyber-attacks”; followed by “Data theft or fraud”; and in fifth place, “Failure of policies to combat climate change”.
Addressing assembled leaders during “Taking action on the oceans”, the Sovereign Prince told assembled leaders: “States have a greater responsibility. (…). Civil societies must also take on their responsibilities. NGOs must step up their efforts, as we do with my Foundation. And businesses, above all, should harness their resources and their capacity for innovation to support an economy capable of generating growth and profits without impoverishing the seas.”
