Co-Founder of La Jolla-Based Biopharma Firm to Receive International Technical, Scientific Award

The co-founder of a La Jolla-based biopharmaceutical company will receive the 2014 Prince of Asturias Award of Technical and Scientific Research, it was announced today.

Mark Davis of Avidity NanoMedicines LLC will receive the award at an academic ceremony in October in Oviedo, Spain, according to a company statement.

At Avidity NanoMedicines, Davis works on the targeted delivery of nucleic acid-based medicines. He is also the Warren and Katharine Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering at Caltech in Pasadena.

The Asturias Prize represents the highest scientific recognition in Spain and one of the most prestigious scientific honors in Europe.

"Mark Davis is an exceptional scientist and has made many pioneering contributions to the discovery and development of new materials for applications in catalysis, energy and medicine," said Troy Wilson, president and chief executive officer of Avidity NanoMedicines.

"On behalf of everyone at Avidity, we are honored to be working with him on the development of targeted, polymeric nanoparticles as a new class of medicines, and we congratulate him on this well-deserved honor."

—City News Service