BRUSSELS, October 2 /PRNewswire/ --

- Twelve Winners From Across Europe Awarded Research Funding

- With Photo

Twelve winners from across Europe have today been announced as the recipients of the 2008 EURO-NOTES Foundation Research Grant totalling EUR357,000, which will be divided amongst all of the winners. The aim of the unrestricted grant is to support fundamental research on emerging Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) and has been made possible by support from Ethicon Endo-Surgery.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081002/323296 )

The awards were presented at the second EURO-NOTES workshop in Brussels, attended by gastroenterologists and surgeons throughout the region to discuss and debate the development and practice of NOTES.

Paul Fockens, Professor of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy at the University of Amsterdam and Chairman of the EURO-NOTES Foundation Committee sums up the importance of investing in NOTES research: "EURO-NOTES believes that encouraging research into NOTES is critical, as it is still a developing field and further investigation is needed to understand the full implications and opportunities for the patient. Thanks to the support of partners like Ethicon Endo-Surgery, we can continue building our knowledge in this exciting area of surgery."

About NOTES

Refinements in minimally invasive surgery have progressed to the point that even complex surgical procedures can be preformed in a minimally invasive fashion. These developments have set the stage for the development of even less invasive methods such as Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES). NOTES is a surgical technique in which abdominal operations are performed by passing a flexible endoscope through natural orifices such as the mouth, vagina or anus and then through an internal incision e.g. in the stomach or colon. NOTES is a new type of surgical procedure and is based on the concept of expanding potential benefits of less invasive surgery by minimizing physical discomfort associated with traditional procedures, avoiding visible scarring following surgery and reducing recovery time.

About the EURO-NOTES Foundation

The European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) and the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) have combined forces to advance the research of Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES).

EAES and ESGE are actively promoting cooperation between minimally invasive surgeons and interventional gastroenterologists to explore not only the potential, but also the challenges and obstacles in this exciting new field. Additionally, at the EURO-NOTES 2008 Workshop participants from the biomedical industry, gastroenterologists, and surgeons met to look beyond existing horizons of this emerging technique.

For more information please refer to http://www.euro-notes.org.

About Ethicon Endo-Surgery

Ethicon Endo-Surgery, a Johnson & Johnson company, develops and markets advanced medical devices for minimally invasive and open surgical procedures, focusing on procedure-enabling devices for the interventional diagnosis and treatment of conditions in general and bariatric surgery, as well as gastrointestinal health, gynecology and surgical oncology.

Note to Editors:

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Contacts: Ria Palmen, EAES Executive Director T: +31-40-2525288 E: ria.palmen@eaes-eur.org

Contacts: Ria Palmen, EAES Executive Director, T: +31-40-2525288, E: ria.palmen@eaes-eur.org