• The event, presided over by the Regional Minister of Health, Antonio Gómez, and the CEO of the biotechnology group, Andrés Fernández, featured Dr. Ana Fernández-Sesma, scientist at Mount Sinai (New York), who received a tribute award for her scientific career, and the teams behind the winning projects in Human and Animal Health, María Mayán and Alejandro Brun.
• Three leading voices —Juan José Badiola, César de la Fuente, and Suzanne Kerba— delivered keynote talks on health, innovation, and scientific trust.

O Porriño, November 11, 2025. – The AFundación auditorium in Vigo hosted this evening the sixth edition of the Zendal International Awards, which received a total of 170 submissions from eight countries. The ceremony, chaired by the Regional Minister of Health, Antonio Gómez, and Zendal Group’s CEO, Andrés Fernández, honored the winners of this year’s edition.

A project on triple-negative breast cancer and research focused on developing a vaccine against Rift Valley Fever were named the winners of the 2025 Zendal Awards.

In the Human Health category, the award went to the CellCOM group at CINBIO (University of Vigo), led by María Mayán, for research on triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease, with very limited treatment options today.

In the Animal Health category, the award was granted to Alejandro Brun, researcher at the Animal Health Research Center (CISA–INIA), for the development of a vaccine against Rift Valley Fever, an emerging zoonotic disease with major implications for both animal health and public health.

One of the most emotional moments of the gala was the tribute to Dr. Ana Fernández-Sesma, Director of the Department of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, recognized for her outstanding international career in virology and immunology. Fernández-Sesma expressed her gratitude for an honor “that excites me deeply, because it recognizes not only my work but also the collective effort of my team and of the many collaborators, in Spain and abroad, who make our scientific progress possible.”

As Andrés Fernández, CEO of Zendal Group, stated, “Science not only discovers but also anticipates, protects, and improves life. At Zendal, it is both our vocation and our responsibility to give visibility to those who research, innovate, and open new paths — from the laboratory to the clinic, from hospitals to farms, and even to the field — because in our global world, connectivity is not only digital.”

For her part, María Mayán, head of the winning project in Human Health, explained that her research group has developed an innovative mRNA-based therapy, protected by three international patents, to improve treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive subtype with limited therapeutic options. “We’ve achieved an encouraging breakthrough; this technology could also be applied to other tumors such as melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, and certain breast cancer subtypes.”

The Animal Health award recognized a project aimed at developing a personalized vaccine for Rift Valley Fever, a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease affecting several countries in East and West Africa. According to researcher Alejandro Brun, “We use an innovative technology called quantum vaccinology, which allows us to identify antigens and protective epitopes, combine them, and thereby further improve vaccine efficacy.”

The ceremony also highlighted the need to continue advancing research into global health threats through three outstanding keynote lectures offering complementary perspectives on today’s most pressing health challenges.

Dr. Juan José Badiola, a leading authority in animal health and emerging diseases, emphasized the importance of prevention and epidemiological surveillance.
Professor César de la Fuente, a Galician researcher and global leader in biotechnology and artificial intelligence applied to antimicrobial resistance, discussed innovation as a driver of change.
And Suzane Kerba, WHO advisor in communication and public health, reflected on trust as an essential tool to strengthen collaboration between human, animal, and environmental health.