Align Technology Awards $310,000 as Part of Its University Research Award Program 2015 for Orthodontic Therapy and Intraoral Scanners

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwired - May 14, 2015) - Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGN) today announced awards totaling $310,000 in new funding to four universities in North America and eight international universities for projects seeking to better understand orthodontic treatment and use of intraoral scanners.

"The number of applications for the Research Award Program increased tremendously this year. The topics and quality of the proposals received from around the world are very impressive making the program even more competitive than in previous years. We eagerly await the results of the university research efforts funded by this program as we endeavor to advance the field of clinical orthodontics," said John Morton, Align Technology director, research and technology.

The North America research award recipients for 2015 are:

• Dr. Joel Gluck, Dr. Marion Messersmith, and Dr. Sonia Rahangdale at Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN), $25,000
• Dr. Phimon Atsawasuwan, Dr. Manika Agarwal, and Dr. Spiro J. Megremis at University of Illinois at Chicago (Chicago, IL.), $25,000
• Dr. Carlos Flores-Mir, Dr. Camila Pacheco-Pereira, and Dr. Terry Carlyle at University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB), $25,000
• Dr. Miroslav Tolar, Dr. Robert Boyd, Dr. Mohammed Fallah, Dr. HeeSoo Oh, and Dr. Marie Tolarova at University of the Pacific (San Francisco, CA), $25,000

The International research award recipients for 2015 are:

• Dr. Ali Darendeliler and Dr. Alexandra K. Papadopoulou at University of Sydney (Sydney, Australia), $25,000
• Dr. Graciela J. Barreda, Dr. Elizabeth A. Dzierewianko, Dr. Karina A. Muñoz, and Dr. Gisela I. Piccoli at S.A.O. - U.C.E.S. (Buenos Aires, Argentina), $25,000
• Dr. Jana B. Chabke, Dr. Waddah Sabouni, and Dr. Philippe Chanavaz at Paris Decartes University (Paris, France), $25,000
• Dr. Isabelle Graf, Dr. Bert Braumann, Dr. Jorg Schwarze, Dr. Carolin Keller, Dr. Julia Supke, and Dr. Andreas Stippig at University of Cologne (Cologne, Germany), $25,000
• Dr. Bin Cai, Dr. Tingting Ai, Dr. Lixiang Mai, Dr. Xiaonan, and Dr. Lusai Xiang at Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China), $25,000
• Dr. Phanomporn Vanichanon, Dr. Supranee Vichiennet, and Dr. Thanaporn Sowithayasakui at Chulalongkorn Univeristy (Bangkok, Thailand), $25,000
• Dr. Wenli Lai, Dr. Hu Long, Dr. Renhuan Huang, Dr. Rui Xu, and Dr. Rui Zhao at Sichuan University (Chengdu, China)
• Dr. Mimi Yow, Dr. Linton J. Nash, and Dr. Jason C. Sheng at National University of Singapore (Singapore), $25,000

"As we further expand our growth in the international markets, especially in the APAC regions, more universities are now engaging in advanced research to further the capability of Invisalign treatment in all types of malocclusion and orthodontics. Align Technology is honored to be able to provide this funding to enable universities to better understand the issues involved in orthodontic treatment around the world today," said Dr. Mitra Derakhshan, Align Technology clinical international director.