Euro Biotechnology

At the end of the 19^th century, the German scientist Paul Ehrlich began to realize that certain chemicals could have highly specific effects on certain diseases. He began to write about the possibility that a drug could act like a magische kugel-magic bullet-that killed only the organism causing disease, and nothing else.

Today, scientists are amassing a new arsenal of magic bullets, and new companies are proliferating to carry them forward in the war against cancer and a host of other diseases and disorders.

Advances in cell replacement therapy, for example, are making it possible for scientists to… Read more »

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[Source: Research & Innovation] European Energy Research Alliance will be celebrating its 10th anniversary with a high-level policy event addressing key factors for the future of the energy community in Europe and highlighting EERA´s contribution as a key pillar of the EU Strategic Energy Technology (SET)-Plan.
How should the energy research community, governments, industry and other stakeholders coordinate to contribute to the SET-Plan Implementation Plans? How can the Implementation Plans be integrated in the transition from H2020 to the next EU Framework Programme for Research & Innovation? What are the megatrends in energy transition and how can different technologies and disciplines come together to contribute shaping a sustainable energy future?
Join EERA members and representatives from EU institutions, Member States, research, industry and other stakeholders to discuss these topics.
More information about the event and registration

“…we not only received important and relevant feedback about our presentation and technologies, we also received solicitations from angel investors…”

The success of the Start-up Stadium, now in its fourth year at the BIO International Convention, is reflected in the increased demand for participation and the number of finalists approved to participate. Designed to provide a forum for a select group of early stage biotech companies-vetted and approved by subject matter experts-to engage with key stakeholders at the beginning of their life-cycle, the popular venue has grown from 30 to 50 participants. There will be a total of six sessions over the four days of the conference and each session will have a winner.

Participants from nine countries and 15 states will engage in an interactive experience before seasoned judges from investment, venture philanthropy, economic development, academia and industry sectors.

Early stage biotech companies face many uphill challenges, not the least of which is where to find the right partners to help turn their promising technology into viable, commercial products. Several years ago, BIO created the Start-up Stadium at the BIO International Convention-the largest annual global gathering of biotechnology professionals.

Much like a reality TV show competition, the event creates a dynamic interplay between the contestants and judges. After delivering a six-minute pitch, the early-stage company receives feedback in real time from hand-picked judges and often continues the relationship beyond the initial meeting at the Convention. In the end, six winners are chosen from among the more than 40 finalists. Most of the start-ups find the experience to be beneficial and a few have agreed to share their stories with us.

This is the third in a series of blogs that highlight Start-up Stadium success stories.

Craig Arnold, President and CEO of Nanopareil LLC

Today we talked with 2017 participant, Craig Arnold, President and CEO of Nanopareil LLC about his Start-up Stadium experience.

BIOtechNOW (BTN): Can you tell us about your start-up?

Nanopareil LLC is a South Dakota based start-up that produces nanofiber membranes for membrane chromatography and other bioseparation/purifications.  The company was founded by two professors, Drs. Todd Menkhaus and Hao Fong on the South Dakota School of Mines Campus.

BTN: Was the Start-Up Stadium platform able to assist you in gaining visibility?

Start-up Stadium proved to be a great venue to introduce our membrane technology to the bio industry for the first time. Immediately following our presentation, we not only received important and relevant feedback about our presentation and technologies, we also received solicitations from angel investors.

BTN: Did you receive constructive live feedback at the Start-Up Stadium from stakeholders and subject matter experts?

The constructive feedback that we received after our Start-up Stadium presentation provided us with immediate reaction and feedback from the subject matter experts that we could not get anywhere else.  Their feedback helped us hone in on our technical presentation as well as our features and benefits.

BTN: How have you implemented any feedback to achieve success and continued growth?

Absolutely, we walked off the stage and immediately began to integrate the feedback we received into our presentation that we used in our One-on-One Partnering meetings. 

BTN: Were your BIO One-on-One Partnering™ meetings successful? Did they generate valuable connections with potential for meaningful partnerships?

Our credibility shot up with our Start-up Stadium presentation and was significantly enhanced with our 1^st place win of Buzz of Bio. Our unknown South Dakota start-up was able to secure more than 20 meetings with top tier biopharma and bioprocessing technology companies from around the world.  The valuable connections we made within the industry began at BIO 2017 and continue to this day.  We continue to have on-going discussions, evaluations and negotiations with multiple companies that understand that membrane chromatography a key component to low-cost, small footprint, highly efficient analysis and bioproduction.

BTN: Although no longer eligible to participate in the Start-Up Stadium, will you be returning the 2018 BIO International Convention in Boston?

The good news is that BIO 2017 was very successful for us and we are well on our way to the commercialization of our membrane chromatography products. As much as we would like to participate in BIO 2018, we are all hands on deck trying to keep up with all of our engagements and business development activities as well as the production of our membranes.  Please save a spot for us in BIO 2019!

Credit Suisse Group set a $106.00 price objective on Puma Biotechnology (NASDAQ:PBYI) in a research report report published on Thursday, April …

Information technology plays an important role in reducing the distance … China and Pakistan have signed an Economic and Technical Cooperation … as well as pledged to “China-Pakistan Joint Cotton Bio–Tech Laboratory” as part …

Amedica (NASDAQ: AMDA) and Cellect Biotechnology (NASDAQ:APOP) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better investment?

Inozyme Pharma has appointed David Thomson to serve as senior vice president and chief scientific officer. Before joining Cambridge, MA-based Inozyme, Thompson was most recently president of Azure Biotech. His experience also includes positions at Alexion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ALXN), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), and Merck Research Labs. Inozyme is preparing to start clinical trials for lead drug INZ-701, a treatment for two rare infant disorders: generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI) and autosomal recessive hypophosphatemic rickets type 2 (ARHR2). In 2017, Inozyme raised $49 million to finance research for its drug.

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Cytokine therapies for cancer aren’t new but they are attracting renewed interest. Some pharmaceutical companies see drug combinations using cytokines as a way to broaden the reach of immunotherapy, which still doesn’t work for the majority of cancer patients.

This week, Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) showed how much it believes in cytokines. The Indianapolis drug maker reached a deal to acquire Armo BioSciences and its pipeline of cytokine therapies for $1.6 billion in cash. The bid follows other moves by venture capitalists and drugmakers to invest in cytokine cancer drugs, perhaps most notably Bristol-Myers Squibb’s decision to shell out $1.85… Read more »

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Mother’s Day couldn’t be during a better time of year. The threat of snow is no longer, giving way to vibrant colors and fragrances stemming (pun intended) from revitalized plant life. Flowers are ripe for harvesting, making the perfect gift for moms around the world. In fact, next to Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day is one of the most popular holidays to gift flowers.

We’ve covered how biotechnology, specifically genetic modification and gene editing, can enhance plants for human or animal consumption, but many probably don’t realize the role biotechnology can play in making sure we have plenty varieties of blooms for Mother’s Day arrangements.

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) has a page for the many ways biotechnology can improve some of the most popular ornamental flowers, including how some of the more popular flowers have been, or will be, enhanced through genetic modification. Whether it be for color, fragrance or plant architecture, biotechnology plays a key role in making sure we can grow flowers that any mother would love.

Carnation

To date, the “Moon” series from Suntory Limited and Florigene Pty Ltd are the only GM ornamental products commercialized on a significant scale. The Moon series carnations, containing various flower colors, have been commercially available in Australia, European Union, Japan and USA since the late 1990s while Colombia approved them in the early 2000s. In recent years, four new carnations were added to the “Moon” series namely: Moonpearl (lavender), Moonique (purple), Moonberry (light purple) and Moonvelvet (dark purple) carnations. These four recent events have been approved for commercial use in Malaysia in 2012. Carnations with longer vase life have been developed, but were not commercialized.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum is one of the most important ornamental plants in the world. Like rose and carnation, molecular breeding for the blue chrysanthemum is on-going. Then again, molecular technology has been widely used to improve other aspects of chrysanthemum. These include insect resistance, flower color modifications, abiotic stress resistance, pollination control and altered plant architectures achieved through various transformations techniques. Currently, there are no GM chrysanthemums commercially available yet.

Roses

The most popular transgenic today is the blue rose. This transgenic rose contains three-genes: a synthetic RNA interference gene to shut off the DFR gene, a delphinidin gene from blue pansy, and another DFR gene from iris that had an affinity for producing delphinidin. Although the resulting rose is more lavender than blue, Suntory released the blue rose “APPLAUSE” in Tokyo, Japan in 2009. In November 2011, Suntory introduced the blue rose in North America.

Researchers in Suntory are now considering different approaches, including other bluing factors, for the development of a true blue rose. Fragrance is also a trait being researched on since most of the rose cultivars that came from Hybrid Tea roses have inadvertently lost their fragrance due to the selection, being more focused on vase life and flower form.

Petunia

Currently, the Petunia-CHS, an event with an altered flower color developed by Beijing University, is the lone petunia event commercially available. Ornamental Biosciences in Germany is now focusing on improved abiotic stress resistance, specifically frost tolerance. This would increase the range of environments in which this bedding plant could be grown.

Read the full piece to discover other ways biotechnology is improving ornamental plants, including a comprehensive table of the genes used in GM flowers and their resulting traits.

Jose Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos has stepped down as president and CEO of Synlogic (NASDAQ: SYBX). The Cambridge, MA, synthetic biology company gave no reason for his resignation, which includes his seat on the board of directors. But Synlogic said in a news release that Gutierrez-Ramos will “serve in an advisory capacity as needed.” Aoife Brennan, Synlogic’s chief medical officer, has been appointed interim CEO while the company searches for a permanent successor. Synlogic, which became a public company last year through a reverse merger, engineers microbes to treat disease.

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