Download Report

BioRegions in Germany
Strong impulses for the national technological development
Imprint
Published by
Bundesministerium
für Bildung und Forschung /
Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
Publications and Website Division
11055 Berlin
Orders
In writing to the publisher
Postfach 30 02 35
53182 Bonn
Or by
Phone: +49 (0) 1805 - 262 302
Fax: +49 (0) 1805 - 262 303
(0.12 Euro/min.)
E-Mail: [email protected]
Internet: http://www.bmbf.de
Contributions
The Bioregions and companies are
responsible for the texts of their
contributions. If not stated otherwise
they also hold the copyrights of the
photographs and graphics therein.
Photograph on cover: Getty Images
Printed by
Druckerei DruckVogt GmbH
Berlin 2006
Printed on recycled paper
BioRegions in Germany
Strong impulses for the national technological development
2
CONTENTS
Contents
BioM BioTech-Region Munich – Bavaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03
BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg (Federal State Organisation) 48
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04
BioRegion Rhein-Neckar – Baden-Württemberg . . . . . . 50
BioRegions
BioRegioSTERN – Baden-Württemberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
BioNord – Bremen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07
BioRegion Ulm – Baden-Württemberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
Norgenta Life Science Nord (Federal State Organisation)
08
BioLago Konstanz – Baden-Württemberg . . . . . . . . . . . 56
BioInitiative Nord – Schleswig-Holstein. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
BioRegion Freiburg BioValley – Baden-Württemberg . . . 58
BioRegion Hamburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Company Proﬁles
BioRegioN – Lower-Saxony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Brain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
BioCon Valley – Mecklenburg-Vorpommern . . . . . . . . . 16
Cenix BioScience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
BioTop – Berlin/Brandenburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
DeveloGen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
BioMitteldeutschland – Saxony-Anhalt . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Direvo Biotech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
BioSaxony – Sachsen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Epigenomics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
BioRegio Jena – Thuringia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
euroderm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
LSA – North Rhine-Westphalia (Federal State Organisation) 26
Evotec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Biotech Region East Westphalia Lippe – NRW . . . . . . . . 28
GPC Biotech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
bioanalytik-muenster – NRW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Jerini. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Life Technologies Ruhr – NRW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
MediGene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
BioRiver – BioRegion Cologne/Düsseldorf – NRW. . . . . . 32
Micromet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BioRegion Meuse-Rhine-Triangle – NRW . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Miltenyi Biotec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
BioRegion Hesse (Federal State Organisation) . . . . . . . . 36
MorphoSys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Biotechnology Initiative Marburg – Hesse . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Paion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
BioRegion Frankfurt – Hesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Probiodrug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
NanoBioNet – Saarland/Rhineland-Palatinate . . . . . . . . 40
Qiagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Bayern Innovativ (Federal State Organisation) . . . . . . . . 41
Rentschler Biotechnology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
BioMedTec Franconia – Bavaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Sirs-Lab . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
BioPark Regensburg – Bavaria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Wilex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
71
3
FOREWORD
Foreword
BioRegions in Germany
Germany is an attractive location for science and industry
which has developed over centuries. The development of the
German biotech sector started slowly in the early 1990s, but
soon business start-up activities began to boom following the
amendment of the Genetic Engineering Act in 1993 and, above
all, as a result of the BioRegio Competition, which the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research launched in 1995. Special
biotech clusters have been emerging in the regions which participated in the BioRegio Competition. Not only the winners of
the competition but also other participating regions are establishing themselves in the biotech sector with very clear focuses.
Conditions for businesses in Germany are permanently
improving so that the number of biotech companies increased
more than threefold in the period 1996 to 2001. The initial
enthusiasm was followed by a phase of consolidation. But now
there are increasing signs that we will soon enter a new phase of
growth. Biotechnology has the potential to achieve an industrial breakthrough in the coming years and contribute substantially to economic development in Germany. Numerous biotech
firms are successfully defending their position in Germany so
that we now have the greatest number of biotech companies in
Europe.
Internationally trained scientists are engaged in high-level
research activities in all areas of the life sciences both at universities and at national research centres. Research has a long
tradition in Germany: Some German universities can look back
on more than 600 years of academic research. Many of today’s
innovative German biotech companies begin as spin-offs in the
productive environment of research centres.
Germany can hold and improve its lead in the biotech
sector even in a globalizing world. This is largely due to the
high level of training in Germany and people’s commitment as
well as the excellent infrastructure. German companies stand
for high quality, sustainability and innovation. This includes
biotechnology as a new sector of research and industry.
The German Federal Government will continue to provide
increasing support for biotechnology; it will overcome barriers
and promote an environment conducive to innovation within
the framework of its high-tech strategy for Germany. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research will be funding research
on the basis of competition and encourage the formation of
clusters in the research sector. Collaborations and alliances
between young and established companies, between research
centres and business enterprises are a special guarantee of success. Just as biotechnology links different research disciplines,
we must encourage links between centres of basic research and
industry. Biotechnology needs cooperation which provides for
a combination of the know-how and findings of different areas.
This offers an opportunity to achieve a certain critical mass of
related research institutions. The formation of clusters and networks is a major factor of regional economic development.
Germany’s bioregions are a success story. They have even
become a model for other countries: the scientific and economic structures which have grown over many years are being used
for promoting the dynamic development of a high-tech branch
of the third millennium. The bioregions are pushing ahead with
the industrial application of new research results – a busy and
dynamic scene which is characteristic of biotech activities in
Germany.
Dr. Annette Schavan
Minister of Education and Research
4
INTRODUCTION
BioRegions in Germany
Today, Germany is a modern base for biotechnology in Europe.
Following a rapid increase in the number of business start-ups
over the last few years, Germany is now ﬁrst place in the ﬁeld of
biotechnology.
Although this young branch began to encounter ﬁnancial
bottlenecks in 2003, the wave of business start-ups must not be
allowed to slow down. Know-how is continuing to force its way
into the field of applications. The young biotech companies now
require funding for the much longer-term phases of research
and development before they can make their first profits. In a
number of cases young companies need to focus more intensely
on their strengths when expanding further.
Novel products, processes and services
Support for entrepreneurs
side the health sector, e.g. plant biotechnology and nutrition.
Of the original 30 applicant regions from throughout Germany, 20 took part in the decisive selection round. In the course
of the selection procedure, the jury singled out three regions
which had the potential to develop considerable economic
strength in modern biotechnology applications which they
chose themselves. The winning regions were Potsdam/Berlin
with the profile “Nutrition related Diseases (Nutrigenomics)“,
Braunschweig/Göttingen/Hanover with the topic “Functional
Genomic Analysis“ and Stuttgart/Neckar-Alb (STERN Bioregion)
with a focus on “Regeneration Biology“. Together the bioregions of the BioProfile competition received BMBF project funding totalling 50 million euros.
Support for willing entrepreneurs and young biotechnology
companies during and following the foundation phase has
begun with a number of competitions initiated by the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), for example BioRegio, BioProﬁle and BioChancePLUS. The amendment to the Law
on Genetic Engineering in 1993 and the launching of various
competitions since the mid-90s have given lasting momentum to
the development of biotechnology in Germany.
Change in trend
The launching of the BMBF’s BioRegio competition in 1995 led to
the formation of national and cross-border economic areas, i.a.
bioregions in which integral concepts for biotechnological
research were developed and the results introduced on a commercial basis.
Scientific and economic potential were brought together,
long-term goals defined and practical strategies devised. The bioregions, which were selected by an independent international
jury, have succeeded to a considerable extent in combining a
sound scientific basis, favourable legal framework conditions
and an entrepreneurial spirit. The strengthening of the strong
in the international competition for economic development in
biotechnology has led to a change in trend and has made Germany a beacon site for genetic engineering and biotechnology.
The measures which have been introduced are attracting investors, accelerating licensing procedures for biotechnological
plants and their extensions, and kindling entrepreneurial spirit
in order to create jobs. Over a ﬁve-year period from 1997, the
model regions “Rhineland“, “Munich“ and “Heidelberg“, which
were selected from 17 applicants, and “Jena“, which received a
special award, received privileged access to special BMBF project
funding totalling 90 million euros. These “starting funds“
enabled the regions to attract considerably higher private and
public funding.
The “BioProﬁle“ competition, which was launched in November 1999 within the framework of the Federal Government’s
Biotechnology 2000 funding programme, built on the experience and results gained from the BioRegio competition.
“BioProﬁle“ was also targeted at those regions with excellent
conditions for translating biotechnological know-how into
new products, production processes and services.
Emphasis was placed on specialist strengths in individual forward-looking applications in the ﬁeld of modern biotechnology.
These strengths were to be systematically identified and
expanded. Special attention was also given to applications out-
Strong drive for national technological
development
The effects of this competition have been considerable. A
dynamic innovation process has been set in motion in Germany’s regions. This has provided a strong drive for national
technological development. The initiatives translating the
award-winning know-how of the research establishments
into biotechnological products, procedures and services have
triggered a wave of young, aspiring biotechnology start-ups.
They have thus played an important role in a development
which has made Germany one of the most efficient locations for
biotechnology worldwide.
In 1995, there were around 70 biotechnology companies in Germany. Today, Germany has between 360 and 500
biotechnology companies - depending on how they are defined
- and is now the European leader in this field. Nevertheless, impressive though this race to catch up may be, there should be no
illusions about the shortcomings regarding the maturity and
the size of German companies. Compared with the, on average,
older British and American companies, many of the German
firms have fewer staff, fewer financial means and fewer products approaching market maturity.
5
BIOREGIONS
Made up for lost ground in basic research
Since the middle of the last century, Germany has also made
up for lost ground in basic research in biotechnology. In the
meantime, the large-scale research funding organizations,
the German Research Association and the Max Planck Society,
spend approximately one third of their research budgets on
basic research within the biosciences and biomedicine. Centres
for genetic engineering and molecular-biological research at
universities and within the Max Planck Society, the Helmholtz
Association, the Leibniz Science Association and the Fraunhofer
Society have enabled an efficient infrastructure for top-class
research to emerge in the fields of medicine, health, nutrition,
agriculture, biotechnology and the environment. Top-class
work is once again being performed in individual scientific
disciplines. It is now a matter of further expanding strengths
in bioscientific and biomedical basic research, in international
competition and by means of international, particularly European, cooperation.
European collaboration
The approach taken with bioregion funding will also improve
European cooperation. Examples such as the rapid development of the “Bio-Valley Upper Rhine“ tri-national cooperation network involving the Freiburg bioregion and the Swiss
and French neighbouring regions of Basle and Alsace, or the
“ScanBalt“ project of 11 countries bordering the baltic sea, with
the bioregions “BioConValley” and “Norgenta” as the German
partners, are evidence of this.
One thing is true of all these developments: the use of public
funding can have nothing more than a catalytic function and
knock-on effect. By providing young entrepreneurs with a share
of the funding needed for high-risk research projects, it is intended to develop the emerging German biotechnology sector
to become an internationally competitive branch of industry
and to tap the potential for employment resulting from modern
biotechnology. Decisive, however, is the effect of public funding
on mobilization. This amounts to one thousand percent in individual cases, such as the bioregions of Heidelberg and Munich.
It is not without cause that these are termed model regions and
provide a good example to other bioregions in Germany.
New funding initiatives
The Federal Government is determined to further improve
the framework conditions for biotechnology in Europe and
Germany. Together with information and communications
technology, biotechnology is a “pacemaker for new technologies“. Today, biotechnology is already firmly established and
recognized in the development of drugs and in medicine. The
political sector backs biotechnology and is prepared to support
this sector during its consolidation phase.
Knowledge is forcing its way onto the field of applications.
We cannot afford to jeopardize what we have already achieved
in this field as far as research, innovation and industry are
concerned. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research
will help to effectively support the process of restructuring
the German biotechnology sector by introducing new funding
measures for small and medium-sized companies.
Witin the framework of the BMBF funding measures, Go-Bio will
be able to pick up a wealth of new ideas from within research
facilities and universities. The Go-Bio program will allow collaborating research-groups to work independently on economically promising new research pipelines in the Life Sciences, and
lead them to commercial realisation. A central component of
the Go-Bio funding program is an early cross-linking of the commercial and scientific branches of the supported groups. Go-Bio
has been allocated estimated funds of 150 million euros for the
next 10 years.
Entering a decisive phase
Biotechnology in Germany has now entered a decisive phase.
The branch needs venture capital, proceeds from contract
research, and investors who believe in the commercial idea
of young entrepreneurs from the field of science. However,
the market for venture capital is under particular pressure
worldwide. The German biotechnology sector is feeling the
effects particularly severely in its current set-up phase. It is now
especially important that investors should quickly regain confidence in this sector of the future. Many promising innovations
in medicine and health, the environment, nutrition and agriculture depend on developments in biotechnology. The same is
also true of innovations in industrial production. As partners of
research, many bio-tech companies have struggled to establish their own place in the market. In collaboration with other
small and medium-sized enterprises which have already gained
experience on the market or with large concerns, they have a
realistic chance of surviving the consolidation phase. One must
therefore expect an increase in the number of collaborations,
mergers and take-overs.
German biotechnology will emerge stronger from the current process of consolidation.
6
INTRODUCTION
BREMEN BioRegions
7
BioNord
Biotechnology Region Bremerhaven/Bremen
The federal state of Bremen offers an ideal environment for
both industry and science. Paths are short, decisions are taken
quickly and arrangements can be made in an unbureaucratic
manner. Bremen and Bremerhaven as international centres for
food industry, located strategically close to the sea, offer outstanding conditions for the sector of biotechnologies.
The establishment of a biotechnological sector in Bremen
has, compared to other federal states, just a brief development.
Beginning with a co-operation of the centre of applied gene
sensor technology in 1996, 18 biotechnological companies with
about 100 employees have developed in the meantime. The
know-how of the region is emphasized on topics like quality
assurance and tracking of substances in food and consumption,
As well scientific establishments are raising an expertise
network to connect educational and research capacities and
focuses more distinctive to gain maximum synergies of available resources.
In order to reconcile and co-ordinate the countries’ activities, the office of biotechnologies with two representatives of
use of marine resources for several application areas, enzyme
technologies, development of micro array and diagnostic products for detecting cancer or additives in medicament production in pharmaceutical industries.
both business development agencies – BIS GmbH and BIA GmbH
– was founded. Professional fair participations, expert conferences and work on collective interests allow a continuous growing knowledge exchange and promotion for products.
In Bremerhaven and Bremen entrepreneurial activities are closely
connected to scientiﬁc landscape. In 2001, added thrust was
given by the foundation of International University Bremen (IUB)
and new university departments in both cities. New platform
technologies for the manufacture and processing of proteins, the
research of nano biotechnological systems for selective product
separation, and bioinformatics are all providing fresh impetus.
Furthermore topics like Environmental Biotechnology or “barcoding” are strongly promoted in close co-operation to industry
and international scientists. Acting together as the “City of Science 2005”, Bremen and Bremerhaven are presenting their institutes as attractive cooperation partners for trade and industry.
New trails to companies in Bremerhaven are being blazed
by the foundation of Biotechnology Centre BioNord in Bremerhaven. Entrepreneurs in Bremen can meet co-operation partners at the Centre for Innovation and Technology (BITZ) in the
Technology Park of the University of Bremen.
The present verbalised aim is to realise and align further activities of both cities of the federal state of Bremen to
consolidate existing main focuses and to extend interfaces.
Potentialities of the biotechnological sector will be introduced
nationwide and fixed in further networks. Within the BioRegio
alliance the active partners from the federal states of north
Germany do work on a stronger co-operation.
Companies within the scope of biotechnologies are placing
emphasis on profile forming networks. The association of
enterprises “Unternehmensverband Life Sciences Bremen e.V.”,
founded in 2004, strives for the aim to support its life science
topics by building, supporting and promoting a real and virtual
communication and information forum. (Contact: Dr. Boris
Oberheitmann, [email protected])
Contact:
Ofﬁce Biotechnologie Bremerhaven
BIS GmbH
Annette Schimmel
Am Alten Hafen 118, D-27568 Bremerhaven
Tel. +49-471 946 46-71
Fax +49-471 946 46-69
[email protected]
www.bis-bremerhaven.de
Ofﬁce Biotechnologie Bremen
BIA Bremer Innovations-Agentur GmbH
Dr. Barbara Schieferstein
Langenstrasse 2-4, D-28195 Bremen
Tel. +49-421 9600-337
Fax +49-471 9600-8337
[email protected]
www.big-bremen.de
8
BioRegions NORTH GERMANY
Norgenta
Life Science Nord – Joining forces for success
For Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein the Life Sciences are of
ever-increasing importance. The two states share six universities offering Life Science courses, two university clinics,
excellent extra-university research institutes including the
Fraunhofer and Max Planck Research groups, and the Leibniz
Institutes. There are about 160 businesses involved in production, research and services in the biotechnology field. And last
but not least, a high-performance and highly-specialized health
care environment constitutes substantial potential for growth.
This potential has to be exploited.
Focus
Bundling strengths and creating synergies: these are the goals
being pursued by the states of Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein
Norgenta, in co-operation with the Business Development
and Technology Transfer Corporation of Schleswig-Holstein
(WTSH) and the Hamburg Foundation for Innovation, encour-
in the framework of their common strategy for the development of the Life Science region. In April 2004 the North German
Life Science Agency Norgenta was founded as the principal
mainspring for the trans-state cluster policy. Its mission is the
development of the growth potential for innovative medicine,
medical technology, pharmacy and biotechnology in both
states, as well as the expansion and marketing of North Germany as an important Life Sciences region
ages innovative projects with scientific and commercial
partners in the medical, medical technology, biotechnology
and pharmaceutical fields. The funds at their disposal are
used for the furtherance of projects that take into account the
strengths and potential of this region. These include molecular imaging, molecular diagnostics and therapy, cell biology, oncology, transplantation medicine, inflammation and
neurobiology.
Through the promotion of outstanding innovative projects and
related measures, it is possible, with a view to the availability of
private and semi-state venture capital for technology-oriented
Life Science businesses, to present the region in a more positive
light. Intensive contact with venture capitalists will make it
easier for start-ups and established businesses to find the strategically important financiers they need.
In addition to promoting projects, Norgenta coordinates access to public promotion programs such as BioChance PLUS,
offers support in founding businesses and the implementation
of major projects, advises in the complex fields of technology
and knowledge transfer, patent and strategic situations, and
brokers the expertise of those establishments already in existence. Potential investors make their own experience available
to Norgenta.
Co-operation
Regular contact with research groups and businesses makes
the systematic affiliation of potential partners from research
and commerce possible. Similarly, the successful transferal into
practice of scientific projects is a decisive factor in the sustainable development of this field, as is the search for potential
partners and projects along the entire length of the value creation chain. Lastly, the cross-border approach has increased the
availability of substantial potential. A good example of this is
in the molecular imaging field; we have already succeeded in
NORTH GERMANY BioRegions
9
synergizing the competencies of the Hamburg and SchleswigHolstein university clinics with industry in the establishment of
a Center for Molecular Imaging.
Norgenta initiates and supports scientific and commercial
regional and trans-regional networks. As a founder member of
the Baltic network ScanBalt, Norgenta is involved in the organization of this competitive European Life Science metaregion.
Founded in 2004 as a community service organization by roleplayers from 11 countries, ScanBalt is the first metacluster with
an operational structure. The first projects, such as ScanBalt
Competence Region and ScanBalt Campus are already in the
process of becoming reality.
Communication
A further assignment given to Norgenta is the sustained
enhancement of North Germany as a recognized Life Science region. A number of tools have been developed to enable this task.
expertise on new methods of treatment, in the form of a Forum
for Innovative Therapy (FIT), is being put in place.
Bay to Bio Förderkreis Life Science e.V.
Bay to Bio is a network for Life Science stakeholders in North
Germany, and a close associate of Norgenta. It unifies members
from pharmacy, biotechnology, medical technology, medical
and health care and bioinformatics. As a specialist forum for
communication and information in this field, Bay to Bio brings
together innovative start-up founders, future-oriented businesses, investors and Life Science consultants in Hamburg and
Schleswig-Holstein.
Beyond North Germany’s borders, Bay to Bio arranges business contacts with decision-makers from science, commerce,
management and politics, and assists in the search for partners.
Their portfolio is completed by seminars, workshops and events
dealing with topical Life Science issues (e.g. finance, patents,
nano-technology, partnering, marketing), as well as local business organizations and societies.
www.baytobio.de
Contact:
The organization of events in the region, our presence at trade
fairs in selected target countries as well as online and offline
service and dialogue-enabled information platforms are all elements of communication in this task. Similarly the availability
of information about the area to potential investors, regular
information about the development of the region in the form of
a quarterly magazine (entitled Life Science Nord) and a monthly
email newsletter are all part of this. An annual exchange of
Norgenta
Norddeutsche Life Science Agentur GmbH
Dr. Kathrin Adlkofer
Falkenried 88, D-20251 Hamburg
Tel. +49-40-471 96 400
Fax +49-40-471 96 444
[email protected]
www.norgenta.de
10
BioRegions SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN
BioInitiative Nord:
Biotechnology in Schleswig-Holstein
Industry
Biotechnology is one of the most innovative technologies of the
21st century. Therefore, Schleswig-Holstein has continued to implement a strategy to further improve the basic conditions for
the development of this technology since 1996. Today around
90 companies in the field of biotechnology are testimony to
how successful it has been in establishing this growth sector in
the state. More than 30 companies are active in the area of R&D.
A large number of these companies fall into the category biomedicine, while others are active in the plant breeding and food
industries as well as the environmental and marine biotechnology sectors.
Science
Schleswig-Holstein has an excellent scientific potential based
on research carried out at the University of Kiel (CAU), the
University of Lübeck (MUL) and the Research Center Borstel
(FZB). The commercialization of this potential will influence the
further development of the biotechnology sector in the state
decisively. An interdisciplinary centre for molecular life sciences, the ZMB, is presently being built at the CAU in which the
disciplines medicine and biology, as well as agricultural and nutritional sciences will be closely interwoven. The goal is for the
new centre to create ideal conditions not only for science, but
also for cooperation with industry and to equip the centre on a
level that is unique in northern Germany. The state government
has set aside 4.5 million Euro for the centre of excellence which
will be invested from 2004 to 2006. In addition, two networks
consisting of interdisciplinary research groups already exist
at the University of Lübeck, the centres of excellence Tissue
Engineering and Drug Design and Target Monitoring, both of
which offer services to the private sector. Furthermore, two
interdisciplinary institutes, the ZBM (centre for biochemistry
and molecular biology) and the Zentrale Mikroskopie (central
microscopy), equipped with large-scale molecular biological
equipment, have been set up at the CAU in Kiel and offer biochemical and molecular biological services to industry.
Red Biotechnology (Medicine / Pharmaceuticals)
Activities in the areas of pharmaceuticals and medicine focus
on:
• Transplantation medicine
•
•
•
Oncology and tumour research
Infection and immune defence
Molecular medicine (diagnostics, therapy)
Green Biotechnology (Nutrition / Agriculture)
Schleswig-Holstein focuses on the following areas with regard
to agricultural and plant biotechnology and the nutritional
sciences:
• "Functional genomics"
• Marker-supported selective breeding
• Bioreactors driven by plant material
• Functional foods and biological agents derived from
plants and milk
SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN BioRegions
Blue Biotechnology (Marine Resources)
Companies whose activities focus on the utilization of oceanbased resources. The companies present in Schleswig-Holstein
concentrate on the following areas:
• Medicine and pharmaceuticals
• Food industry
• Cosmetics
11
Sciences Lübeck. Biomedical research in Schleswig-Holstein is
focused on transplantation medicine and oncology, as well as
inflammatory and degenerative diseases.
To support the creation of university spin-offs, business
incubators for young biotech start-ups have been set up in the
immediate vicinity of the region’s universities, e.g. at the Kiel
Center of Innovation and Technology (KITZ) or at the Innovations Campus Lübeck (ICL). The Business Development and
Technology Transfer Corporation of Schleswig-Holstein GmbH
(WTSH) plays a central role as a coordinator and consultant
regarding questions concerning the commercialization of
research results emerging from the biotechnology sector in
Schleswig-Holstein.
Networks
The “Life Sciences” play a predominant role in the technol-
White Biotechnology
(Industry / The Environment)
Companies that produce semi-finished goods or finished
products for other industrial sectors such as the food, cosmetics, textile and paper industries using new, in most cases more
environment-friendly, biotechnical processes. Also: companies in the fields of prevention and follow-up treatment, i.e.
environmental biotechnology. Such companies are present in
Schleswig-Holstein in the following areas:
• Enzymatic methods and processes
• Pharmaceutical raw materials
• Environmental biotechnology
ogy policy of the state government. Thereby, it is essential to
strengthen existing focuses and nurture potential. Cooperation
and strategic alliances are among the most important success
factors in this process. Therefore, the state government supports the creation of networks. The Life Science Förderverein
Bay to Bio e.V. is an extremely active communication network
set up by Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg. The cross-regional
Life Science Agency Norgenta combines and coordinates
activities in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein. Furthermore,
Schleswig-Holstein, along with Hamburg and MecklenburgWestern Pomerania, is part of the international network
ScanBalt. The collective goal of this extensive partnership in the
biotechnology sector covering 11 northern European countries
is to strengthen the international competitiveness of the entire
Baltic Sea Region and turn it into one of Europe’s leading life
science regions.
Contact:
Infrastructure
To secure a new generation of qualified scientists, internationally oriented degree courses have recently been created, e.g.
the degree course Molecular Biotechnology at the MUL or the
degree course Medical Technology at the University of Applied
The Business Development and
Technology Transfer Corporation of
Schleswig-Holstein GmbH (WTSH)
Coordination Centre for Biotechnology
Dipl. Biol. Sabine Thee
Lorentzendamm 24, D-24103 Kiel
Tel. +49-431-666 66-848
Fax +49-431-666 66-769
[email protected], www.wtsh.de
12
BioRegions HAMBURG
BioRegion Hamburg
Location
Biotechnology has been able to establish itself in the Hamburg location since the BioRegio competition. The number of
resident companies has multiplied. In addition, with respect
to science and research, Hamburg has considerable potential
in biotechnological know-how with international expertise.
These aspects make the Hamburg location attractive for
bringing in new biotech companies. Developable, promising cross-sectional technologies such as bioinformatics and
nanotechnology are based locally and are of significance for
the further development of the region. In addition to the life
science industry the regional university and non-university
research structure as well as their potential for cooperation
are to be considered as significant factors in the life science
location.
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg with its “growing
city” concept wants to develop itself into a leading international economic metropolis and counts life sciences among
one of its most important economic projects. Together with
Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg has started an interregional
initiative and founded the Norgenta Norddeutsche Life Science Agentur GmbH to market it internationally and expand
the Northern German region into a leading life science site.
Focus on industry and research
Industry and research are focused on molecular diagnostics,
cellular biology, biocatalysis/bioprocess engineering and biomechanics. Companies involved in research and development
and/or production and service providers primarily relate to the
areas of red and white (industrial) biotechnology.
man Federal Environmental Association] are networked with
one another under the auspices of ICBio. The projects aim to
establish biocatalytic procedures and products as environmentally friendly alternatives to existing chemical processes.
Thematic focuses are screening, expression, bioprocess engineering development and downstream processing for the
sustainable production of resources and biocatalysts.
Upon establishing the BiocatCollection in May 2005 a model
was developed which is based on the structures established
by ICBio and which runs the set-up as well as operation of an
international enzyme bank through central cataloguing and
material archiving, and makes it available to users from industry and universities. Enzyme customers can use the high
diversity of enzymes and acquire individual enzyme samples
and kits in test samples. TuTech Innovation GmbH has succeeded with this independent business division in bundling
and marketing scientific know-how available at the universities and thus developing broad access to the enzyme market.
Reorganisation of the transfer of scientiﬁc
knowledge in Hamburg
In addition to three universities and the Hamburg-Eppendorf
University Clinic, Hamburg has renowned research institutes
at its disposal, such as the Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für Tropenmedizin [Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine], the
Heinrich-Pette-Institut an der Universität Hamburg [Heinrich
Pette Institute at Hamburg University], the Max Planck Institute
(MPI) work groups for structural molecular biology and the
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) at the DESY.
At the end of 2004 the reorganisation of the transfer of scientific
knowledge in Hamburg was completed. TuTech Innovation
GmbH (TuTech) and Hamburg Innovation GmbH (HI) now form
the transfer tandem between science and industry. TuTech conducts the operative business. Through bundling and optimising
the previous transfer activities universities and companies from
the industry have a central contactpoint in linking all universities. Interdisciplinary collaboration is to be promoted so as to
create products and workplaces through exploitable research
results.
Advantages through the new structure emerge in tenders
through the EU, in soliciting national or regional funding as
well as through the in-house patent exploitation agency.
BiocatCollection – “House of Biocatalysis”
Qualifying on site
The InnovationsCentrum Biokatalyse (ICBio) [Biocatalysis Innovation Centre] initiative was founded in July 2002. Projects
promoted by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) [Ger-
The Hamburg Life Sciences Qualification Centre (QZLS),
brought into being in May 2004, offers employees of companies in the life sciences branch the chance to further qualify
Research institutes
HAMBURG BioRegions
13
directly in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg in the fields of biotechnology, medical engineering and pharmacology.
The QZLS is attached to TuTech
By additionally qualifying their own company personnel,
Hamburg companies gain the possibility of strengthening their
competitiveness and thereby also the location. With additional
lecture events, such as Hamburg Life Sciences Day, current
developments in the life sciences, particularly in biotechnology
and medical engineering, are to be addressed, These events
represent the regional science potential in this area as well as
the integration of clinic and research, and highlight cooperation oportunitiesties with industry in the development of new
products and systems.
Consulting offers and services
TuTech Innovation GmbH oversees two regional programmes
for founding new businesses, which are in their incubation
phases: IdeenFONDS and Hamburger Existenzgründungsprogramm (hep) [Hamburg Start-up Programme]. In addition,
TuTech acts as a management consultant in the framework of
the ERP start-up fund (early stage module) of tbg-Bonn.
Norgenta and Innovationsstiftung Hamburg [Hamburg
Innovation Foundation] undertake further regional funding
consultations. For the venture capital sector BioAgency AG
and Earlybird Venture Capital GmbH & Co. KG for example are
already standing by.
Contact:
TuTech Innovation GmbH - Life Sciences
Dipl.- Biol. Karin Meyer-Pannwitt
Harburger Schlossstrasse 6-12, D-21079 Hamburg
Tel. +49-40-766 29-6344
Fax +49-40-766 29-6349
[email protected]
www.tutech.de
14
BioRegions LOWER SAXONY
BioRegioN Lower Saxony:
The Life-Science-Network
•
•
•
•
5,000 Scientists and Researchers
High Density of Large Research Institutions
Key Centres for Agriculture and Environmental Technology
Europe’s Largest Biotech Trade Fair - Biotechnica
With a technology basis like this, Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)
is among the largest biotechnology regions in Germany.
Certainly one of the most outstanding strengths of the region
is health-care research. In the urban region of Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen main focus is set on the specific research
areas of infection-, neuro- and stem cell biology. Braunschweig
is home e.g. of the Helmholtz research centre for Infection
Research: The German Centre for Biotechnology Research, GBF.
This is where fundamental research is conducted to uncover
strategies and processes of pathogens for host organisms’
penetration and propagation. Scientists at Niedersachsen’s biotechnology companies use this expertise to develop innovative
treatment and diagnostic procedures.
Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen:
Biomedical Hotspot
The Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen region is a dynamic
place for Life Science companies and research. In 2001 an initiative of institutes, universities and biotech companies from the
urban region Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen was one of
three „BioProfile“ contest winners announced by the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
This prize honoured the enormous success in the futureoriented fields of infection biology, neurobiology and stem cell
biology. Research institutes, universities and biotechnology
companies have received funding of around 15 million euros.
The regional economy has also raised private capital of roughly
the same amount.
A study, published in 2005 confirmed the region‘s strengths
– infection biology, neurobiology, stem cell research and
platform technology. The focus is on peptide research to drug
development, biomarkers and diagnostics, vaccine research,
regenerative medicine and medical technology.
Infection Research Network
Knowledge about the immune system helps in the treatment of illnesses such as cancer. Beside scientific and clinical
competence, many different forms of cooperation are essential
to advance developments. In 2002, the Centre for Infection
Biology (ZIB Hannover) was founded. This is a joint cooperation
between Hannover Medical School (MHH), Hannover School of
Veterinary Medicine (TiHo), the University of Hannover and the
German Research Centre for Biotechnology (GBF) in Braunschweig.
Neuroscience in European Dimension
The opening of the first European Neuroscience Institute in
Göttingen (ENI-G) laid the foundations for a European competence network. The ENI is a joint project run by the University of
Göttingen and the Max Planck Society, supported by Schering
AG. The goal is to study the molecular and cellular mechanisms
of the brain. The results will flow directly into treatment of
diseases such as Alzheimer‘s and Parkinson‘s.
The institute cooperates with centres of excellence such as
the German Primate Centre and the Max Planck Institutes, the
LOWER SAXONY BioRegions
DFG Research Centre for Molecular Physiology of the Brain and
the Bernstein Centre for Computational Neuroscience, which
have carried out top-level research in the field of neurosciences.
15
An example of successful entrepreneurship is mosaiques
diagnostics GmbH in Hannover. New possibilities for the early
diagnosis and treatment of serious illnesses are developed. Mosaiques created a new way of identifying proteins in body fluids
with its DiaPat process. In this method biomarkers in the blood
and urine are measured and identified using special software
The Digilab BioVision GmbH is an other good example for
the economic use of biotechnology.
Science goes Business
BioRegioN GmbH acts on behalf of the Niedersachsen government and is the point of entry for the biotechnology industry.
The private consulting company coordinates the network
between science and industry and helps start-up companies
develop a business model, and also provides support in matters
of funding, marketing and sales, press and public relations.
A team of analysts, management consultants and marketing experts evaluates potential business ideas and develops
start-up concepts to support a company’s business plan and will
help young companies secure necessary financing. The team of
BioRegioN GmbH has access to private equity, public funding
programmes and will help start-up firms finding the suitable
contact and partners. The start-up package includes support in
negotiation, presentation training and business coaching. In
fact, the professional expertise and business know-how available from BioRegioN GmbH experts is an invaluable asset on the
road to success.
Clinical Stem Cell Research on the Advance
An organ transplant is often the only way to save the patient‘s
life. This is a complicated treatment, which obviously requires
the availability of a suitable donor organ – and even then there
is no guarantee of success. Research into innovative therapies
is therefore top priority in transplantation medicine, where cell
and tissue therapies have a high economic potential.
In Niedersachsen, the regional focus of this challenging
research area is in Hannover (MHH) and Göttingen (MPI for
Biophysical Chemistry, University Clinic), where the research
institute and the clinic collaborate closely in the development
of new regenerative therapies and transplantation methods.
Platform Technology
A large number of biotechnology companies, academic and
non-university facilities, clinics covering the platform technologies in genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics, are active in
Niedersachsen. This has created a special kind of innovation
climate in biomedical research which is being sucessfully transformed into business models.
Contact:
BioRegioN GmbH
Dr. Thomas Wagner
Vahrenwalder Strasse 7, D-30165 Hannover
Tel. +49-511 935 79-40
Fax +49-511 935 79-63
[email protected]
www.bioregion.de
16
BioRegions MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN
BioCon Valley - life sciences and healthcare
in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
BioCon Valley is the life sciences initiative of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. As one of the German BioRegions, BioCon
Valley promotes the commercial use of modern life sciences and
supports the health industry in the region.
Focus of activities
The main activities of BioCon Valley are:
• BioCon Valley® network: activities linking science and
industry through meetings, conferences, newsletter,
personal contacts
• Life science centers (“bioincubators“): management and
marketing of the Biotechnikum and AgroBiotechnikum
•
•
bioincubators, assistance services to tenant ﬁrms
Project management / coordination (national and international): acquisition of third-party funding for life science
projects, and management of those projects
Public relations to increase the awareness of the BioRegion and modern life sciences: publication of press releases, brochures and the “Standortatlas”, our directory
of proﬁles of life science companies and research groups
in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
International activities
BioCon Valley is an active member of the ScanBalt life sciences network, which was brought to life by representatives of
research and industry in the Baltic and Scandinavian countries.
The initiative was launched in 2001 at the Baltic BioTech Forum
in Teschow (near Rostock), organized as a joint EU-funded
project by BioCon Valley®, Medicon Valley Academy and BioTurku. The ScanBalt initiative is committed to the networking of
research, development and training in the field of life sciences
in the Baltic region. It hopes to extend the region’s influence on
an international scale and to facilitate collaborative ventures to
the mutual benefit of the scientific and business communities.
ScanBalt sees itself as a “network of networks”, with the shared
goal of strengthening the international competitiveness of the
entire Baltic Sea region and developing it into one of the leading life science regions in the world. www.scanbalt.org
In addition cooperation started with Medical Valley, Japan,
and Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park, Vietnam.
Medicine/Medical Technology
Outstanding competences are represented by the „Centers of
Innovation Competence“, which were evaluated by the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in 2003. The two
centers from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern that have asserted
themselves in this program are:
• Competence Center „Functional Genomics“ (CC-FG), University Greifswald
• Center for Life Science Automation“ (CELISCA), University
Rostock
Within the CC-FG fifteen-years’ experience in microbial proteomics at the University Greifswald is now being systematically
transferred to the Medical School and the University Hospital
thus interconnecting basic research with biotechnology as well
as medical applications. The interdisciplinary concept of the
CC-FG involving areas from microbiology and biotechnology to
clinical research will be the unique feature of this center.
CELISCA´s organizational principle is based on the idea
of establishing the „Centers of Innovation Competence“ as an
interface between universtiy and industry and to provide it with
a structure containing all necessary infrastructural features and
competence as well as the capability of a start-up system. The
center should be established as an interdisciplinary university
organization with a multidisciplinary approach.
Key competence in industry and applied science are well
established especially in the fields of:
• Apheresis (extracorporal blood detoxiﬁcation)
• Biocompatibility
• Molecular medicine
• Medical technology/Biosystem technologies
• Telemedicine
www.functional-genomics.uni-greifswald.de, www.celisca.de
MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN BioRegions
17
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is one of the leading locations for
classical and modern plant breeding in Germany. For example
the company NPZ Saatzucht Lembke KG (crop breeder; founded
in 1897 at Malchow/Poel) exerts itself as Germany’s pacemaker in
the use of modern gene technologies. A network of competence
is encouraging the establishment of an agrobiotechnology competence and innovation center in Groß-Lüsewitz (AgroBiotechnikum). The “Society of Innovative Sustainable Agrobiotechnology
e.V.” has been formed partly for this purpose. As the center’s
operator, BioCon Valley’s expertise will guarantee its success.
www.ﬁnab.de , www.agrobiotechnikum.de
©Gambro Rostock GmbH
Agrobiotechnology
Marine Biotechnology
MARS® is a CE-certiﬁed liver support system that has shown its efﬁcacy in clinical studies, Gambro Rostock GmbH
Marine Biotechnology is a relatively new field in Germany, and
in Europe, with much potential especially in the discovery and
young companies in the fields of biotechnology, biomedicine,
medical technologies, and agrobiotechnology.
development of new therapeutic agents and enzymes. For this
purpose, the network partners have founded the association
‘Institute of Marine Biotechnology e.V.’, which is also actively
involved in applied research. www.marine-biotechnologie.de
ScanBalt Competence Region
BioCon Valley coordinates the activities of the 13 partners in the
project “ScanBalt COMPETENCE REGION”. The project is funded
by the EU and started in 2004 with the objective of,
• mapping the structure of the pan-European ScanBalt
Bioregion, providing an up-to-date status review in terms
of active players, competencies, regulatory infrastructure
and other relevant factors on a globally comparable basis,
• identifying globally competitive core competencies and
capabilities and key challenges in life sciences, genomics
and biotechnology,
• identifying opportunities for enhanced cooperation between scientists, healthcare organizations and entrepreneurs within the ScanBalt Bioregion, with a special focus
on the new EU member states,
• accelerating the integration of the EU accession countries
into Europe´s existing scientiﬁc, healthcare and business
communities, and thus enhancing European competitiveness in life sciences, genomics and biotechnology for
health on a worldwide scale.
www.scanbalt.org
BioTechnikum Greifswald
BioTechnikum Greifswald is one of the 5 technology centers
(“bioincubators”) devoted to life sciences in MecklenburgVorpommern. They offer a highly modern infrastructure for
Innovation highlights
The MARS® therapy is a new combination of kidney and liver
dialysis, developed in Rostock. Until now, liver dialysis was the
most common form of liver support therapy. MARS® employs
human albumin proteins and a special membrane to remove
toxins selectively out of the patient’s blood. In this way, dialysis
reinforces the detoxification function of the liver.
Source: NORIKA GmbH
NORIKA GmbH applies both conventional and modern biotechnological methods in potato breeding and propagation. In-vitro
culture is the heart of the maintenance breeding of our varieties. ELISA and PCR techniques (DNA fingerprinting) are used
to test for potato viruses and in the identification of varieties or
breeding lines. Norika research focuses on the development of
new potato varieties with improved tolerance to drought and
salt and varieties for the production of biodegradable polymers.
Contact:
BioCon Valley® GmbH
Dr. Heinrich Cuypers
Senior project manager
Walter-Rathenau-Straße 49a
D-17489 Greifswald
Tel. +49-3834 515300
Fax +49-3834 515102
Ofﬁce Rostock:
Tel. +49-381 51964950
Fax +49-381 51964952
[email protected]
www.bcv.org
18
BioRegions BERLIN-BRANDENBURG
BioTOP:
Berlin-Brandenburg
Over the past few years the bioregion has established itself
extremely well on both the national and international levels.
Its research facilities and biotech companies successfully offer
innovative services and products for the world market and in
doing so, cover highly future-oriented research fields:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Genomics and proteomics (humans & plants)
Molecular medicine & clinical research
Regenerative medicine & tissue engineering
Biohybrid technologies
Bioinformatics
Nutrigenomics
Glycobiotechnology
•
White biotechnology (Industrial Biotechnology)
Berlin-Brandenburg is Europe’s leading science region in genomics and proteomics research as well as molecular medicine.
Its economic and scientific capacity is increasingly based on
product-oriented biotechnology SMEs and outstanding research institutes. They include the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin-Buch, the Max Planck Institute
for Molecular Genetics, the German Human Genome Resource
Centre, the “Proteinstrukturfabrik”, the Konrad-Zuse Centre for
Scientific Computation and Charité University Hospital Berlin
– Europe’s largest university hospital. The Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm and the
German Institute of Human Nutrition command international
prestige in the fields of plant biotechnology and nutrition research. Berlin is already the leading German competence centre
in bioinformatics. These regional centres of excellence received
distinctions from the National Genome Research Network (2 of
5 core fields are located in Berlin, and the region participates in
4 of 5 clinical networks) and in the Bioprofile Competition.
The biotechnology sector in Berlin-Brandenburg is to be
developed into a key component of the region’s successful
health care cluster. This will be essential to its international
competitiveness and is being jointly promoted by the states of
Berlin and Brandenburg. The regional value creation chain will
be extended to optimize the utilisation of its potentials in the
united and enlarged Europe.
As of today, Berlin-Brandenburg has attained a leading position within Germany with 160 biotech companies. The number
has doubled since 1997. Since then, the SMEs have been able
to acquire more than euro 600 million in Venture Capital. The
number of jobs within the SMEs has tripled to approximately
3,200 since 1997.
Numerous companies have begun the clinical development
of diagnostics and pharmaceuticals. It is of particular importance that the value creation chain is fully formed, from the
investigation of disease mechanisms on the molecular level to
clinical testing and production. The economic profile is completed by four international pharmaceutical companies, CROs
and CMOs.
Qualiﬁed Specialists
In Berlin-Brandenburg, teaching and training are conducted
at a very high level and are closely integrated with the region’s
established scientific community. Young scientists are provided
with practical training at six universities and 21 universities of
applied sciences in the capital area. Every year, 3,000 university
graduates in the field of life sciences guarantee a pool of highlyqualified specialists and managers. Approximately 70 research
institutes provide further training for young scientists.
An Optimal Infrastructure
With approximately 100,000 square meters available at six
biotechnology parks, the Berlin-Brandenburg region offers
the broadest selection of office and lab space for biotechnology companies in Germany. The region’s high-tech locations
have the equipment and official authorization to carry out all
commercial activities along the value chain, that is preliminary
BERLIN-BRANDENBURG BioRegions
19
•
•
•
•
•
Providing information on biotechnology
Building and coordination of scientiﬁc and interdisciplinary networks
Establishing contacts between experts from all disciplines
Design and organization of events
Public relations work for the biotech region BerlinBrandenburg
For more information, including a database with comprehensive profiles of all companies and scientific work groups, please
visit our website at www.biotop.de.
research, product development and manufacture. Biotech firms
have access to laboratories with S1 to S3 security clearances and
GMP-consistent production sites as well as to Class A to D clean
room sites and all corresponding media facilities. Compared
with other major urban sites, the region offers attractive rents
and cost structures as well as an excellent supply of fully developed sites for large-scale industrial operations.
Political Support
The federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg actively pursue a
wide-ranging policy designed to promote the highest possible
level of technological innovation in the region. Their program
aims specifically at developing selected scientific and commercial focus areas into international fields of expertise. Companies
in the life sciences sector receive considerable financial support for investment and R&D projects. In addition, the Federal
Ministry for Education and Research funds a large number of
future-oriented research projects in the region. International
companies benefit from the proximity of major decision makers
in politics, administration and business.
BioTOP Berlin Brandenburg is the central contact and coordination office for all issues concerning biotechnology in the
German capital region. Our special profile as a network node
supports you with all questions you may have- quickly and
outcome-oriented.
It is our objective to coordinate all regional activities in
biotechnology by networking with all key players and to initiate
specific projects in order to turn Berlin-Brandenburg into a
globally leading life science cluster.
The services provided by BioTOP include:
•
•
•
•
Technology transfer science - industry
Initiation and support of networks
Support for technology-oriented start-ups
Funding support for innovative projects
Contact:
BioTOP Berlin-Brandenburg
Dr. Kai Bindseil
Fasanenstr. 85, D-10623 Berlin
Tel. +49-30-318 622-11
Fax +49-30-318 622-22
[email protected]
www.biotop.de
BioProﬁle Coordination Ofﬁce Nutrigenomik
Dr. Ilka Grötzinger
Arthur-Scheunert-Allee 114-116
D-14558 Bergholz-Rehbrücke
Tel. +49-33200-883-85
Fax +49-33200-883-98
[email protected]
www.nutrigenomik.de
20
BioRegions SAXONY-ANHALT
Saxony-Anhalt
BIO Mitteldeutschland GmbH
In autumn 2002 the government of Saxony-Anhalt has initiated
a Biotechnology Offensive to strengthen the biotechnology as
one of the future branches in the economic region of Mitteldeutschland. In Saxony-Anhalt, the biotechnological industry
and research are concentrated on two main topics, plant
biotechnology and drug and target research, respectively.
Plant Biotechnology and Breeding Research
Saxony-Anhalt has an outstanding tradition in plant breeding
and plant biotechnology. The region has therefore an unique
potential in Germany. In Saxony-Anhalt important research
institutes in this field are located: the Federal Centre of Breeding Research on Cultivated Plants (BAZ) with its institutes in
Quedlinburg and Aschersleben and the Leibniz Institutes of
Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) in Gatersleben and
of Plant Biochemistry (IPB) in Halle (Saale). So, the most important scientific potential in plant breeding and biotechnology is
concentrated here.
•
•
•
•
•
In 1998 the company SunGene GmbH & Co. KGaA was
founded as a joint venture between BASF Plant Science
and the IPK. Its aim is the directed gene regulation in
cultivated plants
Also in 1998 the NovoPlant GmbH was founded which produces recombinant immunological products for animal
breeding in plants
TraitGenetics GmbH (founded in 2000) develops diagnostic molecular markers for plant breeding
A new company is the array-On GmbH which is analysing
SNP’s (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) as genetic markers
Icon Genetics GmbH in Halle holds more than 40 patents
and is working on new platform technologies for plant
made pharmaceuticals
This regional topic is accompanied by the traditionally existing
breeding companies and all other parts of the value chain.
This international well-known scientific competence in
the field of molecular plant biotechnology, plant biochemistry and breeding research led to the winning project “Plant
Biotechnology Nordharz/Börde – InnoPlanta” in the BMBF competition “InnoRegio” which was granted in autumn 2000 with
20 million euros by the BMBF. One topic of the project was the
trial cultivation of genetically modified maize which was done
in 2004 in Saxony-Anhalt and other locations in Germany.
In the near future InnoPlanta and other projects of the InnoRegio program will be brought together which are concerned
with renewable raw materials and their use in the energy
sector, making Saxony-Anhalt one of the leading centres in
Germany in this field, too.
Drug and target research
Another topic of biotechnology in Saxony-Anhalt is the field of
drug and target research. Due to the Institutes of Biochemistry
and Biotechnology at the Martin Luther University at Halle, the
Max Planck Research Unit of Enzymology of Protein Folding in
Halle and the Interdisciplinary Scientific Competence Centre
Neurosciences which is located in Magdeburg (with the Otto
von Guericke University and the Leibniz Institute of Neurobiology) the region has a scientific potential with international
reputation .
In Halle companies and scientific institutes are working together in the so-called Innovative Core for Industrial Growth II “Creating Value Using Proteins as Therapeutics and Diagnostics”.
They are searching for new therapeutically active substances
against diabetes and neurodegradative diseases. Some of the
most important companies in this field are:
•
•
Probiodrug AG develops new pharmaceuticals against
diabetes and
Scil Proteins GmbH, Halle, owns a technology for the
development and production of novel human binding
proteins (afﬁlines™) which are distinguished by its superb
binding properties
SAXONY-ANHALT BioRegions
•
•
ACGT AG is concentrating on the development of diagnostic methods for amyloidogenic diseases, like Morbus
Alzheimer
novosom AG concerns with the development of liposomes
and nanoparticles for drug delivery
21
A strong co-operation with the biotechnology agencies of
the States of Saxony and Thuringia has developed. There are
collaborations in trans-regional marketing (trade fairs and
congresses) and in the education of scientific and technical
personnel.
The aim of the companies and institutes in Magdeburg which
are cooperating in the Innovative Core for Industrial GrowthII
“PharmaMD“ is the search for new drugs against allergic diseases (e.g. asthma bronchiale) and autoimmune diseases like
multiple sclerosis.
•
•
•
•
KeyNeurotek AG, Magdeburg develops effective screening procedures for the identiﬁcation of neuroprotective
substances
IMTM GmbH investigates novel concepts for the therapy
of diseases which cannot cured or only unsufﬁciently
until now like allergies and skin diseases
MelTec GmbH is working in the ﬁeld of proteomics and
the identiﬁcation of cellular target for new drugs
Nanodel Technologies GmbH develops pharmaceuticals
and formulations of drugs to overcome the blood-brainbarrier
Good co-operation exists also between the biotech companies
on the one side and pharmaceutical companies as Salutas, Bayer,
esparma, Serumwerk Bernburg or the Impfstoffwerk Dessau-Tornau, on the other side, which are located in Saxony-Anhalt too.
Biotechnological Infrastructure
Saxony-Anhalt is provided with good infrastructural prerequisites for biotechnological start-up’s.
•
•
•
In Halle the TGZ III is build for the technology transfer of
nanotechnological research
The companies and institutes of the PharmaMD co-operation in Magdeburg are concentrated in the Centre for
Neuroscientiﬁc Innovation and Technology (ZENIT).
the Biotech Founder Centre in Gatersleben which was
built especially for plant biotechnology companies is fully
occupied. So, a new BioPark will be erected nearby with a
ﬁnancial volume up to € 35 million and a planned area of
12 ha for laboratories, green houses and ﬁelds.
Your Partners
The Government of Saxony-Anhalt has started a great offensive for the development of biotechnology in Saxony-Anhalt. It
should be put into practice under the responsibility of the BIO
Mitteldeutschland GmbH especially in the areas of acquisition,
project management and communication. A special area is
the lobbying and the accompanying of the legal framework to
ensure that even in the future plant biotechnological research
is possible in Germany (also with genetically modified plants).
Contact:
BIO Mitteldeutschland GmbH
Dr. Jens A. Katzek
Weinbergweg 22, D-06120 Halle
Tel. +49-345-5559-850
Fax +49-345-5559-853
[email protected]
www.biomitteldeutschland.de
22
BioRegions SAXONY
Biotechnology in Saxony is well
on the road to success
The Saxon bioregion has opted for a tried and tested concept to develop the Free State further into an internationally
competitive biotechnology location. The state government’s
biotechnology offensive was started in summer 2000 with a
budget of 200 million euros and was designed to provide the
necessary impetus for growth.
After only five short years, the biotechnology industry has
developed into a third pillar of Saxony’s economic future that
stands together with microelectronics and the automobile
industry. The offensive has succeeded in doubling the number
of core biotech companies in the region to 54 and the number
of people employed in the sector has increased three-fold to
(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), and the increasing
internationalization of the core companies are all examples of
this, together with the fact that the largest financing rounds in
Germany were successfully closed by Saxon companies. The biopharmaceutical company, elbion AG, raised series A financing
of 35 million euros in 2005. The drug-development company,
around 1,000. The total 5,800 people employed in the pharma
and life science industry achieve an annual turnover of 500
million euros. More than 200 scientific research groups with
about 1,500 scientists in Saxony perform research on the medical applications of biotechnology. Saxony offers everything a
thriving biotech industry needs: ultra modern workplaces and
laboratories, international renowned research groups, excellent training programs such as international Ph. D. schools, and
a superb infrastructure.
Curacyte AG, completed a 31.5 million euros private placement.
Best in biotech business
The seeds of the biotech offensive are now bearing fruit. The bioregion Saxony is becoming increasingly attractive for further
research institutes. The location of the new Fraunhofer Institute
of Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) in Leipzig, the establishment of the first special Research Center for Regenerative
Therapies in Dresden funded by the German Research Society
Several leading pharmaceutical companies are making additional investments into their Saxon locations, for example,
Hexal Synthech GmbH and Schwarz Pharma. GlaxoSmithKline
has also chosen to invest around 95 million euros to double the
production capacity of its flu vaccine facility in Dresden. Moreover, the number of core biotechs is increasing. In October 2005,
the US-based biotech company In Vitro Technologies opened its
European Headquarters in the Bio City Leipzig. New companies
were founded by scientists and obtained venture capital, e.g.
nAmbition and Transinsight. Since 2000, over 400 million euros
additional investments and grants have been acquired from
the European Union, the State, venture capitalists, industry,
research societies and private investors.
The state government plans to continue supporting growth
in this sector. Such projects include the new and first German
Research Council Center for Regenerative Therapies in Dresden
and the new Fraunhofer IZI in Leipzig. The technology funding
program alone will dedicate over 170 million euros in the next
two years to support industrial research and development.
Biotechnology will occupy a significant part of this budget. The
recently introduced growth funds allow us to offer yet another
instrument to finance corporate expansion in Saxony.
Growth with a concept
Biotechnology research and business has grown continuously
in Saxony since 2000. All biotechnology-related activities are
coordinated under the label, “biosaxony”. But what makes Saxony in this sector so special? Right from the start, the Free State
focused on a delineated profile: the medical applications of
biotechnology. The state initiative concentrates on the two scientific and business centers, Dresden and Leipzig, with emphases on molecular bioengineering and regenerative medicine.
Molecular cell biology and biomedicine have been brought
SAXONY BioRegions
23
together with traditional expertise in material sciences and
engineering that also incorporate clinical research and medical
technology and devices. The infrastructure is also excellent
as exemplified by the two bioincubators, the Bio City Leipzig
and the BioInnovation Center in Dresden. The initiative also
included 40 million euros to fund twelve new biotechnology
professorships and numerous junior research groups at the
universities. Another 60 million euros was appropriated to fund
application-orientated research projects.
A tight-knit community fosters quicker
technology transfer
Within both bioincubators, scientists from the University of
Leipzig and the Technical University of Dresden, together with
the respective university hospitals, pursue application-orientated research in close cooperation with other research institutes
and the business community. Several companies are located in
the incubators and leading names such as Max Planck, Leibniz,
Fraunhofer and other institutes are usually close neighbors
in the biotech scene. The entire innovation cycle from basic
research through applied research and development to marketing R&D-intensive products takes place within a defined space.
biosaxony sets standards
The development of the globally ranked expertise within the
most important branches of the Life Sciences covers the entire
span of biotechnologically relevant resources. Biotechnologyoriented high schools, a training program for technicians,
master courses and internationally renowned post graduate
programs guarantee a supply of highly qualified staff. The infrastructure also includes interdisciplinary study centers and institutes for clinical trials, production facilities for biotechnology
products and instruments, and pharmaceutical research and
production. As the leading European microelectronics location,
Saxony additionally offers interdisciplinary technology platforms such as nanobiotechnology and bioengineering.
In addition to being highly motivated, the employees in
Saxony are highly qualified. Qualifications come from the dual
vocational training system, which provides education with a
close focus on practical applications. Young biotechnology
companies have the possibility to train their laboratory staff
- biotechnology technicians - in cooperation with innovative
partners in the region.
Since 1990, Saxony has focused on the targeted support of
centers of growth. Now biotechnology is profiting from this
approach. In a national comparison, Saxony managed to climb
from 13th place to 7th out of 28 German bioregions in just four
years. The biotechnology offensive laid the basis for this success
and meanwhile the branch is growing increasingly under its
own steam. And most importantly, the science that inspires this
growth ranks as some of the best in the world.
Contact:
biosaxony
Dr. Ann De Beuckelaer
Tatzberg 47-51, D-01307 Dresden
Tel. +49-351-796 5-105
Fax +49-351-796 5-110
[email protected]
www.biosaxony.com
24
BioRegions THURINGIA
BioInstruments
Made in Thuringia
Thuringia is the gate to the eastern partners of the growing
Europe. It is famous for its competence in BioInstruments and
BioDevices. Actually the BioInstruments cluster consists of 50 BioInstruments companies, 25 medicine technology companies,
23 research- and public institutions which bear upon biotechnology. They can rely on the substantial support of powerful
financial partners, executive consultants and service providers.
The BioInstruments cluster equates with a dynamic and innovative network of experts from life sciences and engineering sciences. Today Thuringia is the domicile of three Max-Planck-, two
Leibniz-Institutes, and one Fraunhofer-Institute plus numerous
internationally recognized research organizations.
Applied Research with a Long Tradition
Thuringia has got a long tradition in commercializing results
and knowledge from life sciences. Internationally most famous
is Carl Zeiss, who started his first company in 1846 in Jena. The
company was taken over by Ernst Abbe in 1889. Already in 1884
Abbe had opened up the “Jenaer Glaswerk Schott & Co” together
with Otto Schott. Today the Carl Zeiss Jena AG, accompanied by
several regional and international industrial partners, namely
6 listed life science companies, is the key player supporting our
BioInstruments industry. Systems for automated screening for
pharmaceutically active ingredients, devices for the use in laser
scanning microscopes and fluorescence spectrometers set the
standard for the international competitors all over the world.
The BioInstruments Cluster
The conceptual design of the BioInstruments cluster in
Thuringia was done by the BioRegio Jena Association. It was
so successful that it convinced the international jury of the
German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) to give a
special vote within the BioRegio competition. It was rewarded
BioInstruments Centre, Jena, © BioCentiv GmbH
with the financial support for 30 biotechnology cooperation
projects bringing together industry and research institutions.
The projects led to new products, which were commercialized
by 30 new start-up companies. Delivering BioInstruments to
researchers, other biotechs, and the pharmaceutical industry,
the biotech start-ups in Thuringia were able to generate quick
returns and gross profit right from the beginning.
The BioRegio Jena association is conducted to the successful cooperation of economy, science, financial partners and the
government. It is situated in the biotechnology melting pot, the
Beutenberg Campus. In two incubators, i.e. the BioInstrumentation Centre and the Technology & Innovation Park, the new
start-up companies are seated. The laboratories and bureaus
can be rented as modules enabling a small start-up to grow
according to its needs. In close neighbourhood the start-ups for
instance find the Carl Zeiss Jena AG, Jenapharm GmbH, Analytik
Jena AG, Schott Jenaer Glas GmbH, the Max-Planck-Institutes for
Chemical Ecology and Bio-Geochemistry, the Leibniz-Institute
for Natural Products Research and Infections Biology, the Leibniz-Institute for Age Research, the Friedrich-Schiller-University,
the Technical University, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied
Optics & Fine Mechanics, and the Institute for Physical High
Technology.
Innovation and Competence
In the BioInstruments cluster several research themes were
rewarded for their excellent scientific background, and are
therefore supported by the BMBF as Centres for Innovation
and Competence. Ultraoptics is a consortium of the FriedrichSchiller-University, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics &
Fine Mechanics and the Institute for Physical High Technology,
and addresses topics that include the theory, fabrication, characterization of linear and nonlinear photonic nanostructures
and metamaterials as well as their applications in optical signal
processing and imaging. The research of the »ultra-photonics«
group targets the progression of a multi-purpose radiation
source both of electromagnetic radiation and high energetic
particle beams. The realization of the experiments with nanostructurized targets and diffractive optical elements regarding
the optimization of the laser parameters needs co-operation
with the research group »nano-optics« at the competence
THURINGIA BioRegions
center. Two other examples of excellence are the Jenaer Centre
for BioInformatics (JCB) and the Jenaer BioChip Initiative (JBCI).
They are excellently suited for the support of companies and scientist working in fields like genomics or proteomics, and help
handling the huge amount of data gathered by, e.g. the clinics
of the university, or other scientists and companies.
The Beutenberg Campus therefore is an internationally recognized R&D-Center for biotechnology, chemistry, optics and
microtechnology. The campus also hosts a central building for
communication, in order to enhance the exchange of informations between scientists and entrepreneurs.
In Ilmenau the Technical University hosts the Centre for
Micro- and Nanotechnologies. The ZMN serves as an interdisciplinary research centre for the whole university in the sectors of
materials research, the patterning of new micro- and nanostructures up to the realisation of complete devices and systems
for industrial applications. Among others, one of the main
emphases is the cutting edge of nanotechnology. MacroNano®
is a Centre for Innovative Competence within the scope of the
BMBF Innovation Initiative “InnoProfile”, funded for 5 years by
the BMBF and supported by the Thuringian Ministry of Culture.
“Microfluidics and Biosensors“ focusses on the modification
of biosensors and integration into complex analytical systems
for smallest liquid volumes for the application on biomedical
research. “Functionalised Peripherics“ deal with the integration
25
Array Tube: reaction vial carrying probe micro array, © CLONDIAG
chip technologies GmbH
point-of-care diagnostics, their systems have reached the status
of series production and are available for IVD assay product
development preferably in OEM partnerships.
Biolitec AG is involved in the development and production
of photosensitisers for use in Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). The
biolitec group includes the CeramOptec brand of diode lasers
and medical & industrial fibres and biolitec Pharma, the manufacturer of Foscan®.
Further Developments
The historically grown linkage of different disciplines enabled
important innovations through the unification of know how in
the fields of development and application. Thuringia and the
BioRegio Jena Association will stay committed to this multidisciplinarity. The worldwide trend to miniaturization and automation will help the local as well as the international biotechnology industry to grow and prosper. We will use the existing
competences in micro- and nano-technology, in toolbuilding,
automation technology, sensors, physics, chemistry, optics
together with applications from biotechnology and medicine to
create competitive products and services.
Beutenberg Campus, Jena, Physics meet Life Sciences, © Beutenberg
Campus e.V.
of additional functionalities in multilayer-structures in ceramics and silicon by combination with modern materials.
The list of competitive young companies is long and can be
found on our homepage, in the “Network Guide Biotechnology
Thuringia”. In order just to give two examples for the broad
range of innovative products it may be useful to have a closer
look e.g. on the CLONDIAG chip technologies GmbH, which produces integrated analysis systems that enable the setup of novel
competitive multiparameter tests for in-vitro diagnostics (IVD).
Designed to meet the needs of modern laboratory and future
Contact:
BioRegio Jena e.V.
Dr. André H.R. Domin
Winzerlaer Strasse 2, D-07745 Jena
Tel. +49-3641-50 86-50
Fax +49-3641-50 86-55
[email protected]
www.bioinstrumente-jena.de
26
BioRegions NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA
LSA: The Life Science Partner in NRW
70 biotech companies, 250 medical technology companies and
100 pharma companies, 460 hospitals and more than 250 Life
Science institutes at universities and research institutes: this is
the core of Life Sciences in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Since January 2003 the LSA has been giving advice and support
for more than 100 projects, such as company start-ups, research
projects and plans for internationalisation. Established businesses and young start-ups rely on LSA’s know-how. LSA works
on the transfer of knowledge for the benefit of scientists and
entrepreneurs. A first milestone is the Life Science Atlas NRW
which includes comprehensive data from the relevant Life Science players and enables specific searches and direct contact to
prospective partners.
In addition, active press and public relations work contributes
to the acceptance of new technologies.
feasibility studies is supported when business ideas turn out
as innovative. The LSA team also provides important information for the most suitable choice for a business location. Apart
from individual consultation, prospective and already existing entrepreneurs can also make use of the offers for further
qualification: in seminars and workshops, experts pass on their
knowledge in the fields of company start-ups, expansion strategies, financial planning, company operations, legal matters and
marketing.
“We see ourselves as partners for growth-oriented Life Science companies and, as a catalyst, we ensure that science and
industry can come together quickly and successfully” says Dr.
Sylvia Deutschmann, head of the Düsseldorf agency. “It does not
matter whether a company is located in NRW or does business
here, we support companies from the fields of biotechnology,
medical technology and pharmaceuticals if they are planning,
for example, market access for their products and services or
aiming for international cooperations.”
Local focus with a global presence
Know-how in Life Science
Apart from LSA’s strategic partners, entrepreneurs can also
make use of the joint stands at international trade fairs to position themselves successfully on the global market.
Together with its clients, the LSA GmbH as a non-profit service
company looks for subsidies and financing options and guides
the worldwide transfer of knowledge between Life Science
companies, universities, research institutes and other health
care organisations. Writing business plans or commissioning
The LSA opens the door for Life Science companies in North
Rhine-Westphalia to important cooperation and business
partners and establishes contacts to development funds,
banks and venture capitalists. Global cooperations in central
markets and initial contacts to foreign target markets are the
central focus when corporate plans for internationalisation
are concerned.
Above all, the LSA makes use of specialist congresses and conferences to, for example, gain publicity for such specialised topics
Life Science Design for instance. LSA created the first international contest “life science design award concepts“ in 2005 with
more than 70 companies and institutes taking part. In addition,
the LSA regards itself as a “mouthpiece” for new technologies
and young entrepreneurs in NRW.
Support for Life Science projects in NRW
Medium-sized companies in particular look for help and advice
from the LSA GmbH where raising public subsidies is concerned.
In 2005 for instance, the LSA advised and supported about 30
projects with a total volume of more than 70 million euros. The
development of active substances, expansion of production
plants and start-ups are only a few development schemes subsidised by public funds within the framework of the LSA consultation service.
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA BioRegions
27
The cluster events carried out in cooperation with the partner
MeTNet NRW e.V. are one example for intersectoral projects.
Contacts and knowledge from sub-branches of the life sciences
can be exchanged regularly here. The topic “implants and
microsystem technology” is, for example, interesting for the
transfer of know-how between biotechnology and medical
technology because biotech innovations are increasingly
improving the surface quality of implants. The LSA presents
further cluster events on cardiology and radiology as well as
on IT in medicine.
In addition, the LSA also works closely with regional networks
such as the representatives of the four bioregions in North Rhine-Westphalia and also national committees such as BioRegionen Deutschlands, VDI, BVMed, BPI and VfA.
The Life Science Atlas NRW
A data bank as a basis for communication has been simplifying
first contacts to entrepreneurs and scientists from NRW since
October 2004. It is intended above all to initiate cooperations
between companies and universities. The aim is to quickly
develop completed research projects into marketable products
by means of cooperation with a partner company.
“Such a data bank provides the companies participating
with a research tool with which they can accurately select a
potential product that ﬁts their portfolio. On the other hand,
the data bank helps research institutes to ﬁnd those partners
needed for marketing their innovations. In this way, our data
bank represents a central contact point for our partners with
whom we can better and successfully guide the Life Science network in NRW,” says Sylvia Deutschmann, the head of the LSA.
The Atlas is also available in print and on CD.
In the net
In its national and international activities, the agency draws on
the experience and competence of its three partner associations Bio-Gen-Tec NRW, Health Care NRW and NeTNet NRW.
The expertise and contacts of the staff are not only collected
and coordinated here but also systematically consolidated and
extended.
Contact:
LSA Life Science Agency GmbH
Public Relations
Jennefer Vogt
Merowingerplatz 1, D-40225 Düsseldorf
Tel. +49-211-301 236-22
Fax +49-211-301 236-10
[email protected]
www.liscia.de
28
BioRegions NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA
Biotech Region
East Westphalia Lippe
Located in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany) the region East Westphalia-Lippe (Ostwestfalen Lippe
OWL) positioned itself successfully as BioRegion. Prosperous
local biotech companies are able to take roots in an agile area
affected by medium-sized companies, as well as an excellentstaffed scientific landscape.
At present, there are about 20 firms in the core-branch of
biotechnology with manifold business segments. The spectrum
spans from molecular biotechnology, fermentation, and cell
culture technology to seed breeding and food technology.
Due to its high economic power the food processing industry in OWL is the most important partner of biotech companies
outside the core-branch. As a user of biotechnological processes it is a affiliated partner and likewise important customer
in the field of analytics and process technology.
A special main focus of the region is the construction of instruments for biotechnology applications. Some of the biotech
companies in OWL captures this market successfully. This main
focus is completed and supported on the one hand by the new
established course of study “Apparative Biotechnology” at the
University of Applied Sciences Bielefeld and on the other hand
by the excellent know-how of the numerous engineering companies in the region.
The Bielefeld University is an important factor of the positive
development of biotechnolgy in OWL. Excellent focal points are
research projects in the field of genome research of microorganism, bioinformatics, and fermentation and cell culture
technology. Internationally accepted scientists from fhe Faculties of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and the Faculty of Technology closely cooperate at the Centre of Biotechnology (CeBiTec).
They promote, that research findings from all disciplines are
accumulated and proved for biotechnological application.
Unique for North Rhine-Westphalia is the Faculty of „Life
Science Technologies“ at the University of Applied Sciences
Lippe and Höxter, which bundles the spheres food-technology,
biotechnology, and technology of pharmaceutical and cosmetics production. This accounts for the interdisciplinary character of biotechnology.
The scientific basis is also broadened by the University of
Paderborn. Their Faculty of Physics accomplishes research in
nanobiotechnology.
For many years now in OWL a high standard on training comes
to the fore. Bielefeld skills technical assistants in the fields of
chemistry and biology. Therefore the region possesses not only
in the academic field but also in the technical field an exquisite
choice of excellent specialists.
The goal of the society Bio-Tech-Region OstWestfalenLippe e.V.
is to bundle and to network the regional activities in the field
of biotechnology. A special balance point is the promotion of
transferring research results into the industrial practice. The
society offers new founders help to establish their existence
by assisting them to convert their own business ideas into the
practice. Through events, information brochures, and discussions contacts co-operations will be established. The regional
biotech-network supports especially the exchange with other
industries to broaden the use of the innovation potential of
biotechnology.
Contact:
Biotech Region OstWestfalenLippe e.V.
Technologiezentrum Bielefeld
Erika Sahrhage
Meisenstraße 96, 33607 Bielefeld
Tel. +49-521-299 7470
Fax +49-521-299 7101
[email protected]
www.bio-owl.de
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA BioRegions
29
Münster – where Nanotechnology
meets Life Science
The focus “nanobioanalytics” of the Bioregion Münster is based
on the unique combination of exceptional competence in high
resolution analysis (electron microscopy, mass spectrometry,
near field probes) with top bio-medical research at the University of Münster, the University of Applied Science Münster and
the 30 local companies. Innovations in nanobioanalytics are especially supported by eight interdisciplinary research centers:
•
•
•
•
•
the
the
the
the
the
Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech)
Competence Center Nanoanalytics
German-Chinese Center for Nanoscience
Laser Center of the University of Applied Sciences
Interdisciplinary Center of Electron Microscopy
Supply of highly qualified work force is guaranteed by the
more than 5,000 students enrolled in the life science and
biomedical study courses at the University of Münster and the
engineer courses at the University of Applied Sciences Münster.
In addition, the “International Graduate School of Chemistry”,
•
•
the Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine
the Center for the Molecular Biology of Inﬂammation
(ZMBE)
the Interdisciplinary Center of Clinical Research (IZKF)
the institute for “Business Management in Chemistry” and the
“Institute for Entrepreneurship and Business development”
provide necessary management skills beside the scientific education and thereby ensure the commercial development of the
nanobioanalytics location Münster.
The research centres, companies and public business development agencies joined forces and founded the association
bioanalytik-muenster to co-ordinate activities of all partners
and to provide a central information and communication platform of the region. Due to the mutual efforts of all partners and
the focus on nanobioanalytics Münster today ranks among the
leading nanobiotechnology locations in Europe. This top level
position is emphasised by the co-leadership of the EC Network
of Excellence “Nano2Life”. This network will structure and
integrate the European nanobiotechnology research area into
a future European Institute of Nanobiotechnology within the
next four years.
•
Embedding of these research centers in the innovation campus
(about 20 minutes to the international airport Münster/Osnabrück) with an optimal infrastructure for set-up and growth
of companies fosters the effective transfer of innovations into
economic utilization. Special facilities are:
•
•
•
•
•
the Technologiehof Münster, which provides 10,000
square meters of laboratory space and ofﬁces for new
companies, consulting and services,
the Technologiepark Münster, which provides 66,000
square meters building plots for expanding companies,
the Biotechnology Center (BioZ) Münster with specialized laboratory space (S1, S2, GMP, clean room facilities) for biotech companies with special demands,
the Center for Nanotechnology (CeNTech), which
provides 2,500 square meters of specialized laboratory
space for nanobioanalytical research being performed
by university groups and companies, and
the EUREGIO Biotechnology Center, which provides
laboratory space, equipment and scientiﬁc personnel
for biotechnology start-up companies.
According to the main research areas of the research centres
most biotech companies offer analytical and diagnostic products and services for medical and environmental applications.
The spectrum ranges from microbiological and (bio)chemical
analysis to bio-chips and production of natural or synthetic
compounds. A unique selling point for Münster is the increasing cross-linkage and cooperation between the life-scienceSMEs and companies, which sell products and services for high
resolution nanoanalytics using mass spectrometry and near
field probes.
Contact:
bioanalytik-muenster
PD Dr. Klaus-Michael Weltring
Mendelstr. 11, D-48149 Münster
Tel. +49-251-980 121-2
Fax +49-251-980 121-3
[email protected]
www.bioanalytik-muenster.de
30
BioRegions NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA
LifeTechnologiesRuhr – Network for Medical Technology
and Biotechnology in the Ruhr Region
LifeTecRuhr – the biomedical, medical technological and
biotechnological competences are gathered under this roof in
the Ruhr region. More than 70 companies, all the universities in
the Ruhr region and numerous institutes and public institutions
are part of LifeTecRuhr. The state of North Rhine-Westphalia,
the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Projekt Ruhr GmbH
support the bundling of the strengths both financially and with
personnel.
The most dense clinic landscape in Europe is located in the
Ruhr region with over 130 hospitals, over 50,000 beds and more
than 80,000 employees. An enormous market for Life Technologies, which is closely linked to leading medical, engineering
and natural science focal points of research.
Ruhr Metropolitan Region:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
5.3 million inhabitants
20 million people within a radius of two hours
300 thousand employees in the health industry
133 hospitals
19 universities and technical colleges
35 technology centres
71 biotech / medtech companies
annual purchasing power of 79 billion euros
Life Science in the Ruhr region
The Ruhr region has a distinct spectrum of services in the medical technology and biotechnology sector. As a matter of fact,
there isn’t really anything that isn’t available here. Nevertheless, main focal points can be combined in which a clear concentration of research and application can be seen.
One of the tasks of the LifeTecRuhr Initiative is certainly to
unite these main focal points into clusters and to show them to
both external observers and also to those employed in the field.
LifeTecRuhr focuses on the following clusters
BioMaterials: Spare Parts for the Human Body
People in the industrialised countries are becoming older and
are participating in active life much longer. By doing so, the
requirement for replacement structures for the human body
is increasing: Worn joints or organs need to be replaced or the
strain on them relieved. Often, damaged joints could only be
replaced or repaired with the aid of transplants, suffering a major loss of function. Today, biomaterials play an important role
in the replacement of the body’s own structures. Function and
durability on the basis of bio-tolerable materials, high-precision
production and intelligent coatings are features of this new
generation of “spare parts”. Bioresorbant implants remain in
the body only for a limited time as the colonisation structure for
the body’s own tissue or for mechanical stabilisation. They are
slowly replaced by the patient’s own “autological” tissue.
Bio-IT: Fusion of Two Futuristic Branches
The growth potential of bio-information technology software
and services is estimated as being very high in Germany. Requirements do not only originate from biotech companies, but
also extend from pharmaceutical and agrobiotech firms to the
food industry. The challenge is to work out a common linguistic
ruling between both of these highly complex technical orientations so that valuable solutions can also be found for individual
approaches to problems. Focal points of the developments are
seen e.g. in the interpretation of genomic data and the conversion into protein data. Or better tools for the determination,
analysis and annotation of data.
BioMEMS: Laboratories in the Smallest of Spaces
Lab-on-a-Chip, –TAS and BioMEMS illustrate the lightning
advances in medical diagnostics and in the entire Life Science
sector. These headwords stand for reaction platforms with cavities, channels and structures on a micrometre or even nanometre scale, which can be manufactured with the aid of biomicrosystems technology. Lab-on-a-Chip systems function in the
same way as macroscopic laboratories, but on a chip card-sized
plastic substrate on which biological, chemical and physical
processes take place. Separation of samples, blood separation,
dosing and mixing are no problem with these microfluid platforms. These diagnostic chips – often in combination with new
micro-optic detection processes – are used in the point of care
or patient self-testing sectors. For years, the Ruhr district with
its companies and research establishments has been one of the
biomicrosystems technology regions in international demand.
BioProcessing: Microorganisms in the Service of Humanity
Bioprocess technology produces and uses cells, cell contents or
microorganisms for many areas of application. It serves environmental conservation, medical purposes such as diagnosis
and therapy, or cosmetic applications. The Ruhr district demonstrates a high degree of competence in this rapidly expanding discipline – from the establishment of new fermentation
processes, via up-scaling and industrial fermentation under
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA BioRegions
GMP conditions, to the purification and processing of highly
complex valuable materials. However, the resident companies
do not only use their experts themselves, but also successfully
offer them – on a nationwide and international basis – as part of
their services. This includes the modification of the microorganism with the aid of genetic engineering and molecular biology
via pilot fermentation, preparation and separation technology
to the industrial production of microorganisms, cell cultures
and their products.
Imaging: A Gentle Look Inside the Body
Medical research is constantly at the mercy of a balancing act of
developing methods of diagnosis and operation techniques that
put as little strain on the patient as possible, yet still provide reliable results. Therefore, modern and gentle imaging processes,
like magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) or ultrasound,
without the strain of x-rays are currently the trend. The MRT
allows doctors to carry out a full body diagnosis of vascular illnesses, such as aneurysms or embolisms, in only a few minutes
using easily tolerable contrast mediums. In the case of early
detection of cancer of the intestine, the MRT is already helping
today. A method from the Ruhr district of early detection of tumours in the small intestine with the aid of a mini camera that
is swallowed by the patient is also very promising. In contrast,
high-resolution ultrasound is perfectly suited for the diagnosis of skin cancer. Further experiments deal with so-called
“photoageing” – the premature ageing of the skin under the
influence of ultraviolet rays, which are produced in a solarium
for example.
Proteomics: On the Trail of the Molecules of Life
With the decoding of the human genome, the researchers
discovered a multitude of molecules in the body that may
cause illnesses and therefore could become the target for a
medicinal therapy. This pioneering advance poses a problem
for the pharmaceutical industry: It would be too lengthy and
costly to research all therapeutic targets and develop medicines
from them. One solution is proteomics in combination with
Bio-IT. If genomics only examines the construction plans for
an organism, proteomics analyses the functional molecules of
life, the proteins. On this level there is a considerable difference
between a healthy person and an ill person. The proteomics
and bio-information technology experts are organised into a
unique, internationally renowned network that stands at the
ready in the Ruhr district for the efficient and fast development
of medicines with the aid of applied proteomics.
Medical-IT: Better Care Through Better Information
The preparation and transmission of medically relevant images
is a challenge for science that has promise of success. The task
is comprised of the search for image format standards that are
as universally valid as possible, as well as for new processes for
image processing. An area that the Firma Visus from Bochum
are also looking into. A project by the TELTRA – Association for
Telematic Traumatology at the Bergmannsheil Accident Clinic
31
in Bochum concerns itself with the telematic transmission of
images of operation wounds. The benefit: Patients can be released from the clinic earlier if they are able to transmit pictures
of their wounds from their mobile phones to their attending
doctors for aftercare. Their stay in hospital is shortened, the
costs reduced and the healing process is accelerated because
the patient can recuperate in familiar surroundings.
Microsurgery: Small yet Precise –
Operations under the Microscope
Medical microtechnology is becoming more and more significant. Modern operative processes reduce the risk of infection,
leave smaller wounds and ensure a faster rehabilitation process:
The strain on the patient is reduced to a minimum. In addition, the use of microtechnology relieves the burden on the
health system. Due to the drastically reduced length of the stay
in hospital, the costs for the treatment are reduced. More and
more medical care institutions that use and continue to develop
the newest microtherapeutic operating theatre techniques are
establishing themselves in the Ruhr district. LifeTecRuhr is coordinating a project covering the whole of Europe. “The operating theatre of the future is being created in the Ruhr district”.
In addition to micro-ergonomics, it also deals with macro-ergonomics, the optimisation of working processes and the way
in which equipment in the operating theatre is operated by the
use of imaging processes.
LifeTecRuhr – Broad Catalogue of Services
Life Technologies Ruhr has made it their aim to identify and
sponsor the potential in the Ruhr region and to lend entrepreneurial development perspectives to their carriers of know-how.
By doing so, the group is following a very ambitious aim: The
formation of a self-supporting cluster in the Ruhr region.
Against this background, the work programme of Life Technologies Ruhr is aimed at all companies and institutes that wish
to share in and profit from the experience and the knowledge of
the participating companies and research institutions.
Contact:
Life Technologies Ruhr e.V.
Dr. Frank Eiden
Universitätsstrasse 142, D-44799 Bochum
Tel. +49-234-978 36-0
Fax +49-234-978 36-14
[email protected]
www.life-tec-ruhr.de
32
BioRegions NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA
BioRiver® Bioregion Cologne/Düsseldorf
BioRiver – Life Sciences in the Rhineland
Linking the German business centers of Bonn, Cologne and
Düsseldorf, the Rhine lends its name to the core region of North
Rhine-Westphalian biotechnology: BioRiver®. In the BioRiver
region, around three-quarters of the more than 300 life science companies in North Rhine-Westphalia are concentrated
between the business and university locations Aachen, Bonn,
Cologne and Düsseldorf. Virtually no other German bioregion
provides more jobs or generates more turnover or profit in
biotechnology than BioRiver.
BioRiver Companies
The outstanding feature of these thriving businesses is their
diversity. Their developments cover virtually every field in
medicine and range from allergology and asthma through dermatology, infectious diseases and oncology to neurology and
veterinary medicine. The technologies include tissue engineering and stem cell therapy as well as bioinformatics and gene
expression profiling. Oligonucleotid synthesis, analysis, process
development and the production of pharmaceutical materials
in accordance with GMP are only some of the services offered.
The Aachen/Jülich region completes the range with expertise in
bioprocess engineering.
Enabling technologies are an important field of activity in the
BioRiver region, which is home to some of the world market
leaders in their respective segment, notably Qiagen, Miltenyi
and Amaxa. Qiagen, which was founded as early as 1984 in Düsseldorf, is by far the largest German biotechnology company.
As one of the world’s most successful enterprises in this field,
Qiagen employs no less than 1,600 people in ten countries
worldwide. Yet another heavyweight in the German and international biotechnology sector is Miltenyi Biotec, based near
Cologne. Most of its 600 employees in Germany work in the
BioRiver region.
Drug-developing companies such as Biofrontera, Coley
Pharmaceuticals and Paion – the latter two companies listed
on the stock exchange since 2005 – all have advanced product
pipelines. Other companies, Rhein Biotech and Orthogen
for example, have already earned market success with their
products.
Global and major German players in the pharmaceuticals and chemicals scene, for instance Bayer HealthCare,
Grünenthal, Schwarz Pharma, Madaus, LanXess, Henkel and
Cognis, have established production and research facilities in
the BioRiver region, making it one of Europe’s prime locations
for pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
BioRiver Science
Internationally renowned universities and research institutes in
Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, Jülich and Düsseldorf characterize the
region’s innovative research scene. These institutions guarantee international, competitive research and pioneering ideas,
which they present jointly under the designation “BioRiver
Science.” As a result of the unique concentration of public and
private teaching and research facilities, BioRiver has become
one of the leading scientific regions in Germany. And at the
same time, with more than 150,000 students, this area is one of
the most important university education regions in Europe.
BioRiver Parks
Twenty Rhineland biotech and technology centers have joined
forces under the collective name BioRiver Parks. They boast over
200,000 m2 total accommodation, of which more than 70,000m2
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA BioRegions
33
is laboratory space (www.bioriverparks.de). Suitable working
conditions are a decisive factor in selecting business locations
both for young entrepreneurs and for expanding biotechnology
companies. The BioRiver Parks complement each other, with
the spectrum ranging from specialized incubators with links to
universities through to technology and development centers
with expertise in pharmaceutical product development and
manufacturing services.
BioRiver Cities
The business locations Aachen, Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf
represent the geographical hubs of BioRiver. In cooperation
with regional initiatives and institutions, they coordinate the
internal networking of the BioRiver region and, through the selective expansion of infrastructure, are the driving force behind
the development of the Rhineland biotech cluster.
Within a radius of only 30 miles, covering a conurbation
with more than 7.5 million inhabitants and an outstanding
transportation infrastructure, BioRiver has emerged as a compact and accessible biotech cluster. With the densest rail and
motorway network in the world and international airports at
Düsseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt (only 1 hour away by Intercity Express), BioRiver is networked with the globe.
And the area’s “soft facts” are very attractive too: prices are affordable even for moderate incomes, while diverse cultural programs and attractive leisure opportunities in the Rhineland’s
cities offer decisive benefits. A further location advantage
enjoyed by BioRiver is the availability of skilled personnel. Its
dense network of universities serves as an important education
venue for qualified biotechnological specialists, including the
middle qualification levels.
BioRiver e. V. – Network of Life Sciences
in the Rhineland
BioRiver – Life Science im Rheinland e.V. is a business-driven
network for the promotion of life-science industries and natural
sciences in the Rhineland bioregion.
One of the primary tasks undertaken by BioRiver is the coordination and active networking of individual players in this
multicenter region – companies, universities, technology centers, capital investors, service providers, cities and communities,
as well as institutions of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
BioRiver promotes contact and technology transfer between science and industry across the Rhineland bioregion,
performing a mediating function between research groups and
research projects on the one hand and industry on the other.
In close cooperation with local network partners, BioRiver
coordinates and implements location marketing measures, representing the region on a national and international level. The
network also exhibits at trade fairs and conferences, offering its
members a platform for their company communication.
BioRiver helps to optimize framework conditions for the
life sciences sector at both federal-state and regional level. In
coordination with the BioRiver network, the BioRiver Parks offer consultancy services to companies on the choice of business
location and provide assistance for start-ups and spin-offs.
Contact:
BioRiver – Life Science im Rheinland e.V.
Martin Kretschmer
Merowingerplatz 1a, D-40225 Düsseldorf
Tel.: +49-211-316 061 0
Fax: +49-211-339 815 9
[email protected]
www.bioriver.de
34
BioRegions NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA
BioRegion
Meuse Rhine Triangle
More than 300 companies are active in the field of life sciences
in the border region of Germany, Belgium, and Netherlands.
Furthermore, five universities residing in this area train approximately 17,000 students in medicine, biology, medical
engineering or biotechnology and several research institutes
have a significant life sciences focus. In the past, this was a sufficient reason for the European Union to support the project
“Heartbeat of Life Sciences in Europe – Meuse Rhine Triangle“.
Ever since, seven partners have been closely working together
in this trinational region to create a “Silicon Valley“ for medical engineering and biotechnology.
Channelling of Expertises
The regional development agency AGIT coordinates the cluster
initiative, which meanwhile has become a self-runner. In
terms of status-quo, the partners have identified common core
competences, such as biomaterials, for instance produced by
Matricel in Herzogenrath. The young company based in the
Technology Park Herzogenrath helps to get cartilage-injured
athletes back on their feet. In future, newly cultured cartilage
cells on the carrier material from Matricel should be available
for the patients. Companies such as DSM in Heerlen or DASGIP
in Jülich stand for a further core competence of life sciences in
the Meuse Rhine Triangle: Bioengineering. DASGIP e.g. offers all
round equipment for fermentation, the large scaled production of microbial produced materials. DASGIP works together in
close cooperation with further companies at the location Jülich,
like AC Biotec, Celonic, or Jülich Fine Chemicals in industrial
biotechnology.
In addition to the German company Grünenthal with
its long tradition, Belgian companies, such as Tibotec, also
concentrate on diagnostics and therapeutics. The pharmaceutical enterprise from Mechelen develops drugs for HIV
treatment- a hope for people infected with the AIDS virus.
Well known is the company PAION in Aachen since it successfully went public. PAION develops drugs for stroke therapy.
The agent Desmoteplase is expected to be launched in 2008.
The company AplaGen from Baesweiler as agent of the main
field genomics and proteomics develops miniature reverse
engineering of bio molecules, such as the haematopoiesis
protein Erythropoietin.
Eurogentec, as a spin off of the University of Liege, is an excellent partner concerning kits and compact solutions for bio
molecular laboratories. Medical engineering as core competence: Netherlands-domiciled Medtronic produces hardware
for cardiovascular therapy, such as cardiac pacemakers or intracardiac catheters, and FEG textile technology from Aachen
has recently launched an innovative and well compatible net
product to treat abdominal wall fractures.
Research in the Meuse-Rhine-Triangle
As far as R&D is concerned, the Meuse Rhine Triangle has much
to offer as well: the three Fraunhofer Institutes (molecular biology and ecology, laser technology and production technology),
all domiciled in Aachen, play an important role in the large
field of life sciences.
Affiliated to the University of Maastricht are the three centres of competence CARIM (a European leader in the research
field of cardiovascular disease), NUTRIM (research from functional food up to alimentary toxicology), and GROW (research
of early stadiums of human development and tumours).
NORTH RHINE-WESTPHALIA BioRegions
The centre GIGA, which resides in Liege, unites all Liege institutes and chairs in the field of genomics and proteomics, so it can
therewith underline the region’s claim to play a major role in
the field of bioengineering. Furthermore, the multidisciplinary
Helmholtz-Institute for biomedical engineering in Aachen
brings together medical institutes with faculties in engineering terms. The institute for example develops innovative
cardiac-support-methods and image-controlled therapies.
35
university hospital), and the Medical Technology Centre in
Aachen in the heart of the life sciences campus.
The people in the Meuse Rhine Triangle are avowing Europeans, outspoken and sincere; the region also increasingly
acts as a model for European integration. The inhabitants of
the Meuse Rhine Triangle, about 3.8 million people, enjoy the
unique diversity of the multicultural offer and international
gastronomy.
Three Countries Meet in the Heart of Europe
Among public R&D facilities, the Meuse Rhine Triangle is the
home of numerous private centres of life sciences, such as
the Philips Research Centre in Aachen (especially active in
the fields of molecular imaging and ehealth), and the Bakken
Research Centre of Medtronic in Maastricht.
The common aim of the partners is to integrate the diverse
competences and players even more closely. The seven project
partners are: the technology transfer offices of the universities
Liege, Maastricht and RWTH Aachen, the regional development agency AGIT in Aachen, the Netherlands NV Industry
bank LIOF from Maastricht, the City of Maastricht and the
economic development agency (WFG) East Belgium domiciled
in Eupen.
The Meuse Rhine Triangle not only convinces by its concentrated life sciences know-how, but also by its excellent
European location. It is quickly accessible by the international
airports Cologne-Bonn, Dusseldorf, Maastricht-Aachen, and
Liege. Cologne and Dusseldorf are located less than one-hour
away. Paris is via train “Thalys” about three hours from Aachen
away, Brussels one and a half. With the new high-speed route,
only two hours are needed to reach Frankfurt via high-speed
link. The biggest cities of the Meuse Rhine Triangle are Aachen
with 250,000, Liege with 200,000, and Maastricht with 125,000
inhabitants.
Companies can find made-to-measure environments
for R&D in several specialised Technology Centres, such as
the Tilman Science Park in Liege close by the university, the
BioPartner Centre in Maastricht (locally connected with the
Contact:
Heartbeat of Life Sciences in Europe –
Meuse Rhine Triangle
Dipl.-Biol. Ute Steinbusch
Technologiezentrum am Europaplatz
52068 Aachen
Tel. +49-241-963 10-61
[email protected]
www.heartbeatineurope.org
36
BioRegions HESSE
BioRegion Hesse: the whole length of
the Life Science value chain in a single region!
With more than 70,000 persons employed in the chemical
and pharmaceutical industry and in medical technology, the
State of Hesse rates among the top locations for Life Sciences in
Europe. Hesse, centered business-wise round Frankfurt, offers
bioengineered products for diagnostics and medicine along
the entire value chain – with a complete range of facilities, from
basic research via clinical research to production, logistics and
marketing, the conditions here are unique throughout Germany. Hesse is THE region in Germany for Business with Biotech!
Science and research
Work is going on at ﬁve universities, three university clinics
and ﬁve research institutes, where more than 600 professors
and around 17,000 students are engaged in Life Sciences. Main
focus areas include the Center for Membrane Proteomics and
the Biologicals in Frankfurt, terrestrial microbiology and tumor
research in Marburg, and medical research in Giessen. Darmstadt
concentrates particularly on bionics and metagenomic research.
Business
Hesse is the domicile of major Life Science corporations like
Sanofi-Aventis, Bayer CropScience, Altana, Merck, Fresenius, B.
Braun, Dade-Behring and Abbott. These are followed throughout the whole region by ambitious medium-sized companies
like Brain, Merz, Biotest or Zentaris, to name only a few. All are
backed up by a wide range of highly professional service
providers in the areas of clinical research, production, law,
finance, human resources, marketing and sales.
Infrastructure
The region’s economic strength is determined by an excellent
transport infrastructure. Frankfurt Airport, the principal hub
in Continental Europe, is a decisive factor in global biotech
business. Its central location means rapid connections to all
parts of Germany.
Apart from transport, Hesse also offers unusually favorable conditions for erecting and operating labs and production
plants. Nowhere else is there such a dense cluster of open
Industrial Parks, each individual Park having its own very
special character:
At the Behring Works in Marburg, 4,000 persons alone
are employed for the production of vaccines, diagnostics and
plasma products. Such focus on modern biotechnology is
unique.
The Kalle-Albert Industrial Park in Wiesbaden is a production center for specialty chemistry, plastic films and artificial
resins. It is also engaged in R&D activities in biotechnology
and nanotechnology.
The Höchst Industrial Park with more than 20,000 employees is the location of the most fully up-to-date biotech production plants in Europe. It also harbors a wide range of research
activities, including in particular the pharmaceutical industry
and numerous start-ups.
The Hanau-Wolfgang Industrial Park with 4,000 employees continues to be Degussa’s largest research location, which
concentrates mainly on “white” biotechnology and specialty
chemistry.
But the region is not only a location for commercial producers and suppliers. Giessen, Marburg and Frankfurt also
maintain three Innovation Centers, which set their sights on
young, innovative biotech firms. They see their role as business incubators and support young biotech firms actively by
providing services and network management.
HESSE BioRegions
Main focus areas
Hesse is one of the cornerstones for the development of white
biotechnology in Germany. Companies like Brain, BioSpring or
Degussa, and the DECHEMA in Frankfurt, carry on the tradition
of industrial biotechnology started originally by companies like
Röhm.
Frankfurt remains, now as ever, the top region in Germany
for pharmaceutical R&D. Sanofi-Aventis alone has 2,000 people
working on R&D projects.
Hesse is the ideal location for Clinical Research. The quality
offered here is rated by the CROs above that of other German
regions and is fully competitive at the international level. With
its dense clustering of CROs and its ideal transport facilities,
37
Hesse also maintains a network of Technology and Founder
Centers with specifically tailored offers for start-ups. These are
integrated into regional and local networks and ensure vital
exchanges of information with banks, administrative bodies
and other companies.
And finally, with the Aktionslinie hessen-biotech, the HA
Hessen Agentur GmbH coordinates the biotech activities of
Hesse’s Ministry of Economics. Among the services it provides
are joint stands at important Trade Fairs, the presentation of
branch information in databases, and cooperative participation
on committees.
Hesse is the ideal operating base for clinical projects throughout Europe, with its 750 million population.
Hesse is beyond all doubt a major center for biotechnological production. Highly modern plants for the production of
recombinant proteins are located in Marburg and Frankfurt.
Many service providers are at hand with all the know-how necessary for planning and constructing such plants and operating them in compliance with GMP.
Business promotion
The Government of the State of Hesse makes use of various speciﬁc
instruments to boost Life Sciences and Chemistry in the region.
The national Business Plan Competition Science4Life, carried
through in cooperation with Sanoﬁ-Aventis, is aimed at potential
company founders and offers a wide range of consulting services.
1,438 participants with 428 business concepts have proﬁted from
the competition during the six years in which it has been running.
The early-stage promotion program Hessen-Invest BioStart
opens up financial support for founders in the pre-seed phase.
This unique program enables founders to secure funds during
the difficult seed-financing stage.
Contact:
HA Hessen Agentur GmbH
Dr. Detlef Terzenbach
Abraham-Lincoln-Str. 38-42, D-65189 Wiesbaden
Tel. +49-611-774 86-13
Fax +49-611-774 86-20
[email protected]
www.hessen-biotech.de
38
BioRegions HESSE
Future technologies in Marburg:
Biotechnology Initiative Marburg
One of Marburg’s most outstanding economic development
factors surely is the field of life sciences as do show not only the
rates of growth of the companies that have developed from the
former Behringwerke. Also the Philipps-University departments of biology, chemistry, medicine and pharmacy together
with the Max-Planck-Institute are an impressive demonstration of the scientific and economic potentials available in that
region. Top positions in inter-university ranking and the many
company conceptions from Marburg that were prize-winning
in the nation-wide Science4Life contest convincingly underline
Marburg’s reputation in this regard. The vision that the success
story of noble-prize winner and entrepreneur Emil von Behring
could be repeated is shared by many professionals active in
the promotion of economic development. Therefore, a closemeshed promotion network for company founders and young
companies has been established
Especially for life sciences the conditions in Marburg are
most favourable, since the combination of university, MaxPlanck-Institute, the Behring successor companies and municipal administration offer location factors unique as to their
regional density and concentration. The Philipps-University
assists in the so-called ‘gentle foundation scheme’, by supplying
laboratory equipment for a limited period of time. The town
itself offers low-price laboratory premises in the newly-created
Natural Sciences Foundation Centre, the Naturwissenschaftliches Gründerzentrum (NTZ). In already well-established large
and small BioTechcompanies (e. g. Aventis Behring, Dade
Behring, Chiron Behring, Mochem, Taros Custom, and Vectron
Therapeutics) young founders find potential partners providing
expert knowledge.
To promote the development and practical use of biotechnology in Marburg the town started a Biotechnology Initiative
together with representatives of the federal state of Hesse, the
university, the Max-Planck-Institute and the Behring successor
companies. Potential founders and young start-up companies
receive practical assistance by procuring co-operation partners
and showing and offering them possible sponsoring sources.
This Biotechnology Initiative has an advisory board consisting
of key executives of the university, the Max-Planck-Institute, the
Behring successor companies, the federal state of Hesse, and the
town of Marburg. In its latest internet presentation the Initiative shows all at one click under www.initiative-biotechnologie.
de.
Relevant research priorities and their representatives are
as well presented as the methods and equipment of university
institutions and the product lines of Marburg’s BioTech companies. At Förderangebote / Promotion Offers a virtual direct link
to network partners on federal government and federal state
levels is installed. Substantial is also the survey over the industrial site areas available together with the respective responsible to address. News informs on latest news, occurrences and
events. To further improve the conditions for biotechnology in
Marburg, public forums together with the university and other
promotional institutions are planned for the future, as well as
sporadic BioTech meetings presenting research priorities and
main fields of activity and the opportunity to talk and exchange
ideas with experts. These meetings shall take place about four
times a year and become an ‘institution’ in Marburg
Contact:
Biotechnologie Initiative Marburg
Wolfgang Liprecht, Dr. Roloff Johannsen,
Dr. Jochen Stauder
Tel. +49-6421 201-291
Fax +49-6421 201-293
[email protected]
www.initiative-biotechnologie.de
HESSE BioRegions
39
BioRegion Frankfurt:
Biotech goes Business
The Frankfurt-Rhein-Main region offers anexcellent opportunity to capitalise on recent breakthroughs in the life sciences.
Its biotechnology network, business community, location and
infrastructure combine to create the perfect environment for
success in the European biotech market. As Europe’s largest
„pharmacy“, Frankfurt region hosts more than 100 biotech
oriented companies. Many international companies such as
Aventis
Pharma, Abbott, E. Merck, and Fresenius provide opportunities for collaborative agreements and strategic alliances.
Five universities, 8 technical colleges, and over 100 research
institutes in the area form the basis for research and development with a strong focus on structural biotech research and
than just a real-estate project. Its management will also take
the leading role for the development of the life science industry
in Frankfurt by implementing and accelerating new processes
which are not being sufficiently driven by the market economy.
FIZ‘s success is based on a balanced mix of tenants consist-
bio-informatics. In these fields, the University of Frankfurt is
endowed with stateof- the-art equipment and research personal
and is ranked within the top 10 research facilities world wide.
The advances made here in Frankfurt in the fields of structural
biotech research and bio-informatics put the Frankfurt business
location five years ahead of all other German biotech regions, as
these science disciplines form the decisive link between innovation and production.
ing of young, already established biotechnology companies
with a certain financial backing and experience and real
newcomers, start-ups that are ready to charge the field of
biotechnology with their fresh, innovative ideas. The mix of
tenants creates synergies which will improve the closer linking
of research and development.
In the heart of Europe
Another cornerstone ist the the Center for Drug Research,
Development and Safety (ZAFES). It was founded at the Johann
Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt in 2002 as a “center
of excellence” and core of a think-tank to combine the best
knowledge of the three worlds “university”, “pharmaceutical
industry” and “biotechnology” in order to find innovative drugs
in a more rapid process.
Basis for ZAFES is the combination of university resources
and experts as well as a networking infrastructure between
work groups and institutes. This process enables research
projects that can not be handled efficiently through one single
institution. Partnerships with industry and biotechnology companies can be realized more efficiently and successful.
The city of Frankfurt am Main lies at the heart of the European
continent. Its strategic location has led Frankfurt to become
a centre for trade and commerce. With the largest airport in
continental Europe, Europe’s biggest passenger train station,
excellent cargo ports (both river and air), access to Germany’s
most important Autobahns, unparalleled telecom infrastructure, and continental Europe’s busiest internet hub, the city of
Frankfurt is the perfect portal for European market entry. Next
to its superb infrastructure the region also has several interesting initiatives for the advancement of the biotech industry. In
the year 2000, companies as well as other organizations who
are interested in an accelerated growth of the biotechnology
industry, joined up as the Frankfurt Bio Tech Alliance. This interest group, in which ad hoc working groups formulate biotech
projects, strives to promote Frankfurt as a biotech cluster on
a national and international level in order to attract foreign
direct investment. The Frankfurt Bio Tech Alliance features
Frankfurt biotech firms such as Sanofi Aventis, venture capital
firms such as Future Capital AG, as well as Frankfurt‘s prominent research and industry park InfraServ Hoechst and the
Frankfurt Airport/Tradeport and many other small and medium
sized companies
One cornerstone of the biotechnology region is the Frankfurt Innovation Center for Biotechnology (FIZ). It links the financial, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology sectors and moves
ideas and projects from mind to market. The FIZ is to be more
The best of three worlds
Contact:
Frankfurt Bio Tech Alliance e.V,
Miriam Bracht
Altenhöferallee 3, D-60438 Frankfurt am Main
Tel. +49-69-800 865-10
Fax +49-69-800 865-19
[email protected]
www.biotech-alliance.de
40
BioRegions SAARLAND
NanoBioNet – the interdisciplinary Centre of
Excellence of Nanobiotechnology
The Saarland and the Rhineland Palatinate states together
with the centre of excellence NanobioNet e.V. took part in the
BioProfile Contest. Right from the beginning this project was
planed as a network and to be continued after the contest. The
network consists of many partners from industry, research and
as well from the administration of the two states. The interdisciplinary field of nanobiotechnology, which unites the innovation potential of nano- and biotechnology, makes it possible
to establish new methods for developing physiologically safe
and biocompatible materials and/or surfaces with the help of
biomimetic processes. Nanobiotechnology is thus particularly
directed towards developing methods and materials that find
application in the fields of biology, medicine, medical technology, cosmetics and food technology. In this region you will
already find companies, which put their products successfully
on the market. Some of the applications already available:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
accompanying measures to boost the innovative powers
in the ﬁelds of nano- and biotechnology in the region
active public relations work in order to promote information about nano- and biotechnology and create public
awareness for this high-tech sector
promoting research and development
supporting initial and advanced training in the ﬁeld of
nano- and biotechnology
Intelligent materials for improved medicotechnical articles, bone and vascular implants, ﬁlters, membranes and
food packaging
Nanoparticles as vehicles for drugs, as components in
compounds and paints
Sensors for medical diagnostics as well as environmental
and food analyses
Methods aimed at the speciﬁc modiﬁcation of technical
surfaces made from glass, ceramics, metal and plastics for
all branches of industry
NanoBioNet is a competent network of universities, research institutes, clinics, enterprises and experts from the ﬁelds of technology transfer, patenting, business and ﬁnancing. A horizontally as
well as vertically organised strategy guarantees every stage of the
value chain is covered, from Research and Development through
to the marketing and distribution of new or improved products.
The NanoBioNet e.V. association
The NanoBioNet e.V. association was founded as a platform for
developing the region’s leading edge in the field of nano- and
nanobiotechnology and informing the general public about the
potential of this new field of technology. In the executive committee are Representatives from the Saarland and RhinelandPalatinate from the fields of science, business and politics. The
objectives of the association are:
•
•
the consistent development of nano- and biotechnology
expertise
the national and international positioning of the region
as a competitive centre of excellence in the ﬁeld of nanobiotechnology
Contact:
NanoBioNet e.V. – Science-Park Saar
Martin Monzel
Stuhlsatzenhausweg 69, D-66123 Saarbrücken
Tel. +49-681-6857-364
Fax +49-681-6857-795
[email protected]
www.nanobionet.de
BAVARIA BioRegions
41
Network “Life Science Bavaria”
Bavaria is one of Europe’s leading Biotech regions. One important reason for this is the excellent scientific infrastructure
with institutions such as the universities of Munich (LudwigMaximilians-University and Technical University), Würzburg,
Regensburg, Erlangen and Bayreuth, the Max-Planck-Institutes
for Biochemistry, Neurobiology and Psychiatry or the GSF- National Research Centre for Environment and Health.
There are currently approximately 150 Biotech companies
with more than 3,000 employees in Bavaria. Activities include
the development of new drugs and diagnostics, bioinformatics,
chip technology, tissue engineering and plant biotechnology.
Examples of leading biotech companies in Bavaria are MediGene, GPC Biotech, MorphoSys, Wilex and Idea in Martinsried
and Munich, Pieris and Icon Genetics in Freising-Weihenstephan, TeGenero and Vasopharm in Würzburg as well as
Antisense Pharma und Geneart in Regensburg.
The successful development of biotechnology in the region
is reflected by the fact that Bavarian biotech companies in the
greater Munich area alone are currently testing more than 70
potential drug candidates in pre-clinical and clinical studies.
This excellent infrastructure is further reinforced by the
presence of large companies in the chemical and pharmaceutical
industry, in the nutrition sector and in medical engineering that
all utilise biotechnology in diverse processes. For example, Roche
is currently investing approximately half a billion euros in an expansion of its Penzberg site, which now has approximately 4,000
employees working in research, development and production.
The combination of high-quality research, growing smalland medium-sized enterprises as well as established larger
companies offers an excellent basis for the future development
of Bavaria as a biotechnology hub. There is huge potential in
the application of current biotechnological research results for
new products, processes and services. The application spectrum
includes drug and diagnostic development, functional foods
and bioprocesses for the production of new substances and
materials.
In today’s competitive setting, companies are required to
remain innovative in order to target and apply results rapidly.
In consideration of these dynamics therefore, direct contact to
potential customers and cooperation partners is an important
factor to stay ahead of the competition.
With this in mind, Bayern Innovativ GmbH established the
Network “Life Science Bavaria” together with the coordinators
of the Bavarian bioregions – BioM AG, BioPark Regensburg GmbH
and BioMedTec Franken e.V. – and with the support of the Bavarian State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Transport
and Technology. The goal of the Network is to provide up-todate information about the latest developments and emerging
trends in biotech, as well as to initiate personal contacts so that
novel constellations of national and international cooperation
can be realised. New themes and their implementation will
bring potential partners together on an interdisciplinary level.
The Network ‘Life Science Bavaria’ encompasses subjects around
biotechnology that range from drug development, plant genetics in agriculture, functional food in nutrition, biotooling and
tissue engineering for medicine or bioprocess engineering in
the chemical industry and the environmental area.
Central to the Network are various cooperation platforms,
where companies and institutes can obtain the latest relevant
information and make contacts to potential partners. The international “Forum Life Science” biennial congress for example
brings together experts from all the various life science areas.
In 2005, the congress was attended by 900 participants from
20 countries and focused on “Biotech for Pharma”, “Food and
Nutrition“, and “Bioengineering”. Further examples of platforms are thematically focused cooperation forums as well as
One-on-One cooperation meetings, joint stands at international
high-tech fairs such as Analytica in Munich or Biotechnica in
Hannover and individual technology transfer projects.
The network will be further extended on an international
level through contacts to leading centres and institutes, e.g. in
Canada (Biotech City in Laval, Quebec), France, Great Britain, the
Netherlands and USA.
The www.lifescience-bavaria.de internet site as well as the
quarterly English newsletter offer information about network
activities as well as continuous releases and updates from and
about the companies and institutes.
Contact:
Bayern Innovativ GmbH
Netzwerk „Life Science Bavaria“
Prof. Dr. Josef Nassauer, Dr. Matthias Konrad,
Dr. Kerry Tzu-Hui Nip, Thomas Etterer
Gewerbemuseumsplatz 2, D-90403 Nürnberg
Tel. +49-911-206 71-0
Fax +49-911-206 71- 766
[email protected]
www.bayern-innovativ.de
www.lifescience-bavaria.de
42
BioRegions BAVARIA
The BioMedTec Franken: Joining forces in the university
triangle Würzburg, Erlangen-Nuremberg and Bayreuth
Franconia is a region in the north of Bavaria that draws on the
resources of three of the top-ten German universities, Würzburg, Erlangen-Nuremberg and Bayreuth. The region is organized within the network “BioMedTec Franken”. The specialized
life science profiles of each of the universities contribute to a
complementary and comprehensive spectrum of research and
technologies. This forms the basis for new commercial applications, with close to 40 companies, more than half of which have
been founded within the last 5 years.
Erlangen-Nuremberg - Medical Technology
Bayreuth - Structural Biology, Biomaterials and
Biochemistry
The city of Erlangen and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg are striving to become Germany’s federal capital of
medical research, production and services. The university and
Bayreuth has the smallest university within the triangle, however it receives the largest amount of federal research grants
per scientist in the field of biomedicine in Germany. Bayreuth
specializes in structural biology, hosting one of the top-five
NMR centers nationwide. The mission of a new interdisciplinary incubator is structure-based and biochemistry-driven
research in drug development. Projects are mostly pursued
in cooperation with industry, such as the development of biochemical read-out systems for lab-on-a-chip applications. The
new building, which opened in 2004, also houses the BZKG, a
research center for colloids and surfaces. The BZKG adds further
emphasis to a local focus which is defined by the Friedrich-Baur
Institute for Biomaterials.
the State of Bavaria support this goal by building up decisive
new infrastructures. An important milestone is the recently
finished Institute of Medical Technology. It was incorporated
into the same building block as the Innovation Center for
Medical Technology and Pharma (IZMP). The transfer of ideas
from academia to companies and vice versa is also catalyzed
by the central location of the IZMP between the global player
Siemens Medical Solutions and many university institutes.
The new graduate program “Medical Technology” completes
the picture by promoting young scientists in the field. All the
other commercial developments in the life sciences also benefit from the medical technology-cluster. november AG is one
of the first public biotechnology companies in Germany and is
just one case in point.
Würzburg – Biomedicine
Würzburg is proud of a long-standing tradition in biomedical
research. The Theodor-Boveri Institute for Biosciences and the
Rudolf-Virchow-Center for Experimental Biomedicine, named
after scientists who worked in Würzburg, are but two institutions that keep up this tradition of world class interdisciplinary
research. Würzburg is also home to excellent research into the
genomics of infection biology, as shown by the federally funded
Competence Center PathoGenoMik and the European Network
of Excellence EuroPathoGenomics. Both are headquartered in
Würzburg. The necessary bioinformatics expertise is provided
by the only Institute for Bioinformatics in northern Bavaria. The
institute is a corner-stone of the Franconian Bioinformatics Network. Würzburg ranks second among all German universities in
attracting research funds. As expected, this also translates into
many commercially interesting projects. The incubator and
innovation center “BioMed/ZmK” is the ideal place for new enterprises spinning-off from such projects. It is located within a
large Science Park providing ample space for company growth
and settlements.
BAVARIA BioRegions
43
and industry experts in Franconia. The network comprises the
Franconian universities, companies, local and district administrations, and other important support organisations such as
the Business Plan Competition Northern Bavaria. BioMedTec
Franken is part of the Network “Life Science Bavaria”, which
brings the Bavarian bioregions of the Munich area, Regensburg
and Franconia together under one roof.
Companies
Franconia is the youngest of the biotechnology regions in Bavaria, but it is growing quickly. Out of almost 40 companies, the
majority of which have been founded since 2000, most are spinouts from the universities. Two particular clusters of companies
have developed. Immunotherapy of cancer and other diseases
forms the business core of companies such as Argos Therapeutics, OncoMab, Responsif or TeGenero. A second emphasis is on
the area of regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and biomaterials. BioCer, BioGate, Bionic Surfaces, CellMed or Sewiras
are part of a long list of companies in this field.
BioMedTec Franken e.V.- Network Management
BioMedTec Franken e.V. was founded by scientists from the
three Franconian universities as a non-profit organization in
1999 and is supported by the Bavarian “High Tech Initiative“. Its
purpose is to build a biotechnology community in Franconia, to
support biotechnology start-ups with information and networkcontacts, to initiate and coordinate new collaborative projects
Contact:
BioMedTec Franken e.V.
Dr. Stephan Schröder-Köhne
Friedrich-Bergius-Ring 15, D-97076 Würzburg
as well as to attract public funding and investors to Franconia.
Among other activities the organisation supports the central
management of the NoE “EuroPathoGenomics”. It also organises international conferences dealing with the main regional
biotechnology topics, bringing together leading academic
Tel. +49-931-299 88-75
Fax +49-931-299 88-94
www.biomedtec-franken.de
[email protected]
44
BioRegions BAVARIA
BioPark Regensburg:
Economy in Progress
The BioPark Regensburg GmbH is the management and administrative headquarters of the biotechnology research cluster
known as BioRegio Regensburg in the heart of Bavaria. Located
at the northernmost point of the Danube, currently 42 firms
with over 1,100 employees are active in the field of life sciences.
As a result, the BioRegio Regensburg has become one of the
most important region for Biotechnology in Bavaria, second
only to Munich.
Regensburg’s Economy is booming
The development of innovative technologies in and around
the city is booming. Regensburg and the surrounding area
have developed into one of the strongest economic regions in
Bavaria in the last few decades. The city has become a magnet
for leading international high-tech companies like BMW AG
(automobiles), Infineon AG (megachips), Siemens VDO Automotive AG (automotive technologies), Osram Opto Semiconductors
GmbH (light-emitting diodes), Krones AG (bottling plants and
brewing equipment), Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH (gear
switching) and Toshiba Europe GmbH (notebooks).
Research at University Campus in Regensburg
With its university, the University of Applied Sciences and its
Medical Center, the city of Regensburg possesses the youngest
and most modern “set up” in Bavaria, where 6,500 academic
and technical staff and 23,500 students are working. Various
special fields of research of the German Research Association
(DFG) and several assistance measures provided by the Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) are present at
Regensburg. The services of well-known foundations such as
José Carreras or Volkswagen have also been obtained for the
research work. Others like the Human Tissue & Cell Research
Foundation will help patients with liver disease by develop-
ing new methods for therapy. Research is being performed in
Regensburg on therapies to combat cancers such as leukemia
and brain tumors, as well as on the development of serums to
fight AIDS. Furthermore the Regensburg research groups are
involved in the fight against Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases too. In the field of infection biology the Medical Center is
a partner of the renowned World Health Organization (WHO).
Regensburg is also the focus of European studies for the testing of new types of diagnostic systems for metabolic illnesses,
which lead to arteriosclerosis and thrombosis.
The BioPark Regensburg
The BioPark Regensburg GmbH has a surface area of 12,000
sqm, offering state-of-the-art laboratory, office and storage
space for companies and institutes in the fields of biotechnology and medical technology. In addition attractive office
space is offered for associated services. BioPark is located
directly on the university campus within walking distance
(infrastructure). Currently over 20 tenants from the fields of
biotechnology, university institutes and services are active in
two buildings.
Success Made at BioPark in Regensburg
BioPark companies have repeatedly been awarded prizes for
their innovative business areas. In 2004 Antisense Pharma
GmbH received the Bavarian Innovation Award and additionally the German Founder Award for its development of a new
therapy for tumors. In 2003 the Regensburg gene-synthesis
company Geneart GmbH received the Bavarian Founder’s
Prize and was honored in 2004 for “One oft the 10 Most
Fascinating Innovations” by the Financial Times Germany.
As a result of the integration of the BioPark with regional
Business Plan Competitions young entrepreneurs from the
University have started their careers at BioPark in Regensburg.
In 2004 the start-up company Si4Health GmbH was awarded
the national Science4Life Venture Cup for its development in
the field of tissue engineering. The start-up company LipoFIT
GmbH was awarded a University Founder Prize 2004 for its
new diagnostic system of arteriosclerosis. In addition university institutes have completed this successful story. The Tumor
BAVARIA BioRegions
Center Regensburg, also located at BioPark, was awarded the
“eEurope Awards for eHealth – 2003“ for Telemedicine by the
European Commission. As one of the first Affymetrix Service
Providers in Germany, the Center of Excellence for Fluorescent
Bioanalysis offers its customers expression profiling with the
newest GeneChip Generation since 2003.
BioPark goes international
One highlight was in 2000, when the US-NASDAQ-listed biotech company Tularik Inc. in San Francisco decided to conduct
its European business and research activities from the Regensburg BioPark. In 2004 Amgen Inc. acquired Tularik, subsequently the subsidiary in Regensburg was renamed to Amgen
Research GmbH. Amgen is a leading global biotechnology
company that develops and manufactures human pharmaceutical substances. Further international regional companies
should be mentioned: Bionorica AG in Neumarkt in Northern
Bavaria, a world leader in production of drugs from vegetable
raw materials (Phytotherapy). Innocoll GmbH in Saal on the
Danube is a European market leader in the development and
production of implants and replacement tissue, e.g. for bone
damage or burns. Besides biotechnology, medical engineering
45
Outlook
The attractiveness of the location is also distinguished by its
unique scientific focus. This was confirmed once again by a
Biotech Cluster Study in 2004/2005. Assisted by Capgemini
Deutschland GmbH the status quo of the BioPark and BioRegio
Regensburg infrastructure were analysed. All critical success
factors for the creation of a thriving biotech culture have been
established, as well the optimal organization and coordination
of the biotech landscape in Regensburg is provided by BioPark
Regensburg GmbH. For the effective promotion of further
development of biotechnology Capgemini and BioPark have
started an analysis of interdisciplinary fields to link biotechnology with other disciplines of research and industry in the
region. A first step was already achieved, when the city of
Regensburg, ten companies and the Universities of Regensburg
signed a strategic partnership agreement intended to provide
a foundation for the continued development of Regensburg
becoming the leading sensor production centre in Germany.
Our next milestone will be in 2007 with the development of a
13-hectare technology park near the University, Medical Centre
and BioPark.
Contact:
is developing in the region and is also becoming a main focus.
The firm Wilden AG, a world leader in the field of medical
engineering (plastic components), relocated its headquarters
to Regensburg in 2001. Wilden AG and november AG located in
Erlangen have combined their competences for the development and serial production of micro-fluidic lab chips for
near-patient nucleic acid, e.g. inflectional diseases and serial
production was recently initiated. RKT, the Rodinger Kunststoff Technik GmbH, won the medical engineering prize in 2003
from the Pharma giant Novo Nordisk.
BioPark Regensburg GmbH
Dr. Thomas Diefenthal
Josef-Engert-Straße 9, D-93053 Regensburg
Tel. +49-941-920 46-0
Fax +49-941-920 46-24
[email protected]
www.bioregio-regensburg.de
46
BioRegions BAVARIA
BioTech Region Munich:
Unique Biotechnology Cluster in the South of Germany
The Munich area is home to “BioTech Region Munich” the
leading biotechnology cluster in Germany. Since the “starting
signal” was given in 1997 after winning the Bio-Regio Competition of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the cluster Munich has developed into the top German biotechnology
location with respect to the number of companies, employees
and above all with drugs in clinical studies. The BioTech Region
Munich has a strong focus on the development of therapeutics
and diagnostics.
Strong Life Sciences Network
Excellent scientiﬁc environment enables
successful spin-offs
In the course of the years, not least with the assistance of the
central coordinating body BioM, an extensive network was able
to be set up linking life science companies, research institutes,
One of the success factors of the Munich region was and is the
outstanding scientiﬁc environment. In addition to the two
Munich Universities, the Technical University Munich (TUM)
and the Ludwig Maximilian University Munich (LMU) with their
respective university clinics, there are the Max Planck Institutes
for Biochemistry, Neurobiology and Psychiatry as well as the GSF
Research Center for Environment and Health and the technical
colleges of higher education in Munich and Weihenstephan.
Many young companies started as spin-offs on this renowned academic breeding ground and still benefit today from
the close contacts with the research institutes. About one-third
of all co-operations between the Munich biotechnology companies and research institutes are carried out with local partners.
Well-known technology transfer agencies like Garching
Innovation or Ascenion as well as the Innovation and Startup
Center for Biotechnology (IZB) in Martinsried near Munich
are important success factors for the biotechnology cluster of
Munich.
public and private consulting agencies, the financial sector and
many more.
In this network there are more than 160 companies of the Life
Sciences: 93 small and medium-sized biotechnology companies
with headquarters in the region, 29 pharmaceutical branch
offices (including international biotechnology companies
focusing on therapeutics), 23 contract research organizations
(CROs) and 18 affiliate member companies or branch offices of
biotechnology companies without therapeutics focus, as well as
pure marketing companies.
As the coordination agency in the region, BioM fulfills an important function in the foundation, consultation and financing
of young biotechnology companies.
With its seed financing program, the company is supporting young, promising biotechnology companies located in
Bavaria with venture capital. Since 2002 BioM has had the possibility of financing later stage companies from the field of the
Life Sciences through a specially set-up VC fund.
BioM is dedicated to promoting the further development of
the BioTech Region Munich into one of the leading clusters in
Europe. The regional economic development activities in the
form of consultation and information services, networking and
PR work also include assisting companies in finding the right
partners critical to successful business development.
Highly-qualiﬁed staff
While the number of employees in biotechnology companies
rose steadily until 2001, a fall also had to be noted in Munich the
following year due to the generally stagnating economic situation. With nearly 10,000 employees in Life Sciences companies
at the end of 2004, however, the Munich region is one of the
largest regions in Europe. This year, listed companies such as
Bavarian Nordic and MorphoSys could even increase their staff
by 30 % and 35 % respectively.
BAVARIA BioRegions
47
The proportion of academic graduates in small- and mediumsized enterprises in the Munich region currently lies at 45 %,
and a further 25 % are technical assistants. Around half of all
employees work in Research and Development.
Strong drug pipeline
The cluster Munich was able to assert itself in a regional comparison with regard to the number of products in the pre-clinical and clinical development. At the end of 2004, the biotechnology companies in Munich and surrounding area tested over
70 potential drugs in a total of more than 90 pre-clinical and
clinical studies. 17 of the drugs are currently in clinical phase II
and III trials. For one additional product Martinsried-based
MediGene plans to apply for approval in the near future. In
2004 the company was already able to successfully launch the
drug Eligard® making MediGene Germany’s first biotechnology
company with a product on the market.
themselves through an increased number of collaborations,
increased sales or by even by achieving the break-even point.
The consolidation process has accompanied the development
in Munich Region, but in the end also strengthens its position.
Capital market and ﬁnancing in the
BioTech Region Munich
After the difficult financing environment in 2003 and 2004,
there is a positive financing trend in the Munich biotechnology
industry since the beginning of 2005, especially for companies
in the clinical development. For example, Wilex announced
in May 2005 that the company had acquired 30 million euros
in a fourth private round of financing. With its cancer drugs
in clinical development and its successful corporate strategy,
Wilex has been able to gain the trust of a wide consortium of
international financiers. In August this year, Martinsried-based
Avontec also reported a series B round of financing with a volume of 14.5 million euros. Avontec develops substances against
chronical inflammatory diseases like asthma and psoriasis.
IDEA and Affectis Pharmaceuticals, which also have specialized
in the development of new therapeutic products, were also
able to successfully conclude financing rounds.
In 2004 the region’s five listed companies gave a positive
report. They were able to acquire more than 125 million euros
through convertible bonds and capital increases. Altogether,
176 million euros of fresh capital was invested into the region
in 2004 – compared with only 72 million euros in 2003.
To sum up
In conclusion, the development of the Munich region can be
summed up as follows: as a result of the extremely tense situation on the financial market, an increased number of companies had to close down due to liquidation or insolvency in 2003
and 2004. However, on the other hand during the same time a
selected group of companies was already experiencing a clear
consolidation and stabilization. In addition, more mature companies could benefit from an upswing on the financial market
in 2005. The companies were mainly able to make a name for
Contact:
BioM AG
Prof. Dr. Horst Domdey
Am Klopferspitz 19, D-82152 München
Tel. +49-89-899 679-0
Fax +49-89-899 679-79
www.bio-m.de
[email protected]
48
BioRegions BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
Baden-Württemberg – a major centre of the
life sciences and biotechnology in Germany and Europe
Following the boom in the information and communication
technologies, research and industry are now turning their
attention to the biosciences. High-tech developments in
biotechnology and the life sciences are regarded as promising
investments for the future.
Reaching far beyond its classical domain, biotechnology has
entered fields such as medicine, pharmacy, agriculture, food
technology, chemistry and environmental protection. Modern
biotechnology has found many new applications and is attracting innovative scientists from a wide range of disciplines.
Power in Baden-Württemberg –
biotech is following bits and bytes
Baden-Württemberg is an outstanding biotechnology location
in Germany and Europe. “Biotech-Power in the South-West of
Germany” – according to this slogan, the state of Baden-Württemberg has enforced its strength within the core technology
field of biotechnology in 2005. In this region, the conditions for
the fruitful development of a biotech company are near perfect.
The state has excellent scientists and innovative companies
working together in powerful regional clusters. But even
greater synergy is possible. BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH
is working tirelessly to optimise conditions for biotech companies and research institutions in the region.
BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg – providing support
for biotech companies and research institutions
As the state-wide service and marketing agency, BIOPRO
Baden-Württemberg focuses on the targeted support of
research institutions and companies in the biotechnology and
life sciences sector, in particular in location marketing and
Activities of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH
the search for partners. To achieve this goal, BIOPRO BadenWürttemberg cooperates closely with universities, research
institutions, scientific and business associations, investors and
politicians.
BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg participates in leading industry-specific exhibitions such as BIOTECHNICA in Hannover,
Germany, and BIO in the USA or EXPO in Japan. At such events,
BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg presents Baden-Württemberg’s
impressive biotechnological capacity to a national and international audience. Our goal: To develop Baden-Württemberg as
the best possible location for international biotech companies,
which are developing – or wish to expand – their European
operations.
Baden-Württemberg invests – top biotechnology
location in Europe
High-level biotechnological research is carried out at 8 universities, 11 universities of applied sciences and 18 research institutions. Internationally well-known research institutes include
the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg.
University research is particularly focused on the neurosciences, molecular and cellular biology, plant sciences,
genome research, developmental biology, bioprocess engineering, biosystems technology, nanobiotechnology and structural
biology.
Through the “Programme for the promotion of biotechnology”, Baden-Württemberg provides funding totalling 29
million euros for research focusing on “functional proteome
analysis”, “healthy nutrition” and “ageing healthily”. Politicians
and scientists in Baden-Württemberg have laid the foundations
for biotechnology development. In addition, BIOPRO BadenWürttemberg GmbH, the state-owned agency in Stuttgart, integrates science and industry and establishes networks between
companies and scientists.
As a product of excellent scientific research, a dynamic business
landscape has emerged: there are approximately 150 biotechnology companies.
Baden-Württemberg is home to: 114 medium-sized companies and eight large pharmaceutical companies, more than
1,000 genetic engineering facilities, five biotech incubator
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG BioRegions
sites provide start-up companies with optimal conditions. Four
BioRegions and the newly-founded “BioLAGO” bioregion in the
Lake Constance region support the regional integration of science and industry.
49
are monthly focal themes, company portraits and information
on biotech events. The Internet portal also provides a company
database including relevant data and concise profiles of biotech
companies located in Baden-Württemberg.
Science needs dialogue – SYNPRO and more
In Baden-Württemberg it is possible to see a whole range of
activities in all areas of biotechnology, but there is also ‘cross
fertilisation’ with related disciplines. For this reason, BIOPRO
Baden-Württemberg has established the SYNPRO programme
which focuses on measures to develop partnerships between
biotechnology companies and the pharmaceutical industry.
Biotechnology plays a growing role in traditional industries
such as the food, textiles and the motor industry. BIOPRO
Baden-Württemberg GmbH identifies the synergic potentials
of biotechnology and thus establishes a breeding ground for
interdisciplinary, innovative developments.
www.bio-pro.de – the virtual meeting point of
biotechnology in South West Germany
In the growing field of biotechnology there is an enormous
need for information. BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH
provides a comprehensive Internet portal at www.bio-pro.de
containing current information on biotechnology for entrepreneurs, scientists, journalists and the interested public. There is
information about the region and current activities, the BioRegions of the state are presented as regional clusters and there
Contact:
BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH
Dr. Ralf Kindervater
Breitscheidstraße 4, D-70174 Stuttgart
Tel. +49-711-907 152-00
Fax +49-711-907 152-02
[email protected]
www.bio-pro.de
50
BioRegions BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
BioRegion Rhine-Neckar Triangle
The region at the intersection of the three German states of
Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse is, with
a population of more than 2.3 millions, one of the largest metropolitan areas in Germany. It is an internationally important
centre for science and industry, comprising world-renowned
universities and research institutions as well as global corporations and a strong base of medium-sized companies in the
production and services sectors. In April 2005 the region was
designated “Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar” (Metropolitan
Region Rhine-Neckar) as a member of the European network
of Large Metropolitan Regions. In July 2005 the Governments of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and
Hesse signed a treaty for cross-border collaborations, which
provides a unique platform for developing the Metropolregion
Rhein-Neckar around the cities of Heidelberg, Mannheim and
Ludwigshafen as one defined location for science and hightechnology with strong interactions between research and
industry. Life sciences, and biotechnology in particular, are,
together with the information technologies, a key industry for
the future development.
Life Sciences
In the life sciences sector, the region offers quality and expertise
in a concentration unsurpassed anywhere in Germany. More
than 6,000 combined scientific and technical staff are working
in this field at the University of Heidelberg and in the large Heidelberg research institutions, namely the European Molecular
Biology Laboratory (EMBL), the German Cancer Research Centre
(DKFZ) and the Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research, as
well as in the Central Institute for Mental Health in Mannheim.
Innovations in molecular biology and medicine are not possible
without modern chemistry, physics, mathematics and informatics, disciplines in which the region also excels. Numerous Nobel
prizes have been awarded for research in medicine, chemistry
and physics in this region. Recent studies by Ernst & Young and
the Boston Consulting Group have ranked Heidelberg at the top
position, together with Munich and Berlin, in the German life
science sector.
Global Player and Start-ups
Global chemical and pharmaceutical companies such as BASF
and Abbott in Ludwigshafen, Roche Diagnostics in Mannheim,
and Merck in Darmstadt as well as information technology
companies such as SAP in Walldorf are motors for the transformation of scientific knowledge and innovations into commercial products. Since 1997 approximately one hundred small
and medium-sized enterprises in biotechnological research
and services have been founded in the region creating more
than 1,500 highly qualified jobs. Today many of these start-up
companies are internationally active themselves, amongst
them Affimed Therapeutics, Alantos Pharmaceuticals, AXARON
Bioscience, BioGeneriX, Cellzome, Cytonet, Complex Biosystems, Gene Bridges, Heidelberg Pharma, LION bioscience, mtm
laboratories, Phenex Pharmaceuticals, Santhera Pharmaceuticals, Synthon and TF Instruments.
A Winning Region
As one of three winning regions in the BioRegio Competition of
the German Research Ministry (BMBF), the BioRegion RheinNeckar-Dreieck was founded in 1996 and was awarded with
about 25 million euros for funding biotechnology research
projects which were selected by the BioRegion’s advisory board.
The lion’s share of the funding was made available for 14 newly
founded biotech enterprises. Until today these enterprises have
created approximately one thousand qualified jobs and have
acquired private investments exceeding 500 million euros. The
BioRegion Rhein-Neckar-Triangle has been a privileged location
for venture capital; it has received, over the last years, between
a quarter and a third of all venture capital invested in the German biotechnology industry.
Research institutions and industry, in conjunction with
local authorities, chambers of commerce, ﬁnancial institutions
and companies in the services sector, have formed BioRegion
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG BioRegions
Rhein-Neckar-Dreieck e.V., a registered association for coordinating the region’s competence in biotechnology and improving the network between academic research, young enterprises and mature companies. The association’s main objective is to
secure the top position of the Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar in
German biotechnology, to strengthen and enlarge the regional
biocluster network in order to compete successfully with the
strong biotech clusters in the US.
Many start-up companies have settled in the Technology
Park Heidelberg, taking advantage of its close proximity to Heidelberg’s University and large research centres. The Technology
Park Heidelberg is an international science park with focus on
life sciences – the first and, with 50,000 square meters lab and
office space and presently 63 tenants, the largest of its kind in
Germany. Other biotech companies are in the “High Tech Park
Neckarau” in Mannheim and in the “Chem2Biz”, an incubator
located at BASF in Ludwigshafen and managed jointly by BASF
and the Technology Centre Ludwigshafen. Biotech companies
have also settled in smaller towns of the Metropolregion RheinNeckar such as Weinheim, Viernheim, Ladenburg, Bensheim
and Zwingenberg.
51
(MMPU) set up between EMBL and University or the “Small
Molecule Screening Facility” shared between EMBL and DKFZ.
In medicine the region is pioneering translational research
in which basic research and clinical application are combined.
Two mega-projects, presently being set up in Heidelberg, exemplify this approach: At the National Centre for Tumour Diseases
(NCT) – the first comprehensive cancer centre in Germany – innovations in cancer diagnostics, therapy and prevention will
be applied rapidly and efficiently in the clinic for the benefit
of the patients. In conjunction with the NCT, the “Heidelberg
Ion Radiation Therapy Centre” (HIT), a cooperation between
the University, the DKFZ and the GSI (“Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung”) in Darmstadt will provide radiation therapy
using beams of protons and heavy ions which can be extremely
accurately focussed onto the target. The HIT will be the first centre in the world to use this revolutionary technology on a large
scale in cancer therapy. Opening in autumn 2007, it will treat
more than a thousand cancer patients annually.
Research for the Future
Activities of the biotech companies focus on drug research
and development, molecular diagnostics, cell therapy, gene
technology, cancer research, immunology, neurology, and
bioinformatics. Industrial (“white”) and plant (“green”) biotechnology as well as nanobiotechnology and environmental
biotechnology are also areas of great potential in the region.
Interdisciplinary research approach has been characteristic for
the region. Successful examples are given by the faculty-independent institutes of Heidelberg University such as the renowned Centre for Molecular Biology (ZMBH), the Biochemistry
Centre (BZH), the Interdisciplinary Centre for Neurosciences
(IZN) and the Interdisciplinary Centre for Scientific Calculation (IWR), but also the “Molecular Medicine Partnership Unit”
Contact:
BioRegion Rhein-Neckar-Dreieck e.V.
Dr. Ernst-Dieter Jarasch
Im Neuenheimer Feld 582, D-69120 Heidelberg
Tel. +49-6221-649 22-0
Fax +49-6221-649 22-15
[email protected]
www.bioregion-rnd.de
52
BioRegions BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
BioRegioSTERN:
Thinking business forward
Since 2001, BioRegio STERN Management GmbH’s network
activities are combining biotechnology expertise in the
Stuttgart and Neckar-Alb regions and the cities of Esslingen,
Reutlingen, Stuttgart and Tübingen. As a business promotion
agency, BioRegio STERN Management GmbH represents the
interests of the biotech sector as a whole. To do this, we organise public relations work, location marketing, information
events, exhibitions and conferences. We form links, tap synergies and forge alliances that last. We take a personal interest
in every company that approaches us for support, not just
from our desks but out in the field too. The team of BioRegio
STERN Management GmbH is convinced that true business
promotion can’t work without bringing people together in
effective dialogue.
Identifying key technologies
Regenerative biology is one of the key technologies of the
21st Century. It combines biomedical research, biomaterial
research, biotechnology, molecular biology, chemistry and
medicine. The STERN region is home to numerous young companies and entrepreneurs working on promising applications
of therapeutic procedures.
Since its success in the BMBF BioProfile competition in 2001,
which was focused on regenerative biology – a field encompassing the research disciplines of tissue engineering, stem cell
research, biomaterials and nutritargeting – the STERN region
has built up key expertise which will allow it to maintain a leading position on the international biotech scene. Thanks to its
success in the competition, the biotech companies in the region
secured five years of funding worth over 18 million euros. And
that’s just the start!
The www.regenerationnet.com portal
The international exchange of information both inspires and
promotes science and the economy. That’s why BioRegio STERN
launched the www.regenerationnet.com Internet portal which
highlights the region’s proﬁle as a focal point for regenerative
biology.
As a free-of-charge information platform, the web pages are
available to partners and interested parties all over the world.
The portal includes:
•
•
•
•
•
Portraits of companies and institutions with organisational and service proﬁles
New ideas and technologies
Information about products and patents
Up-to-the-minute news
A conference diary and details of forthcoming events
What’s more, there is also the opportunity to subscribe to a free
online newsletter that is published every two months, to keep
up-to-date with the latest developments in all fields of regenerative biology.
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG BioRegions
53
The BioStar Congress
The ﬁrst international specialist conference on regenerative
biology, this annual event was already a tremendous success at its
debut in 2004. The 2006 BioStar Congress will continue to develop
this successful concept and appeal to an interdisciplinary audience. Further details are available at www.biostar-congress.de.
Building connections
Locations for entrepreneurs
People founding businesses need to find the right location.
BioRegio STERN Management GmbH sets great store by ensuring that young entrepreneurs in the region obtain the best
conditions and optimum connections. Two special centres
– the Life Science Center Esslingen and the Tübingen-Reutlingen Technology Park – provide biotech entrepreneurs
with the facilities they need. And all this is complemented by
excellent financing and consulting models. Both centres are
located in extremely close proximity to research institutes
at universities, hospitals and Max Planck Institutes, making
cooperation much easier.
pital Tübingen, Nürtingen University, Reutlingen University,
Albstadt-Sigmaringen University and the University of Applied
Sciences Esslingen, they form part of a highly networked biotech research landscape with enormous growth potential.
Research network
Research and science have traditionally held a strong position
in the region. The STERN BioRegion comprises a number of
internationally renowned biotechnology and medical research
institutes. These include three Max Planck Institutes in Tübingen, two Fraunhofer Institutes in Stuttgart, the Natural and
Medical Sciences Institute (NMI) in Reutlingen, the Institute of
Textile Technology and Process Engineering and the German
Centre of Excellence on Biomaterials and Organ Replacement
(BMOZ) in Denkendorf.
Together with the research activities of the three universities in Hohenheim, Stuttgart and Tübingen, the University Hos-
Contact:
BioRegio STERN Management GmbH
Dr. Klaus Eichenberg
Friedrichstr. 10, D-70174 Stuttgart
Tel. +49-711 870 354-0
Fax +49-711 870 354-44
[email protected]
www.bioregio-stern.de
54
BioRegions BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
BioRegion Ulm:
Power and Excellence in Many Fields
BioRegionUlm – Power and Excellence in Many Fields
Science, education and industry are all equally well represented
in the BioRegionUlm. It is the central location in Europe for
biotechnological production, in particular for the production
of drugs. Fifty companies, active in the fields of biotechnology,
life sciences and medical engineering, are located in the area
bordered by the Swabian Mountains and Lake Constance. The
BioRegionUlm is a healthy mix of well-known international
companies and start-up companies, with a continuous dynamic
development.
Growth with a solid basis
Biotechnology has had a long tradition in Ulm and is at the
heart of the city’s activities. The science city of Ulm with the
University, University of Applied Sciences, non-university
institutions and industrial research institutes offers an excellent
infrastructure for co-operation in a small geographic area,
which facilitates the rapid transfer of knowledge and technology. Only recently, the University of Ulm underlined its life
science competence with the construction of a building for
stem cell biology. The project is being funded by the state of
Baden-Württemberg to the tune of 11.5 million euros. The aim is
to carry out research on adult stem cells.
New study programme:
pharmaceutical biotechnology
The establishment of the pharmaceutical biotechnology programme at Biberach University of Applied Sciences is unique
in Germany and completes the educational profile of the Ulm
region. The new study programme is adapted to the specific demands of the biotechnology production industry and is regarded as a paradigm for private public partnership. It is scheduled
to begin in the winter term of 2006/2007 and will offer 70 places
for new students.
Booming Region
The number of biotech jobs has risen considerably. According
to new official data the growth rate of pharma in the BioRegionUlm has been about 30 percent for the last years. The
region between the Swabian Mountains and Lake Constance is
Germany’s second largest pharma location.
For example, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma KG has created
400 new jobs in biopharmaceutical production at its production site in Biberach; the companies Vetter and Rentschler have
employed 450 and 80 new staff members respectively and will
grow furthermore. In addition, considerable investments have
been made: Boehringer has invested € 300 million, Merckle
Biotec € 50 million, Rentschler approximately € 20 million, and
Vetter more than € 17 million. Vetter has also announced to
expand its production capacity considerably.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma KG in Biberach has doubled
its biopharmaceutical production capacity. The family-managed company services the entire biopharmaceutical process chain from the genetic development of the cells up to the
marketable drug produced on an industrial scale. It services this
chain both for products from the company’s own research and
development process and for those of key customers.
Rentschler Biotechnologie GmbH & Co. KG offers comprehensive services to the booming biopharmaceutical market.
The well-known company, based in Laupheim, produces recombinant proteins for therapeutic purposes – from the laboratory
to commercial production.
International companies and start-ups
The Vetter company in Ravensburg uses state-of-the-art technology to process biotechnologically produced substances and
specialises in aseptically filled application systems. Vetter, also
a global player, supports clients from the pharmaceutical and
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG BioRegions
55
mance optics and medical equipments); Cognis Deutschland
GmbH & Co. KG, Illertissen (food technology, functional food
& medical nutrition) Illertissen GmbH and the Paul Hartmann
AG in Heidenheim (medical and hygiene products) are major
industrial representatives in the region. A number of small and
medium-sized companies that are involved in genetic engineering, proteomics, bioinformatics, clinical trials, development of
diagnostic products, and biocompatible materials complement
this spectrum.
Based on these developments and the foundation of 30 new
companies with approximately 150 employees, the number
of jobs in biotechnology has increased in the last years to over
2,200.
Platform for further development
The BioRegioUlm Förderverein Biotechnologie e.V. was
founded in 1997. It forms the platform for the targeted further
biotechnology branches in every phase of production: from product development through to successful product launches and
commercial manufacturing.
The laboratory of Dr. Merk and colleagues in Ochsenhausen
produces viral and bacterial antigens and recombinant proteins
on a large scale.
Ulm-based Thermo Electron, subsidiary of a globally-acting
US group of companies, produces biopolymers for use in genomics and proteomics.
development of biotechnology in the region. Focus is on the
promotion of co-operation in the region, as well as on advice
and support relating to the setting up of companies, career
advancement, public relations work and the supply of information.
Balance of big global players and
proﬁtable SMEs
Companies with an excellent international reputation such
as Merckle/ratiopharm GmbH (research, development and
production of generic drugs) and its subsidiary Merckle Biotec
GmbH (biosimilars); Carl Zeiss AG in Oberkochen (high perfor-
Contact:
BioRegionUlm Förderverein Biotechnologie e.V.
Dr. Gabriele Gröger
Albert-Einstein-Allee 5, D-89081 Ulm
Tel. +49-731-502 20-04
Fax +49-731-502 20-16
[email protected]
www.bioregioulm.de
56
BioRegions BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
BioRegion BioLago:
Life Sciences at the lakeside
In February 2005, 26 institutions from science and industry
in the Lake Constance region joined forces in order to form a
cross-border bioregion. Newly-founded “BioLAGO” is the fifth
bioregion in Baden-Württemberg and contributes to expanding southwest Germany as a top biotech location.
BioLAGO represents a pan-regional and internationally-oriented
network with core competences in modern biosciences including
•
•
•
the life sciences
consumer protection
healthcare
•
and their technological environment
The forum, integrating entrepreneurs and representatives from
politics and science, sets out to give all members the opportunity
for personal exchange of information as well as for establishing
contacts between industry, science, the public and politicians.
The BioLAGO network aims at...
•
•
•
•
•
supporting manifold cooperations
providing speciﬁc offers for further training and education
representing members’ interests more efﬁciently
facilitating technology transfer and market access for
participating companies
cross-border acitivities
Top cross-border research at Lake Constance
The City of Constance is the heart of the Lake Constance region
and regards itself as a felicitous combination of traditions and
modern times. The region, which is the youngest Bioregion in
Baden-Württemberg, already possesses a broad spectrum of
scientiﬁc expertise.
The Lake Constance region regards the areas of knowledge
transfer, research and education as extremely important.
With the scientific institutes of the University of Constance,
the Biotechnology Institute Thurgau and the Universities of
Applied Sciences, the region is home to reputable institutions
– both on a national as well as international level. Universities
and companies co-operate in many R&D projects, education
and the promotion of young researchers. The innovative spirit
allowed the Lake Constance region to present itself as an attractive location for the establishment and development of new
technologies. The area has turned into an attractive centre with
excellent networking possibilities for many companies, and in
particular for companies working in the fields of biotechnology, communication technology and solar energy.
The University of Constance with approximately 1,700 employees has a modern and compact university campus. It offers
the following research areas:
• chemistry, biochemistry
• material sciences, biophysics
• cell biology, developmental physiology
• evolution research, ecology, genetics, immunology
• limnology, microbiology
• botany & zoology
Biotechnology Institute Thurgau (BITg)
The Biotechnology Institute Thurgau (BITg) in Tägerwilen (Switzerland) was founded in 1999 by the ‘Thurgauische Stiftung für
Wissenschaft und Forschung” as a Swiss research institute in
close association with the University of Constance. The BITg is
committed to perform applied immunological research with a
specific emphasis on
• basic immunological research and methods,
• cancer research
• immunotherapy
• regulation of the immune system
Lake Constance International University (IBH)
The IBH is a joint project of universities in the Lake Constance
area. The universities that are involved conclude co-operation
agreements for particular study and research purposes. The IBH
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG BioRegions
57
involves Constance University and the University of Applied Sciences in Constance and Ravensburg-Weingarten.
Unlimited Educational Possibilities in the
BioLago Region
The region offers numerous educational opportunities in the ﬁeld
of the life sciences, which help provide the relatively new biotechnology location at Lake Constance with qualiﬁed professionals.
The University of Constance offers 8 different study programmes in mathematics and the natural sciences. Apart from
classical subjects the university also offers life science and information engineering Master and Bachelor degree courses.
The university has chosen to replace traditional structures with new ones by implementing the “Biomedical Drug
Research” graduate college, which is funded by the German
Research Foundation (DFG). The students are supervised by
the University of Constance in cooperation with the innovative pharmaceutical company ALTANA Pharma. Biologists,
biochemists, chemists and medical students are provided with
practical information on modern technology used in biochemical, immunological, pharmacological and toxicological
research areas. The graduate college ended in April 2005. The
University of Constance, ALTANA Pharma, the ETH Zurich/University of Zurich and the Swiss biotech company Cytos have
filed an application for a new, international graduate college.
An approval decision is due in autumn 2005.
The private vocational college at the Bernd Blindow School
in Friedrichshafen offers training to become pharmaceutical
technical assistants (PTA).
The following grammar schools in the Lake Constance region offer the possibility of specific education in biotechnology:
•
•
•
Lake Constance International University
•
Constance University of Applied Sciences, Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences and Zurich University
of Applied Sciences Winterthur are offering a Master degree
course in environmental and process engineering under the
umbrella of the Lake Constance International University. The 3semester practical course consists of different modules, including “bioprocess engineering” and “environmental analytics”
and is aimed at students who already have a degree qualification (Bachelor or Diploma).
•
Grammar School of Biotechnology and Agriculture, Mettnau School Radolfzell
Grammar School of Biotechnology and Nutrition, DrosteHülshoff School in Friedrichshafen
Grammar School of Biotechnology, Nutrition and Agriculture, Edith Stein School in Ravensburg
Albert Schweitzer School in Villingen-Schwenningen,
Grammar School of Biotechnology and Nutrition, Vocational School for Agricultural and Environmental Analytics
Grammar School of Biotechnology and Nutrition, Commercial and Home Economics School in Tuttlingen
Biotechnology Institute Thurgau (BITg) at
Constance University
The Biotechnology Institute Thurgau (BITg) at Constance University in Tägerwilen (Switzerland) offers life science students
the possibility of pursuing their diploma theses or doctorates
and practical training.
Vocational college, schools and further
education
The Jörg Zürn Vocational School in Überlingen offers two-year
training courses for biological technical assistants focusing on
biology and biotechnology or bioinformatics and molecular
biology.
Contact:
BioLAGO
Prof. Dr. Klaus P. Schäfer
ALTANA Pharma AG
Tel. +49-7531-843272
[email protected]
www.biolago.de
www.bio-pro.de/de/region/biolago
58
BioRegions BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
BioRegion Freiburg:
a successful region within the BioValley
The BioRegion Freiburg is located at the point where Germany, France and Switzerland all meet. It is a partner in the
tri-national BioValley network, which pools the biotechnology potential of the centres of Freiburg (D), Basle (CH) and
Strasbourg (F).
BioRegion Freiburg
BioValley
With more than 100 biotech companies, including 40 R&D
companies, and more than 45 start-ups since 1996, the
Freiburg BioRegion is one of the most successful German
biotech regions.
The BioRegion Freiburg is known for its excellent and highly
diverse research and company landscape. This takes in the University of Freiburg, with its unique Faculty of Applied Science,
one of the biggest university hospitals, the Max Planck Institute
for Immunobiology, the Tumour Biology Centre as well as five
Fraunhofer Institutes, including the Fraunhofer Institute of
Physical Measurement Techniques, which is active in the field
of bio analytics. “Centres of Excellence” have sprung up in the
areas of oncology, immunology, tissue engineering, plant
biotechnology, nanotechnology and neuroscience. Particular
mention should be made of the high-performance technology transfer from the University of Freiburg, whose portfolio
takes in all the eminent high-tech companies. The BioRegion
Freiburg lies in the heart of the German part of BioValley.
With more than 300 biotech-companies, including global
players such as Novartis, Sanofi-Aventis, Syngenta, Roche, and
more than 280 research groups as well as 40 scientific institutions, BioValley is able to offer outstanding competence. Four
universities and the tri-national university course in biotechnology provide highly qualified employees.
BioValley is one of Europe’s most attractive biotech clusters. It
is a leading trinational life sciences center and the best place
for biotechnology in Europe. It was established as a network
active in the areas of science, business, economic development
and transfer of technology.
BioValley offers a wide range of services tailored to the needs
of its members while also serving biotechnology companies intending to set up operations in the region covered by
BioValley. The latest achievement is the establishment of a trinational research database. In this project, BioValley brings
together the Biocentre at the University of Basle, the Friedrich
Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research in Basle, the University/University Hospital of Freiburg and the University of
Strasbourg.
Technology Foundation BioMed Freiburg
The Technology Foundation BioMed Freiburg is the central networking and one-stop agency of the BioRegion Freiburg and
provides a broad range of services. The foundation is supported
by the city of Freiburg, the University of Freiburg, the Association of Industrial Companies Baden e.V, the Southern Upper
Rhine Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Freiburg Chamber
of Handicrafts and Sparkasse Freiburg-Nördlicher Breisgau.
Key activities of the Technology Foundation BioMed Freiburg
include providing consultation services to start-up companies
and company founders in the field of life sciences to assist with
company foundation and set-up in the region. The foundation
establishes contacts with investors, authorities, chambers of
commerce, potential cooperation partners and partners in the
BioValley.
BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG BioRegions
59
Location marketing and public relations
As the local coordinator of the BioRegion Freiburg, the Technology Foundation BioMed Freiburg is responsible for the promotion and marketing of the region. This involves participation
at national and international exhibitions, presentations and
public relations work. The Foundation also organises events
and conferences with partners such as BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH as well as maintaining close contact and discusses
current developments at regular meetings with experts from
industry, science, the BioRegions in Baden-Württemberg and
Germany. The Foundation and Sparkasse Freiburg - Nördlicher
Breisgau also present the Freiburg Innovation Prize every two
years. The prize is worth 7,500 euros and is awarded to SMEs
with an outstanding financial performance and creativity. The
innovations are presented to the public on the occasion of the
“Industrie + Elektronik” (i + e) fair organised by the Association
of Industrial Companies Baden e.V.
BioTechPark Freiburg
At the same time, the Foundation runs the BioTechPark
Freiburg. In the BioTechPark Freiburg a total of 4,000m2 individually configurable laboratory and office space is available
to start-ups, which are promoted with a low-cost, graduated
rent over a period of seven years, and a further 26,000m2 are
available in the InnovationCentre Freiburg. The fully equipped
start-up laboratory offers creative scientists the chance to put
their ideas into practice without any investment expenditure.
Companies are integrated into the BioRegion Freiburg network
right from the start and have the opportunity to remain in the
same premises and undergo expansion there after their sevenyear assisted period has come to an end.
Contact:
Conclusion
The Freiburg BioRegion in the BioValley, supported by its central networker and local coordinator the Technology Foundation BioMed Freiburg, is proving to be an attractive location
for both young and established life-sciences companies. This is
confirmed by the latest arrival – US company, Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services, which has been setting up its European
headquarters in Freiburg.
Technologiestiftung BioMed Freiburg
Dr. Bernd Dallmann, Dr. Thea Siegenführ
Rotteckring 14, D-79098 Freiburg
Tel. +49-761 3881 826
Fax +49-761 2020 474
[email protected]
www.bioregion-freiburg.de
60
COMPANY PROFILES
BRAIN Company Profiles
61
BRAIN Aktiengesellschaft
BRAIN AG, a privately owned, independent research corporation, is a European leader in the field of white biotechnology.
The company focuses on the discovery and development of
novel bioactives, enzymes and drugs. In a unique approach to
the identification and production of new natural compounds
and biocatalysts the company applies advanced molecular
biology technologies to benefit from so far untapped biodiversity. Its success is centred around the powerful EvoSolution®
discovery platform with a proprietary “BioArchive” comprising
millions of genes of as yet uncultivable micro-organisms and of
microbial isolates.
The metagenome® gene libraries contain cloned DNA fragments representing the genomes of habitat-specific communities of micro-organisms, more than 99 percent of which are
generally uncultivable. They encode a wealth of novel enzymes
and entire metabolic pathways. BRAIN creates Large-Insert-Libraries (LIL®) and Activity-Based-Expression-Libraries (ABEL®)
out of these libraries to exploit the biodiversity. BRAIN also offers a tool-box for functional cell-based assays to identify leads
from natural compound libraries in a primary screening and to
validate potential candidates with modular signal transduction
components.
These validated resources, combined with scientific expertise and technical skills enable the company to rapidly identify
novel biomolecules meeting the demands for enzymes, biocatalysts, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals and new pharmaceuticals
in the bioprocessing and chemical as well as in the pharma and
life science industries. BRAIN’s team of 40 scientists, graduate
engineers and technicians handles fully integrated projects
within the framework of contract research agreements, R&D
partnerships and alliances with industrial partners as well
as universities and institutes. Through in-house projects the
company constantly validates and builds a proprietary collection of genes and enzymes for industrial applications and keeps
abreast of latest technological advances in molecular and cell
biology. With its state-of-the-art research facilities, know-how
and commitment to custom-made, cost-effective and confidential collaborations BRAIN has established itself as a reliable and
competent partner. Cooperation partners are leading industrial
companies like Genencor (USA), Henkel (Germany), Degussa
(Germany), Sandoz (Austria) and Nutrinova (Germany).
BRAIN was founded in 1993 by Dr. Holger Zinke (CEO) and
Dr. Jürgen Eck (CSO). The company resides in a Bauhaus-style
industrial building which was acquired in 1996 and entirely
restored to a fully integrated infrastructure.
www.brain-biotech.de
62
Company Profiles CENIX BIOSCIENCE
Cenix BioScience GmbH
Cenix BioScience GmbH is a specialist in advanced, cell-based
applications of RNA interference (RNAi), a breakthrough gene
silencing technology for the discovery and functional characterization of novel therapeutic targets and drug candidates.
RNAi is a powerful gene regulation system, which represents the new method of choice for achieving targeted gene
silencing in model organisms as well as human cells. As such, it
is the most exciting new development in target discovery and
validation field, offering the most direct and cost-efficient way
to get from gene sequence to gene function at a genomic scale.
Not surprisingly RNAi was voted the top scientific achievement
of 2002 by Science Magazine.
Started in October 1999 by Dr. Christophe Echeverri, Prof.
Dr. Anthony Hyman and Dr. Pierre Gönczy as a spin-out from the
European Molecular Biology Laboratory (Heidelberg, Germany)
and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and
Genetics (Dresden, Germany), Cenix was the first biotechnology
company founded to focus specifically on advanced RNAi-based
research. Led by Dr. Echeverri it has since emerged as a technological and opinion leader in what is arguably the hottest field
in biotechnology.
Cenix offers over 6 years of experience developing and
applying HT-RNAi, initially in C. elegans and Drosophila, now
specialized on a wide range of human and other mammalian
cells. Through years of rigorous R&D, Cenix has accumulated
unparalleled depth and breadth of experience in this field, combining proprietary small interfering RNA (siRNA) libraries with
high content phenotypic analyses to accelerate discovery and
validation programs in a variety of disease indications.
Cenix also has led the field in developing advanced sequence selection algorithms to design siRNAs genome-wide.
Cenix libraries are tested experimentally in cells by analyzing
thousands of siRNAs under rigorous, high throughput, industry-relevant conditions. The company has thereby completed
its own designs for such libraries for human, mouse and rat
genomes. These are being produced and commercialized by
Cenix’s partner Ambion, Inc. (www.ambion.com).
Since early 2003 Cenix has built a steadily growing client
portfolio in academia and industry, leading to its first profitable year in 2004. Cenix researchers have been exposed to and
challenged on a wide range of scientifically interesting and
pharmaceutically relevant research areas and have a unique
breadth of experience in adapting partner assays for HT-RNAi
implementation. Exploiting this expertise, Cenix has completed
target discovery and validation projects for a number of Pharma
clients, including Bayer Healthcare AG, Schering AG and Altana
Research Institution. Recent academic collaborations included
a large-scale screening project for host factors involved in Malaria infection, initiated by Dr. Maria Mota, Institute of Molecular Medicine, Portugal.
In 2005 Cenix has become partner in a Systematic Methodological Platform (SMP) for RNAi, funded by the BMBF within
NGFN-2 (National Genome Research Network). As this SMP’s
main industrial partner, Cenix will implement and standardize
all newly developed advanced RNAi applications to establish a
unique RNAi service platform able to serve NGFN laboratories.
Thus Cenix is seeking to provide access to high quality RNAi
screens for both, industry and academic research.
www.cenix-bioscience.com
DEVELOGEN Company Profiles
63
DeveloGen
DeveloGen is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the
discovery and development of novel therapeutic drugs for the
treatment of metabolic disorders, such as type 1 and type 2
diabetes as well as diabetic complications. DeveloGen has a rich
and innovative pipeline from lead discovery to phase III clinical
development.
DeveloGen was founded in 1997 as a spin-off of the Max
Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Goettingen and
has approx. 85 employees.
DeveloGen is headquartered in Goettingen, Germany with
additional sites in Rehovot, Israel and Erkrath, Germany.
DiaPep277®
tive processes in the body which control the development of
insulin-producing beta-cells. Such regenerative therapies do
not merely address symptoms but are viewed as disease-modifying treatments that are expected to reverse disease progression
in type 1 as well as type 2 diabetic patients.
DeveloGen’s lead product DiaPep277 is currently in Europe in
Somatoprim
a phase III clinical trial for type 1 diabetes in newly diagnosed
adult patients. Further Diapep277 is being explored in phase II
clinical trials and a phase IIb/III clinical trial for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults patients (LADA).
DiaPep277 is a novel immunomodulatory peptide derived from
the heat shock protein hsp60, which has been shown to protect
the insulin producing beta-cells from autoimmune destruction.
Beta-Cell Regeneration Program
Somatoprim, a therapeutic drug candidate in advanced preclinical development, has been derived from DeveloGen’s
proprietary in-house discovery technology. The compound is
scheduled to enter phase I clinical trials for the treatment of
diabetic retinopathy in the latter part of 2006.
Moreover, as part of its efforts to discover novel treatments
for type 2 diabetes and obesity, DeveloGen has identified a
number of broadly validated novel targets and is pursuing further development of lead structures for several of these targets.
DeveloGen has a two-pronged approach for the development
of beta-cell regeneration drugs. The development of small
molecule chemicals activating Pax4, a key regulatory gene for
beta-cell formation, and the identification and development of
secreted factors involved in embryonic beta-cell formation. The
goal of both approaches is to stimulate and support regenera-
Structure of Heat Shock Protein (hsp60) with DiaPep277
marked in Magenta
www.develogen.com
64
Company Profiles DIREVO BIOTECH
Direvo Biotech AG
Using a globally unparalleled technology, DIREVO Biotech AG
develops tailor-made enzymes with utterly new properties. With
their 48 employees in Cologne, the company produces unique
enzymes that open up a broad range of new opportunities both
in the pharmaceutical industry and in other industrial ﬁelds.
As one example, Direvo develops highly specific proteases
with new substrate specificities. In comparison with competing
technologies, such proteases are orders of magnitude more efficient. Each protease molecule can cleave thousands of target
molecules. Therapeutic antibodies, by contrast, reversibly bind
to only one target molecule per antibody binding site. Antibodies thus have to be employed at far higher concentrations
and are far more expensive. In addition, therefore proteases
are small enough to penetrate diseases tissue, and have been
produced in formulations with customized pharmacokinetic
profiles. Direvo has developed an integrated technology platform by which these highly efficient catalysts are engineered to
become highly precise pharmaceutical or industrial agents.
Direvo’s technology platform
is based on two pillars
Using “Directed Evolution”, natural genes are mutagenized
and the resulting proteins are tested by the millions in a highthroughput process that utilizes application-relevant conditions. The best variants undergo recombination. This process is
repeated until the perfect enzyme for the desired technical or
pharmaceutical application is found.
With “NBE®technology“ (New Biological Entities), completely new enzymes are produced that have no precedent in
nature. Specific protein regions are modified to endow such
enzymes with totally new specificities, making them virtual
“surgical tools” that cleave any desired target.
The technical platform developed by Direvo is broadly protected by issued and pending patents and enables production
up to pilot-scale.
Among the aims of the Direvo technologies in healthcare
are the development of novel drugs to address unmet medical
needs, and the provision of a better alternative to current antibody therapies. In the industrial field, the company uses its platform to create proteases as well as other engineered enzymes
that improve food and feed processes, that catalyse chemical
reactions (biocatalysis), or that contribute to the production of
renewable fuels.
Direvo was founded as a spin-off from the Max-Planck-Institute in Göttingen, Germany, in 2000. The company is located
on the BioCampus Cologne and has a solid financial base. In
addition to current turn-over from commercial partnerships,
the company garnered support from federal and national
ministries. The latest success was a 2 million euro grant from
the BMBF (National Ministry of Education and Research) within
the BioChancePLUS program to develop enzymes for industrial
applications.
Direvo has signed partnerships with Danisco A/S,
Novozymes, and an undisclosed Asian partner. More contracts
will be concluded in the near future. In addition, the company
develops its own industrial and pharmaceutical products. The
focus in healthcare is currently on inflammation and autoimmune diseases as well as on cancer.
Direvo was able to successfully demonstrate the principle of
NBE® Proteases in pre-clinical studies which demonstrated the
highly efficient inactivation of TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha is over-expressed and plays a pivotal role in rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s
disease, psoriasis and other diseases.
www.direvo.com
EPIGENOMICS Company Profiles
65
Epigenomics AG
Epigenomics AG, a molecular diagnostics company, was founded in 1998 by a passionate team of entrepreneurs and scientists
to develop innovative diagnostic tests that would improve the
way cancer and other diseases are diagnosed and monitored. It
is one of the first companies to pioneer tests based on the analysis of a natural mechanism contained in the genetic blueprint of
human cells, called DNA methylation.
By detecting and interpreting DNA methylation patterns,
the products enable to detect complex diseases at a very early
stage and help guide physicians and patients to select a therapy
more accurately. Epigenomics owns the world’s leading IP
portfolio in DNA methylation and is protecting its lead through
a patent strategy covering all fundamental aspects and applications of DNA methylation.
The tests in development by Epigenomics seek to detect
cancer at an early stage more accurately and conveniently than
standard detection methods, as well as monitor tumor growth
and size. These tests are blood-based screening and monitoring
tests for the mass market as well as for high-value disease classification and drug response (pharmacodiagnostic) applications, means Epigenomics is also evaluating tests that predict
the probability of the response of patients to drug therapy. To
date Epigenomics has successfully identified DNA methylation
biomarkers for all of its products including the ones in development with Roche Diagnostics. Some of the recent clinical
studies on a Breast Cancer Treatment Response Prediction Test
as well as a molecular classification test in prostate cancer were
published at leading conferences such as AACR and ASCO in
the USA in 2005.
But cancer is only the first disease that Epigenomics wants
to address. Epigenomics believes that its tests can also be used
to diagnose, monitor and help guide treatment of inflammatory, central nervous system, metabolic, cardiovascular and
autoimmune diseases.
Epigenomics mission is to turn its DNA methylation technologies into the leading molecular diagnostic tool, improving
the prognosis of cancer and other common diseases.
Pursuing a dual business model of partnerships and own
product development, the company collaborates with leading
companies not only in the diagnostics field but also in platform
development, manufacturing, pivotal clinical trials, regulatory
approval as well as marketing & sales support for their diagnostic tests worldwide. Starting from strategic partnerships with
Roche Diagnostics and other major pharmaceutical companies
such as Astra Zeneca, Wyeth, Pfizer as well as strategic collaborations with Qiagen and Biogen Idec, Epigenomics evolved a
broad and deep portfolio of diagnostic and pharmacodiagnostic products at various stages of product development. Epigenomics is seeking to increasingly fund more advanced steps
of test development from own resources and to partner tests at
later stages or find own routes to commercilization in order to
capture more value for its shareholders.
Epigenomics was one of a few companies who got successfully listed at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in 2004, raising
more than euro 41 million.
The company is headquartered in Berlin, Germany and is
operating a wholly owned subsidiary in Seattle, USA.
www.epigenomics.com
66
Company Profiles EURODERM
euroderm GmbH
euroderm GmbH is a product-oriented biotechnology company,
with a focus on the research, development and marketing of
innovative products for the treatment of wounds, as well as on
the cosmetic and pharmaceutical/biotechnology sectors. The
company was founded by MBO in 2002 and is based is Leipzig
with a subsidiary in Stuttgart.
“Skin made from hair”
Having received financial support from Leipziger Beteiligungsfonds (LBIT), KfW and private investors the company is active in
two business fields:
1. development, production and marketing of products for
the wound market (chronic wounds), products: EpiDex and
eurokinin
2. development and production of human epidermis for in
vitro testing purposes in industry and research, product:
euroskin.
The patented technology allows to use adult epidermal stem
cells residing at the outer rooth sheath (ORS) of hair follicles.
The ORS cells are isolated, expanded and induce to build up a
multilayered epidermis in four weeks time. Although that the
technology is used in both business fields, due to the excellent
market position (no direct competitor) euroderm has concentrated its acitivities on the wound market so far. In a GMP-compliant process human epidermis is produced to treat chronic
wounds (chronic therapy refractory venous ulcers, diabetic
ulcers). According to recent data in Germany 1,2 million patients are suffering from chronic venous ulcers. Further, nearly
the same number is estimated for diabetic ulcers. EpiDex is the
first human tissue engineering product which has proven its
efficacy in a randomised, blinded, prospective clinical multicenter trial. The data are published in the meantime and show
the same clinical efficacy as the former gold standard mesh
graft and have indicated superiority in a long term. Since the
procedure can completely performed in a outpatient scenario,
there is a high cost reduction potential (ca. 50%) in comparison
to the mesh graft treatment. These data set the ground for a
regular reimbursement of this treatment in Switzerland. In
Germany euroderm GmbH aims the same in close collaboration
with a health insurance company.
To date euroderm GmbH has ten employees and has sites
in Leipzig and Stuttgart. The euroderm sales representatives
are active in Switzerland (four centers) and Germany (ten
centers). Until now more than 500 patients have been treated
and the clinical trial data could be confirmed also under “field
conditions”. Therefore, euroderm is confident that a regular reimbursement will be achieved and that this innovative
technology will be of benefit for patients with chronic wounds
also in Germany. This will be the final step of a success story of a
human tissue engineering product, which has been successfully
developed and brought to the market also with public resources
and an investment of more than euro 8 million until now.
www.euroderm-biotech.com
EVOTEC Company Profiles
67
Evotec AG
The drug discovery and development research
partner of choice
Through an unmatched range of integrated capabilities, innovative technologies and disease orientated research programmes,
Evotec has become one of the fastest growing research partners
for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies today.
We are discovering the next generation of novel small-molecule based drugs through both discovery and development
service partnerships and internal discovery programmes. Our
skills and expertise in biology, screening and chemistry enable
us to generate value by accelerating the discovery and development process, managing risk and reducing the time and cost of
bringing new drugs to market.
Evotec has operations in Hamburg (Germany), Oxford
and Glasgow (UK) and business development representatives
throughout Europe, North America and Asia.
strated in man. Evotec specialises in finding new treatments for
diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). Currently, Evotec
has three Phase I clinical programmes: EVT 201, a GABA A modulator for the treatment of insomnia, EVT 101, a subtype selective
NMDA receptor antagonist for the treatment of Alzheimer’s
disease, Parkinson’s disease and neuropathic pain, and EVT 301,
a selective and reversible inhibitor of MAO-B for the treatment
of Alzheimer’s disease.
Services Division
Our approach
Evotec has built one of the strongest drug discovery and development engines. To maximise the value of our offerings we
operate through two main divisions:
Pharmaceuticals Division
Our proven industrial scale discovery engine provides us with
the necessary expertise and critical mass to develop proprietary, novel compounds thereby meeting the increasing demand
of pharmaceutical companies to strengthen their pipelines
through externally accessing high value intermediary products
such as INDs or drug candidates, with proof-of-concept demon-
Our Services Division focuses on delivering high quality research results to our customers, continuously benchmarking
our capabilities against the highest standards in our industry.
In the services business we have built strong customer relationships, for example, we have long-term relationships with more
than 150 partners including many of the top 20 pharmaceutical
companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, Pfizer and
Roche as well as most of the major biotechnology companies
including Amgen and Biogen Idec. In addition to fee-for-service
contracts we increasingly engage in high-value, results-based
(milestone) collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry
(e.g. delivering drug candidates or INDs).
Our capabilities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Assay development
Target class expertise (e.g. GPCRs, kinases, ion channels)
Screening
Compound libraries
Computational chemistry
Structural biology (structure based drug design)
Medicinal chemistry
Analytical chemistry
ADMET platform
Process research and development
Scale-up and manufacture cGMP
Formulation
Regulatory and quality support
www.evotec.com
68
Company Profiles GPC BIOTECH
GPC Biotech AG
GPC Biotech AG is a biopharmaceutical company discovering
and developing new anticancer drugs. The Company’s lead
product candidate - satraplatin - has achieved target enrollment
in a Phase 3 registrational trial as a second-line chemotherapy
treatment in hormone-refractory prostate cancer. The U. S. FDA
has granted fast track designation to satraplatin for this indication, and GPC Biotech has begun the rolling NDA submission
process for this compound.
GPC Biotech is also developing a monoclonal antibody with
a novel mechanism-of-action against a variety of lymphoid
tumors, currently in Phase 1 clinical development, and has ongoing drug development and discovery programs.
2004. GPC Biotech has approximately 230 employees, around
half of whom work in the U.S. GPC Biotech AG is headquartered
in Martinsried/Munich (Germany). The Company’s wholly
owned U.S. subsidiary has research and development sites in
Waltham, Massachusetts and Princeton, New Jersey.
These programs are focused on areas where GPC Biotech has
substantial internal expertise, such as protein kinase inhibitors
and regulators of programmed cell death that are thought to be
key to the cancer problem. Through the acquisition of the assets
of Axxima Pharmaceuticals in March 2005 GPC Biotech has
significantly strengthened its kinase drug discovery efforts.
GPC Biotech also has a multi-year alliance with ALTANA Pharma
AG working with the ALTANA Research Institute in the U.S.,
which provides GPC Biotech with revenues through mid-2007.
GPC Biotech was founded in 1997 as a spin-off of the Max Planck
Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin. Since May 2000, GPC
Biotech has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. The
company is part of the TecDAX index, which includes the 30
largest companies of the Deutsche Boerse’s technology segment. In addition American Depositary Shares were listed on
the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol GPCB in June
www.gpc-biotech.com
JERINI Company Profiles
69
Jerini AG
Improving Lives with Innovative Therapies
Jerini is a pharmaceutical company based in Berlin, Germany,
focusing on the discovery and development of novel peptide-based drugs. Using its proprietary technology platform,
Peptides-to-Drugs (P2D), Jerini pursues disease indications that
have limited or no treatment options. As a result, Jerini has
established a drug pipeline composed of its own programs as
well as others in collaboration with partners. Jerini’s commercialization strategy is to market new drugs in niche indications
independently and larger indications with partners.
Drug Pipeline – Jerini’s Lead Compound
Icatibant for Hereditary Angioedema (HAE)
Icatibant offers a novel subcutaneous treatment for HAE, a disease causing acute swelling attacks in patients due to elevated
levels of the hormone bradykinin. By binding to the bradykinin
receptor, Icatibant reduces the effects associated with increased
levels of bradykinin. Icatibant was in-licensed from Aventis
in 2001 and is currently in Phase III registration trials in the
U.S., Europe, and other countries. Both the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMEA)
have granted orphan drug status to Icatibant for the treatment
of HAE, potentially securing, upon approval, market exclusivity
for seven and ten years, respectively. In addition, the FDA has
granted fast-track designation to Icatibant in the indication
HAE, thereby facilitating closer communication with the agency.
Jerini’s Proprietary Peptides-to-Drugs (P2D)
Platform
Based on its P2D platform, Jerini has established several inhouse development programs, which address indications within the ophthalmology, oncology and inflammatory therapeutic
areas. The most advanced of these programs targets age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision
loss and blindness in people over the age of 50 in developed
countries. Jerini’s compound (JSM 6427) has shown significant
efficacy in combating disease progression in preclinical models
and is currently scheduled to start clinical trials in first-half
2006.
Business Collaborations
Although its primary focus is to discover and develop its own
drug products, Jerini collaborates with other pharmaceutical
companies. These partnerships further validate Jerini’s P2D
technology and also enable the company to take advantage of
the potential commercial benefits from products generated
through these collaborations. In November 2005, Jerini and
KOS Pharmaceuticals signed an exclusive agreement for the development, marketing, and distribution of Jerini’s compound,
Icatibant, in the United States and Canada. In addition, Jerini
has discovery and development collaborations with Baxter AG
and Alcon Research Ltd.
Corporate Highlights and Upcoming Milestones
• Lead product, Icatibant, in Phase III registration trials
• Jerini is listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange (JI4), and has raised a total of over
130 Mio. Euro in public and private ﬁnancing to date
• Assembled a team of renowned experts covering all
aspects of drug discovery, development and marketing
• Proprietary P2D discovery platform validated through
collaborations with pharmaceutical partners
• Start of clinical trials with Icatibant for the treatment of
drug-induced angioedema
• Start of Phase I clinical trials for AMD program: 1H 2006
• Start of Phase IIb clinical trials through US partner Kos
Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of refractory ascites in
liver cirrhosis (RAIL)
• Conclusion of Phase III clinical trials fpr Icatibant: 1H 2006
• Filing of marketing approval for the treatment of HAE: 2006
www.jerini.com
70
Company Profiles MEDIGENE
MediGene AG
MediGene AG is a publicly quoted biotechnology company
with its headquarters located in Martinsried, Germany, and a
subsidiary in San Diego, USA. MediGene has the most mature
drug development pipeline in the German biotech industry and
possesses several innovative platform technologies.
With Eligard® for the treatment of prostate cancer, MediGene is the first German biotech company with a drug on
the market. The New Drug Application for the second drug,
Polyphenon® E Ointment, has recently been submitted to the
FDA, the US therapeutics regulatory authority. Apart from
that, several drug candidates are currently undergoing clinical
development. MediGene’s core competence is research into and
development of novel approaches to the treatment of various
tumor diseases. Thus MediGene focuses on indications of high
medical need and great economic opportunities.
It is MediGene’s strategy to integrate all core divisions of a
biopharmaceutical company from research and development
to commercialization of drugs. The revenues from drug sales
as well as from marketing and development partnerships shall
help to finance the development of other drugs and to gain
sustainable profitability.
MediGene was founded by three professors and a manager
from the pharmaceuticals industry in Martinsried in 1994, as
a spin-off of the Munich gene center. Besides the Chief Execu-
tive Officer Dr. Peter Heinrich, the Chairman of the Supervisory
Board, Prof. Dr. Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, President of the
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG (German Research
Foundation) is among the company founders. Since June 2000,
MediGene has been publicly quoted on the Frankfurt stock
exchange TecDAX). In mid 2005, MediGene had 120 employees.
MediGene’s most recent success was the approval of the
anti-cancer drug Eligard®, which is already marketed in Germany, in 23 further European countries. By the end of 2006 Medigene expects Eligard® to be launched in all of these countries.
The clinical development department is planning the initiation
of further phase II clinical trials with the drug candidate EndoTAG™-1, as well as the continuation of studies with the substances NV1020 for the treatment of liver metastases and G207 for the
treatment of glioblastoma.
www.medigene.com
MICROMET Company Profiles
71
Micromet AG
Micromet is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the
development and design of novel antibody derived drugs. The
Company has built a well-staged pipeline of highly differentiated products for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and
autoimmune diseases. All candidates were generated as part of
the Company’s own R&D programs. Micromet’s strong pipeline
generating and developmental capabilities have enabled the
Company to pursue a growth-oriented business strategy and to
generate significant revenues through partnerships with companies like Serono and MedImmune Inc. In parallel, Micromet
has consolidated key intellectual property in the antibody sector, secured a strong IP position on its candidates and technologies and established an active out-licensing business.
Pipeline of Therapeutics
MT201 is a human antibody targeting Ep-CAM, a surface antigen, which is highly and frequently expressed in a broad range
of carcinomas including colon, lung, breast, stomach, prostate,
pancreas, head & neck, and ovary cancer. Phase II studies in
prostate cancer and breast cancer are ongoing. In December
2004, Serono became co-development partner for MT201 and
obtained global rights to the program.
MT103 is a BiTE™ molecule targeting the CD19 antigen on tumor and normal B cells but is absent from blood stem cells and
plasma cells. MT103 is in development for the treatment of B cell
derived lymphomas and leukemias. The compound is currently
in phase I clinical trials for the treatment of NHL. It is partnered
for North American rights with MedImmune, Inc. Micromet
owns the rights for the rest of the world.
MT110 is a BiTE™ compound in pre-clinical development for
the treatment of a wide range of carcinomas.
MT203 and MT204 are human or humanized antibodies in
preclinical development with the potential to treat a variety of
acute and chronic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid
arthritis, asthma and multiple sclerosis.
Further BiTE™ drug candidates as well as human antibodies
are at the stage of drug discovery, optimization or selection for
preclinical development.
bystanding cells unharmed. BiTE™ was developed by Micromet
researchers using single-chain antibody technology. Micromet
has a dominant patent position in this field with exclusivity for
generating BiTE™ molecules. BiTE™ represents a truly novel
therapeutic modality with strong potential to improve the
treatment of diseases which so far lack satisfactory treatment
options. Moreover, they can provide new treatment opportunities for patients who are resistant or became refractory to
standard therapies.
Single-chain Antibodies (SCAs)
SCAs are small, cost-effective to produce at large scale and
extremely versatile for protein engineering. As exemplified in
industry and research, they have great potential as therapeutics, diagnostics and research tools.
Micromet leverages the potential of SCAs for the design
of novel therapeutics. For instance, SCAs are used in BiTEs™,
which combine two SCAs of different specificity.
Business Strategy
The Company progresses selected drug candidates from the
laboratory bench into the clinic and towards the market. For
some programs, this is achieved in collaboration with partners
such as Serono and MedImmune that have been attracted by
Micromet’s highly differentiated products and drug development capabilities. In 2005, 85% of Micromet’s R&D budget was
covered by revenues from partnerships. Part of the proceeds are
reinvested into new programs. The result is a well-staged pipeline addressing high-growth markets in oncology, autoimmune
and inflammatory diseases. In each partnership, Micromet has
managed to retain significant commercial rights. In addition,
Micromet will continue to leverage its developmental capabilities and IP position to establish early development partnerships.
Micromet has successfully used this approach to obtain access
to complementary technology and to broaden its pipeline.
Technologies
BiTE™
BiTE™ constitutes a novel class of bispecific antibody derivatives which are unique in their ability to activate the body’s
killer T cells against target cells with outstanding efficacy. As
a consequence, BiTE™ molecules are extremely powerful in
effectively destroying target cells at minute doses while leaving
www.micromet.de
72
Company Profiles MILTENYI BIOTEC
Miltenyi Biotec GmbH
Miltenyi Biotec is a successful diversified biotechnology
company and operates worldwide with subsidiaries in several
European countries, in the USA, Australia, Japan, China, and
Singapore. Miltenyi Biotec offers comprehensive systems and
services for biomedical research and clinical applications, and
develops, produces, and markets state-of-the-art products and
services for magnetic cell separation, cell analysis, cell culture,
clinical applications, and molecular biology – a portfolio of
more than 500 products in total for integrated solutions in cell
research: from cell separation to cell analysis, from phenotype
to molecule.
With the CliniMACS® Cell Selection System, based on MACS®
Technology, Miltenyi Biotec has successfully taken the step from
research into the clinic. The CE-marked, closed CliniMACS®
System meets the stringent requirements of clinical-grade
selection of almost any cell type.
The Miltenyi Biotec Cellular Products Division provides cellprocessing services under cGMP conditions.
The TheraSorbTM product division offers unique medical
instruments, adsorbers, and tubing sets for TheraSorbTM therapeutic apheresis, a platform for selective removal of pathogenic
substances from the blood by immunoadsorption.
With the MACSmolecular Business Unit, Miltenyi Biotec acts
as a service provider for high-tech solutions in bioinformatics,
gene expression profiling, and the generation of transgenic
disease models. MACSmolecular provides innovative methods
for molecular biology research and gene expression analysis:
MACS® Technology for mRNA isolation, cDNA synthesis, selection of transfected cells, and swift isolation of target proteins;
PIQORTM Microarrays, standard and custom gene expression
The image shows a mature dendritic cell puriﬁed with the Blood Dendritic Cell Isolation Kit.
profiling service, instruments for manual and automatic slide
hybridization, such as the a-HybTM Hybridization Station.
Miltenyi Bioprocess offers cGMP production facilities for
biopharmaceuticals and related products and services.
Technology and Products
MACS® Technology has become established standard in cell
separation. From lab bench to clinic, from small scale to large
scale, from frequently occurring cells to rare cells and to sophisticated subsets of cells from human, mouse, and many other species: MACS® Technology provides researchers worldwide with
the tools for high-quality cell separations. MACS® Technology is
based on MACS® MicroBeads, tiny superparamagnetic particles
coupled to speciﬁc monoclonal antibodies. Cell populations
of interest can thus be labeled and separated magnetically in
MACS® Columns, special accessories providing the magnetic
ﬁeld strength necessary to retain labeled cells.
No matter whether cells are directly labeled with MACS® MicroBeads or indirectly via adapter molecules, MACS® Technology
allows for several separation strategies: positive selection, depletion, depletion followed by positive selection, multi-sorting, incolumn intracellular antigen staining, and even identiﬁcation of
cells with respect to secreted signal proteins.
And it is not even necessary to do the separation procedures
manually: The autoMACSTM Separator, an ultrafast benchtop
instrument, has become one of the most successful products.
In addition to hundreds of speciﬁc MACS® MicroBeads, Magnets, Columns, and Separators, Miltenyi Biotec offers hardware,
reagents, and molecules for the analysis of cells in terms of
identiﬁcation, enumeration, and characterization. The MACSQuantTM Analyzer, a state-of-the-art ﬂow cytometer de-signed
for benchtop operation, uses laser technology combined with
powerful software to make cell analysis fast and simple. Analysis
is facilitated by MACS® Antibodies, pre-titrated and standardized
for evaluating MACS® Separations and suitable for direct identiﬁcation, characterization, or counting of cells by ﬂow cytometry
or ﬂuorescence microscopy. Special cells require special media.
MACS® Media comprise classical formulations of standard media
as well as highly sophisticated products for culturing hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic stem cells.
www.miltenyibiotec.com
MORPHOSYS Company Profiles
73
MorphoSys AG
MorphoSys AG is one of the world’s leading biotechnology
companies focusing on antibodies. MorphoSys develops fully
human antibodies which are suitable for research and diagnostics and to treat diseases. The company has developed HuCAL®
(Human Combinatorial Antibody Library), a technologically
unique antibody library which is home to more than 12 billion
different, fully human antibodies. The library’s outstanding feature is its ability to optimize, meaning to tailor the antibodies
precisely to the respective requirements and bind their target
molecule with a high affinity.
Numerous partners such as Novartis, Schering, Bayer, Lilly,
Merck & Co., Centocor/Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer and Roche are
successfully using HuCAL® technology. In 2004, the company
achieved a positive EBIT (Earning before Interest and Taxes) for
the first time in the company’s history and became the first biopharmaceutical company on a German stock exchange to turn
profitable. In addition to the commercialization and licensing
of the HuCAL® technology, the company’s business model also
includes building a pipeline with its own antibody products. In
this connection, MorphoSys is concentrating on the indications
of inflammation and cancer. MorphoSys aims to find suitable
partners for the clinical development of these medicines.
Additionally, MorphoSys is active in the antibody research
market through its Antibodies by Design business unit. Antibodies by Design was founded in 2003 for the purpose of exploiting
the MorphoSys non-therapeutic antibody markets. MorphoSys’
activities in the research antibody segment were significantly
strengthened through the acquisition of the U.K. and U.S.-based
Biogenesis Group in January 2005 and the Serotec Group in
2006.
The company was founded in 1992 by, amongst others, Dr.
Simon E. Moroney, the current Chief Executive Officer, and
Professor Andreas Plückthun. The company’s own technology is
based on the research findings obtained by Professor Plückthun
while at the Max-Planck Institute for Biochemistry and which
have been successfully translated into a commercial principle.
During his career, Dr. Moroney has held research posts at the
Universities of Cambridge and British Columbia and at the ETH
in Zurich. He also worked at the Harvard Medical School and
for the American company ImmunoGen where he developed
therapeutic antibodies.
Until its IPO in March 1999, MorphoSys had acquired venture capital and sponsorship money of more than € 20 million.
MorphoSys is the first German biopharmaceutical company
to be floated on the stock exchange and is currently listed in the
TecDAX index of Deutsche Börse.
www.morphosys.com
74
Company Profiles PAION
PAION AG
PAION, a biopharmaceutical company based in Aachen,
Germany, aims to become a leader in developing and commercialising innovative drugs for the treatment of stroke and other
thrombotic diseases for which there is a substantial unmet
medical need.
In 2005, PAION employed on average 64 people. Since 11
February 2005, PAION is listed at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange
(Prime Standard Official Market, Stock Symbol PA8, ISIN
DE000A0B65S3).
PAION aims at building an integrated portfolio of drugs for the
treatment of the different aspects of stroke as well as for other
thrombotic diseases. To achieve this, PAION constantly evaluates in-licensing opportunities (see figure).
PAION’s therapeutic focus, stroke, is the third most frequent
cause of death after cancer and cardiovascular diseases in the
industrialised world and the most frequent cause of permanent
disability. In Germany alone approximately 200,000 people per
year suffer a stroke. More than 80% of all stroke cases are caused
by acute circulatory disorder (ischaemia) due to a blood clot
(thrombus) in the brain. In spite of the intense medical need
and the enormous follow-on costs resulting from subsequent
long-term care, it has not been possible to achieve substantial
improvements with regard to the treatment of acute ischaemic
stroke and its consequences.
PAION’s most advanced substance, Desmoteplase, has received
fast-track status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
for the indication acute ischemic stroke. At the end of 2004 the
company completed a second Phase II study with the substance
in the indication of acute ischaemic stroke. A consecutive Phase
III study with Desmoteplase was initiated in February 2005.
Forest Laboratories Inc. and H. Lundbeck A/S have in-licensed
Desmoteplase for the territories USA/Canada and Europe/Japan/
Rest of World, respectively. Desmoteplase, a novel plasminogen activator, or blood clot-dissolving agent, has the potential
to treat patients with acute ischaemic stroke up to 9 hours
after onset of symptoms. Originally discovered in the saliva of
vampire bats, the substance is now manufactured biotechnologically.
Apart from Desmoteplase, PAION has two further products in
the clinical trial development phases.
One is Enecadin, a so-called neuroprotectant, which is supposed
to protect nerve cells from the effects of deprivation from blood
and oxygen supply. A clinical Phase II study for the indication of
ischaemic stroke was started at PAION in February 2006. Later
it is planned to be used in stroke, also in combination with a
reperfusion therapy.
Furthermore, the product pipeline of PAION features, Solulin,
an antithrombotic that aims at the prevention of re-occlusions
in stroke. Subject screening for Phase I was started at the end of
2005.
www.paion.de
PROBIODRUG Company Profiles
75
Probiodrug AG
Probiodrug AG, a biopharmaceutical company, develops novel
concepts for modifying neuropeptides and hormonal regulation. Based on proprietary technologies, Probiodrug is building
a strong pipeline of innovative small-molecule drug candidates.
Probiodrug’s core competence is based on structure and
function analysis of enzyme proteins. Among them, e.g. proteases are key players of the regulation of many physiological
pathways. Protease inhibition can be used to prevent viral infection; modulate the action of peptide hormones, etc. As a result,
proteases are considered to be important targets for drugs.
The pioneering work of Probiodrug has shown that modulation of the incretin hormones by inhibiting Dipeptidyl peptidase
4 is the base to revolutionize type 2 diabetes therapy. Actually,
two licensors to Probiodrug’s patents are in clinical phase III
studies.
Probiodrug has a proven track record from early research up
to preclinical and clinical development of drug candidates.
Probiodrug’s pipeline includes research and development
programs directed towards the treatment of Age Related Disorders in the therapeutic ﬁelds of Metabolism, CNS and Autoimmunity, which includes but is not limited to individual disorders
such as Dementia, Anxiety, Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes and
Obesity.
Research and development is focused on key target identiﬁcation, and on developing innovative small molecule drug candidates into clinical trials. Probiodrug’s portfolio is risk-diversiﬁed and new candidates from protein research continuously fuel
the pipeline. There are stringent criteria to select only those that
have a strong potential to succeed, clinically and commercially
Probiodrug has built substantial expertise and infrastructure
for drug development, including drug design, CMC, preclinics, and clinics. Probiodrug selectively forms alliances to use
synergies from complementary expertise. Partnerships are
structured to permit Probiodrug to build maximum value into
the pipeline.
A broad portfolio of patents in the field of medical use and
composition of matters assure success.
A staff of about 60 scientists and technicians are working in
several research and development departments: Enzymology,
Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Peptide Chemistry, Medicinal
Chemistry, Mass Spectrometry and Bioanalytics. The team
brings together expertise from molecular biology, genetics,
microbiology, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacy, engineering
and regulatory affairs.
www.probiodrug.de
76
Company Profiles QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V.
QIAGEN is the world’s leading provider of innovative enabling
technologies and products for separating and purifying nucleic
acids (DNA and RNA - the genetic information of life) as well
as proteins. Founded by Dr. Metin Colpan, Dr. Carsten Henco,
and Dr. Juergen Schumacher as a spin-off from Heinrich-HeineUniversity, Dusseldorf in 1984, the Company has developed and
marketed a broad range of proprietary products for academic
and industrial life science research markets.
In recent years, QIAGEN has expanded its product portfolio to
target new life science markets in genomics, gene-based drug
discovery, nucleic-acid–based molecular diagnostics, genetic
vaccination, and gene therapy. QIAGEN’s comprehensive
portfolio of proprietary enabling technologies for separating,
purifying, and handling nucleic acids places it firmly at the
vanguard of these rapidly growing commercial markets.
Several factors including deep knowledge and experience in
the separation and purification of nucleic acids and proteins, a
broad range of focused technologies, strong brand awareness,
experienced and highly-motivated employees, and a traditional
orientation towards innovation have allowed QIAGEN to build
up a leading position in life science research markets.
QIAGEN’s distinctive characteristics include:
• Specialized knowledge and the experience of many years
in the DNA- and RNA-puriﬁcation ﬁeld
• Market and technology leadership in preanalytical sample
preparation
• Broad technology platform
• Firmly established brand name
• Experienced and committed employees
• Ongoing development of new innovative products
• Standard setting in preanalytical sample preparation
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, has subsidiaries
in Germany, the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia and Canada, and employs approximately 1,500
people worldwide.
QIAGEN has developed a comprehensive product portfolio
with more than 320 patent-protected products and technologies, which today addresses nearly every area of preanalytical
sample preparation and sample handling. The product range is
supplemented by robots for the automation of sample preparation, by ready-to-use kits for protein analysis such as x-ray structure analysis and mass spectrometry, and by the production of
synthetic DNA and RNA to customer specifications, as well as a
variety of additional services.
QIAGEN’s proprietary products are sold in more than 42
countries throughout the world to academic research markets
and to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
QIAGEN has experienced a history of significant growth. Since
1999, the company has achieved a compound annual net sales
growth rate of approximately 19% and net income growth rate
of approximately 29%. QIAGEN’s common shares are traded on
Nasdaq (QGEN) and on the TecDax of Deutsche Boerse, Frankfurt (QIA, WPKN 901262).
www.qiagen.com
RENTSCHLER Company Profiles
77
Rentschler Biotechnologie GmbH
Rentschler Biotechnologie GmbH is an independent biotechnology company of the Rentschler group which is based in
Laupheim, Baden-Wurttemberg.
Rentschler Biotechnolgie as a pioneering company has over
thirty years of experience in modern biotechnology. It started
out in the 1970´s with the development and marketing approval
of the world´s first natural interferon beta. At the end of the
1980´s the first marketing approval for recombinant gamma
interferon was granted.
With many years of experience and substantial expertise, all
business activities were concentrated in 1997 to be in position to
provide integrated services for the development and production of biopharmaceutical drugs.
To secure Rentschler Biotechnolgie´s leading position we
have specialized in the growth area of recombinant proteins
produced in mammalian cell cultures.
As demand was strongly increasing, we invested about €
20 million in additional development and production facilities
between 2001 and 2003. Today, six state-of-the-art GMP production suites, equipped with cutting-edge technology, are at our
disposal.
Currently a further expansion of the active pharmaceutical
ingredient production is being planned. This ranks Rentschler
Biotechnologie GmbH in the top ten companies world-wide in
its business section.
Rentschler Biotechnologie GmbH has experienced great success with annual increases in turnover of over 20%. For 2005 a
turnover of around euro 31 million is aimed at. More than 240
highly qualified experts work for clients from all over the world
and grant fast and safe product development and thus efficient
transfer from gene to market place.
As one of the few companies in its sector Rentschler Biotechnologie GmbH offers its partners a full range of services from
molecular biology to the approval of the finished product.
Our broad spectrum includes:
• Molecular Biology
• Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Development and
Production
•
•
•
•
Fill and Finish and Lyophilization
Analytics and Quality Control
Regulatory Affairs
Quality Assurance
Relevant working areas are GMP and GLP -certified and operated in accordance with current national and international
guidelines.
Rentschler Biotechnologie GmbH provides tailor-made
services from one single source which stand for faster and more
reliable realization of highly promising projects together with
reduced cost and time expenditure and less complex coordination.
www.rentschler.de
78
Company Profiles SIRS-LAB
Sirs-Lab GmbH
SIRS-Lab GmbH, a research driven biotechnology company
located in Jena, is specialized in the identification of proprietary biomarkers and the development of in vitro diagnostics
to advance the diagnosis of inflammatory/immunological host
responses and early identification of the bacterial causes of
infection in intensive care medicine and sepsis.
The company holds the rights to the “Jenaer Sepsis Register”,
a unique integrated clinical sample and record data base
comprising more than 2000 ICU-patients with full clinical
documentation. The “Jenaer Sepsis Register” is the basis for
the identification of biomarkers on the gene activity as well
as protein level. In a proof of concept study, the validity of the
gene activity marker approach was demonstrated. Classificators derived from a data set showed good correlation with the
access to the “Jenaer Sepsis Register”. The access to thousands
of gene expression profiles and the unique, fully documented,
clinical database can support patient stratification, target
evaluation and the development of patient monitoring systems
based on in silico models.
clinical diagnosis and allowed an earlier diagnosis, with regard
to the stage and progression of the disease, than using conventional diagnostic means. For the evaluation of protein markers
identified by SIRS-Lab, a strategic alliance with the US-based
diagnostics company Biosite Inc. was negotiated.
By the development of the Pureprove™ technology, SIRS-Lab
has achieved a unique position in the field of pathogen detection. For the first time, this method enables the enrichment of
bacterial DNA from any type of sample source leading to a significant increase in sensitivity of the subsequent downstream
nucleic acid based detection methods. The Pureprove™ technology is commercialized in a product line for sample preparation. The first products launched are Looxster™ universal and
Looxster™ blood, all in one kits for the enrichment of bacterial
DNA from total DNA preparations and from whole blood.
In the fields of inflammation and infection, SIRS-Lab offers genomics and bioinformatics services that can be combined with
www.sirs-lab.com
WILEX Company Profiles
79
Wilex AG
Wilex, based in Munich/Germany, is a European biopharmaceutical company. Wilex is developing novel cancer therapies
for the treatment of various tumors including renal and breast
cancer. Therapies are based upon biologic targets directly
connected to cancer progression and pathogenesis in order to
provide effective and well tolerated treatment and enhance
patients’ quality of life.
Wilex was founded in 1997 by clinical oncologists from the
Technical University of Munich. The Company has raised more
than EUR 68 million in private equity in 4 financing rounds and
has currently 43 employees.
Focused Cancer Therapies
Wilex has a well-balanced late-stage product portfolio with
three compounds in clinical trials and an attractive follow-on
pre-clinical and research pipeline. The Company has two therapeutic platforms: antibodies and small molecules.
Lead Compound Rencarex®
in Phase III Study in Renal Cell Cancer
The company’s lead compound Rencarex® (WX-G250), a
targeted antibody therapy for the treatment of solid tumors, is
currently in a pivotal clinical Phase III trial in renal cell cancer
(RCC). Rencarex® has completed Phase II trials in RCC in which
it showed strong enhancement of patient long term survival
together with an excellent safety profile. RCC is the 10th most
common cancer in the US and Europe. To date, there is no safe
and well tolerated therapy available for this indication.
Inhibition of Metastasis in Breast Cancer and
other Solid Tumors
Wilex’s “uPA program” is one of the most promising approaches
in cancer therapy to specifically block tumor cell invasion and
metastasis.
Wilex is developing non-cytotoxic small molecule inhibitors of the uPA-system, an enzyme system which has been
shown to play a key role in tumor metastasis. The compounds
WX-UK1 and WX-671 for the treatment of breast cancer and
other solid tumors are currently studied in several Phase Ib
clinical trials.
In September 2003, Wilex was awarded the Biotechnology Clinical Partnership Award worth US$ 4.0 million from
the Breast Cancer Research Program of the US Department of
Defense. This grant will be used to fund two clinical Phase I and
II trials with WX-UK1 in breast cancer in the US. The goal of this
award is to accelerate the clinical development of novel compounds with the potential to revolutionize breast cancer therapeutics and contribute to the prevention of chemotherapy. The
clinical Phase I trial was started in May 2004.
www.wilex.com
This publication is distributed free of charge by the German Federal Ministry of
Education and Research as part of its public relations work. It is not intended for
commercial sale. It may not be used by politicalparties, candidates or electoral assistants during an election campaign. This applies to parliamentary, state assembly
and local government elections as well as to elections to the European Parliament.
Inparticular the distribution of this publication at election events and atthe information stands of political parties, as well as the insertion,printing or affixing of
party political information, are regarded asimproper use. The distribution of this
publication to third parties as aform of campaign publicity is also prohibited.
Regardless of how recipients came into possession of this publicationand how many
copies of it they may have, it may not be used in a manner that may be considered as
showing the partisanship of the FederalGovernment in favour of individual political groups, even if not withinthe context of an upcoming election.