The search for this year's most innovative biotech SME in Europe has begun as EuropaBio launch a call for applications for the 4th annual Most Innovative European Biotech SME Award 2013. With a €10,000 cash prize and free membership of EuropaBio to be won, the award is expected to once again attract large amounts of applications from right across the EU and all sectors of biotech: healthcare, agriculture and industry.

The award aims to showcase European Biotech SMEs that have developed an innovative solution to technical, social and environmental problems. The winner will be chosen by a high-level judging panel consiting of G. Steven Burrill, Founder and CEO of Burrill and Co; Welsh MEP Dr Kay Swinburne, Belgian MEP Dr Philippe De Backer; Tom Saylor, CEO of Arecor and Chair of EuropaBio SME Platform; and Nathalie Moll, Secretary General of EuropaBio.

The Award will be presented during the first ever European Biotech Week at an event that will showcase the outstanding accomplishments of the top five candidates. As with previous years, expected attendees include high level European policy makers, venture capitalists and SME funding experts, CEOs of large biotechnology companies as well as biotech product end users and the media.

Tom Saylor, Chairman of the EuropaBio SME Platform stated: "Last year we were delighted to see such large growth in the number of applications for the EuropaBio Most Innovative Biotech SME Award and we hope this year will see an even bigger increase. The award is an aknowledgment of the impact SMEs have on creating and retaining world-class excellence in research, innovation and science here in Europe. Innovative SMEs are vital, not only for job creation but for meeting many of society's greatest environmental, agricultural and healthcare requirments. As investment from the private sector across Europe continues to stagnate, it is essential that a workable funding framework programme, such as the incentives laid out for SMEs under the European Commission 8th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation Funding- Horizon 2020, is in place so that the products invented in Europe make it to the European marketplace. "

Nathalie Moll Secretary General of EuropaBio commented on the significance of the timing of this years award: "The first ever European Biotech Week will take place througout the EU from 30 September until 04 October this year with a series of seminars, career advice, public events, science experiements and much more to really engage the general public and educate about the importance of innovation and science to our everyday lives. The EuropaBio Most Innovative Biotech SME Award is perfectly suited to take place during this week as SMEs are the lifeblood of the biotech industry- without them we would not have many of the innovative solutions in healthcare, agriculture and industry that are impacting our daily lives."

The application phase is open from 06 May until 10 June 2013. Applications form can be downloaded here.

For further information, please contact:

Rosalind Travers
Manager, Communications & SME Platform
Ph: +32 (0) 478 680 301
E: r.travers@europabio.org

About EuropaBio

EuropaBio is the European Association for Bioindustries, bringing together bioscience companies from all fields of research and development, testing, manufacturing and distribution of biotechnology products. It has 56 corporate members, 14 associate members and Bio Regions and 19 National Biotechnology Associations- representing some 1800 small and medium sized enterprises across Europe

Its members are involved in research, development, testing, manufacturing and commercialisation of biotechnology products and processes, and have a wide range of activities: human and animal health care, diagnostics, bio-informatics, chemicals, crop protection, agriculture, food and environmental products and services.

About the SME Platform

EuropaBio's SME Platform focuses its activities on highlighting challenges and financial constraints that biotech SMEs face, and developing policy recommendations to optimise EU and member state funding instruments for biotech SMEs. The SME Platform brings together CEOs, of SMEs, National Biotech Associations, Venture Capitalists and private banks, European financial institutions, representatives from the EC, and other interested stakeholders.

ARTES Biotechnology issued New Patent in Australia for VLP Technology

Langenfeld, April 19^th, 2013. ARTES Biotechnology specialized in microbial cell line and process development as well as in technology transfer for pharmaceutical industry is pleased to announce the issuance of a new patent for their VLP platform. The patent will further strengthen the Metavax® platform of the company. In combination with the expression platform Hansenula Metavax® is a unique tool for the development of affordable, safe and effective vaccines.

“Our intellectual property strategy is to provide multiple layers of protection for our technology platform portfolio. We believe that this new patent will have additional reinforcement to our existing patent estate and for our service we offer clients for vaccine development,” said Dr. Melanie Piontek, Business Development Director of ARTES.

Direvo reaches milestone in consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulose to lactic acid

Cologne, Germany, March 11, 2013. Direvo Industrial Biotechnology GmbH (Direvo) today announced that it reached an important milestone in developing a consolidated bioprocess for lactic acid production from lignocellulose.

Up until now, there has not been any known consolidated bioprocess for producing lactic acid from lignocellulose. Direvo has now successfully built up a processing chain from pretreatment through fermentation to downstream processing for a consolidated bioprocess for lactic acid. On the basis of pretreated Miscanthus grass, Direvo fermented lactic acid on pilot scale in a single-step-synthesis. Direvo was further able to show that the important step of downstream processing of free lactic acid in the fermentation matrix can be realized efficiently by standardized procedures. The downstream processing was executed in collaboration with the department of bioengineering of the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering Potsdam-Bornim.

Direvo’s specific, self-isolated proprietary microorganism Caldicellulosiruptor sp. produces the needed enzymes to ferment the pretreated biomass and converts the emerging sugar to end products. In these processes, no cost-intensive technical enzymes have to be added. A further advantage is that these microorganisms are extreme thermophile and therefore high process temperatures don’t cause product losses through contamination with foreign bacteria.

On the basis of this proof-of-concept, the next development stage to raise competitiveness in a commercial environment will be to increase the yield of lactic acid.

Consolidated bioprocessing is the conversion of lignocellulose into target products in a single step without having to add enzymes. Direvo develops consolidated bioprocesses for production of biofuels and biobased chemicals under the brand name BluCon®. Beside Lactic Acid, BluCon®-L, Direvo pursues with Ethanol, BluCon®-E, another product line. BluCon® converts various non-food biomass ranging from grasses and straw to agricultural and wood residues and can therefore be applied around the globe.

About Direvo Industrial Biotechnology GmbH:

Direvo is a biotechnology company focusing on the biomass conversion industry. Direvo identifies bottlenecks and weaknesses in current industrial processes in this sector and develops and implements biology-based solutions together with large and small industrial partners. Direvo’s products are newly designed enzymes and high quality microorganisms that provide easy-to-implement and cost-effective solutions. Direvo’s contributions strengthen the competitiveness and the profitability of the partners while supporting them to make the future cleaner, greener and safer. More information about Direvo is available on www.direvo.com.

Direvo announces successful closure of 3.5 Million Euro financing round

Cologne, Germany, March 18, 2013. Today, Direvo Industrial Biotechnology GmbH (Direvo) announced the successful closure of a financing round of three and a half million Euro to fund the sustainable growth of the company.

All current major investors participated in this third financing round since the founding of Direvo, a spin-off from Direvo Biotech AG, in the year 2008. The capital will be used to get the platform technologies BluCon® and BluZy® ready for the market.

Jorg Riesmeier, Chief Executive Officer of Direvo, said: “We are pleased to have closed this financing round to accelerate the market maturity of our products. We are also very proud that all of our existing investors have committed again. This underlines the investors’ belief in our team, the satisfaction with the things we have achieved so far and the trust to manage the up-coming challenges in the markets. Direvo is well prepared for a successful market entrance.”

About Direvo Industrial Biotechnology GmbH:

Direvo is a biotechnology company focusing on the biomass conversion industry. Direvo identifies bottlenecks and weaknesses in current industrial processes in this sector and develops and implements biology-based solutions together with large and small industrial partners. Direvo’s products are newly designed enzymes and high quality microorganisms that provide easy-to-implement and cost-effective solutions. Direvo’s contributions strengthen the competitiveness and the profitability of the partners while supporting them to make the future cleaner, greener and safer. More information about Direvo is available on www.direvo.com.

CellAct Pharma's Topoisomerase Inhibitor Demonstrates Success in Phase I Study Involving Adults with Heavily Pretreated Solid Tumors

DORTMUND, Germany (BUSINESS WIRE) CellAct Pharma announced today that the company’s product candidate CAP7.1, a modification of the well-established anticancer agent etoposide, showed promising safety and tolerability following administration in adults with heavily pretreated solid tumors. In addition, signs of efficacy of CAP7.1 treatment were observed in the majority of treated patients, thereby indicating overall survival prolongation for patients with cancers of lung, hypopharnyx, ovarian, testicular, stomach, esophageal, biliary tract and neuroendocrine tumor of skin.

Data from this phase I study were presented at the 24^th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics in Dublin, Ireland.

“The results from this small study with CAP7.1 are very encouraging. Not only were the safety and tolerability primary objectives achieved, we started to see efficacy responses in therapy-refractory tumors and could achieve the stabilization of such diseases with a monotherapy of CAP7.1 at this advanced disease stage,” explained Professor Ulrich Keilholz, Charite Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, the lead investigator on the study. “Some of these tumors are very difficult to treat, especially after being treated with other anticancer agents, so we were very pleasantly surprised as to the extent of response in some patients.”

CAP7.1 was administered to 19 patients in four successive dose levels (225-1000 mg/m²/cycle) and displayed manageable side effects (mainly hematological, without organ affection) even at highest dose levels, which represent a nearly threefold increase of the conventional etoposide dose (360 mg/m²/cycle). Interestingly, CAP7.1 shows no hematological toxicities at 360 mg/m²/cycle at all. Non-hematological adverse events were mild or moderate, with the most frequent side effects being nausea, vomiting, fatigue and diarrhea.

14 out of 19 patients showed efficacy signs including stable disease with one patient demonstrating partial response. The progression-free survival of patients strongly correlated with the administered strength of CAP7.1 dose.

“These results with CAP7.1 provide solid basis for further development and so we have initiated phase II studies in three tumor types: biliary cancers, non-small cell and small cell lung cancers,” stated Nalân Utku, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of CellAct. “Knowing that CAP7.1 is showing activity against very difficult-to-treat cancers such as gallbladder cancer is heartening. We hope that further clinical studies will confirm and expand on these preliminary data. The results of these trials might lead to a conditional approval and market launch of CAP7.1 already by 2015.”

About CellAct Pharma

CellAct Pharma is focused on the development of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancers. CellAct‘s drug candidates target and modulate human molecules that have specific functions in tumor growth. A first small molecule compound, CAP7.1 is currently in a clinical Phase II study for the treatment of solid cancers. CellAct has received a €0.7 million grant from the German ministry for education and science (Bmbf) to support this program. For further information visit www.cellact.eu.

AICURIS AND MERCK ENTER EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR INVESTIGATIONAL PORTFOLIO TARGETING HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS  

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J., and Wuppertal, Germany, October 15, 2012 – Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, and AiCuris today announced that they have entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing agreement for AiCuris' novel portfolio of investigational medicines targeting Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV), including letermovir (AIC246), an oral, late-stage antiviral candidate being investigated for the treatment and prevention of HCMV infection in transplant recipients. "There is a significant need for additional medicines for the treatment of HCMV infection, which is one of the most common viral infections affecting organ and bone marrow transplant patients," said Dr. Roger Pomerantz, senior vice president, Worldwide Licensing and Knowledge Management, and Infectious Disease Franchise Head, Merck Research Laboratories. "AiCuris has built a leading portfolio of innovative antiviral HCMV candidates that are designed to address novel targets and offer the potential for HCMV prophylaxis. This portfolio complements Merck's broad antiviral portfolio."

Removing estrogen from drinking water

Bielefeld University students participating in iGEM competition

A biological filter to remove estrogens from waste water and drinking water. The 15 Bielefeld students submitting this project to the ‘international Genetically Engineered Machine competition’ (iGEM) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA are setting their sights high. They are persuading internationally active companies and associations in the biotechnology and chemistry sector to contribute several ten thousands of Euros to cover the costs of entering this rapidly expanding global competition in synthetic biology. Since May, they have been spending their free time in the laboratory making new DNA building blocks, reproducing them, and producing enzymes. First results give reason for optimism.

The birth control pill is a widespread contraception method. However, large amounts of these modified estrogens leave the body again in urine. The conventional methods in sewage treatment plants are unable to treat this waste water sufficiently because the most frequently used estrogen ethinylestradiol is very difficult to break down. As a result, the hormone finds its way into rivers and lakes and also accumulates in drinking water with serious consequences for fish and other aquatic life. These range from reproductive and severe developmental disorders to the formation of female sexual characteristics in males. The long-term consequences of increasing estrogen pollution for human beings are still largely unknown. Nonetheless, declining sperm counts and thereby increasing infertility in men living in industrial nations may well relate to this hormonal pollution. In addition, testicular and prostate cancers as well as osteoporosis (a reduction in bone density) could be a consequence of overly high concentrations of estrogen in the human body.

Bio filters from tree fungi

The goal of the Bielefeld iGEM team is to develop a biological filter in which certain enzymes (so-called laccases) break down the estrogen. Laccases are to be found in many organisms, and one of their properties is an ability to break down aromatic compounds – to which the estrogens belong. One source of particularly efficient laccases for this process is the turkey tail, a type of fungus that likes to grow on trees. The Bielefeld students are aiming to manufacture this enzyme economically and safely with the help of methods from synthetic biology. It should also be possible to extend the concept to other, in part poisonous and carcinogenic pollutants in drinking and waste water. The students already have one first success to announce: they have managed to isolate the genes of several laccases from various bacteria and have placed them in a standard, allowing further development. By the time of the European Jamboree in October, they want to have confirmed how the enzymes break down various substrates such as estrogens, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals and to be starting to immobilize them to filter materials.

Doing research in their own time

The Bielefeld team is composed of 15 students in the Genome-Based Systems Biology, Molecular Cell Biology, and Molecular Biotechnology degree programmes.

Participating in the international competition means sacrificing many hours of their own free time, because the Bielefeld students have to carry out the research on top of their regular studies. Moritz Müller, a Master student of Molecular Biotechnology, explains why participating is nonetheless attractive: ‘Taking part in the competition gives you a chance to build up your own laboratory work while you are still studying, to pursue your own ideas, and even carry out your own project. These are the sort of challenges you will be facing in your professional career’. The students are being supported by Professor Dr. Alfred Pühler, Professor Dr. Erwin Flaschel, Dr. Jörn Kalinowski, and Dr. Christian Rückert from Bielefeld University’s CeBiTec (Center for Biotechnology).

International competition

The iGEM competition has been held every year since 2003 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston. Starting as an MIT study course, the number of competitors has grown rapidly from five teams in 2004 to more than 190 in the present year. All teams face the same task: taking their project from the idea across the laboratory work to gaining funding and communicating the findings. As Dr. Jörn Kalinowski stresses, ‘on the student level, the iGEM competition is the world championship in synthetic biology – and it shows what potential this still young field of research has in the near future. Over 2,000 brilliant young minds from the best universities throughout the world are competing with each other. As in the current Bielefeld project, they set themselves ecological and social challenges and often find unconventional solutions. At the same time, the iGEM competition draws the attention of international companies and associations to the students and their promising ideas. The competition has a worldwide impact‘. Because of the large numbers of competitors, continental preliminaries called jamborees have been organized since 2011. The European Jamboree will be held from 5–7 October in Amsterdam, Holland. It will decide which European teams get to travel to Boston, USA for the finals in November. Bielefeld University is competing for the third year in a row, and already succeeded in qualifying for Boston in 2010 and 2011.

For further information in the Internet, go to:

www.igem-bielefeld.de

Contact:

Robert Braun, Bielefeld University
iGEM-Team Bielefeld-Germany
Telephone: +49 162 3167424;
Email: rbraun@igem-bielefeld.de

Basel/Tübingen, May 2012

Baliopharm signs licensing agreement for the development of a bispecific antibody indicated for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases

Basel/Tübingen, May, 9th, Baliopharma AG, which was founded as a spin-off of Celonic AG last year and ApoGbR today announced the signing of a world-wide, exclusive licensing agreement for a prototypic bi-specific therapeutic antibody which has been developed by Prof. Gundram Jung, a pioneer in the area of bi-specific antibodies, at the Institute of immunology of the University Tübingen. According to this agreement, Baliopharm obtains the world wide, exclusive rights on the bi-specific antibody called “Novotarg”, which is developed for the treatment of specific lymphomas but also for B-cell mediated inflammatory diseases. Novotarg binds highly selective to CD20 positive normal, activated or malignant B-cells which then will be destroyed by agonistic binding to a death receptor leading to selective elimination of these cells. Due to this bi-specific design both better safety and increased efficacy is reached, as shown in preclinical experiments.

“We are very pleased that by in-licensing of Novotarg we can add a further drug candidate to our pipeline. All available data give evidence that this antibody is a further highly innovative drug, which we primarily want to develop for the treatment of multiple sclerosis”, says CEO Dr. Andreas Herrmann. „Furthermore, the structure of this bi-specific antibody is highly innovative, very stable and easy to produce. That will help us to overcome the main hurdles usually associated with the production of bi-specific antibodies and we hope to enter the clinical development phase within the next 2 years.”

“We highly appreciate that with Baliopharm we have found a company with international experience in the development of drugs”, says Prof. Dr. Gundram Jung. “I am sure that the further development of Novotarg is in safe keeping there”.

About Baliopharm Group
Baliopharm was founded in 2011 as a spin-off of Celonic AG, an internationally operating service provider in the area of contract development and manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals operating since 1998. Celonic AG has also successfully developed their own therapeutic proteins targeting immune-mediated diseases, which are now developed further by the Baliopharm Group having to sites one in Basel (Switzerland) and one in Juelich (Germany). The lead product “ATROSAB”, a second generation TNF-antagonist with better safety and efficacy indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn`s disease and multiple sclerosis will enter clinical development already in the second quarter of 2012.

Bonn/Erkrath - May 2012

High-Tech Gründerfonds, Private Investors and KfW invest €4.3 million in Algiax Pharmaceuticals GmbH

Advanced Therapy for Neuropathic Pain

Algiax Pharmaceuticals GmbH, headquartered in Erkrath, is a biotechnology research company which was founded in July 2011. It is dedicated to drug development addressing central nervous system (CNS) illnesses and dysfunctions, with a focus on neuropathic pain. A consortium of private investors, as well as KfW and High-Tech Gründerfonds, are investing approx. €4.3 million in Algiax in a first closing. Pain is the primary reason for a visit to a doctor in Germany. According to the German Research Association for Neuropathic Pain (Deutscher Forschungsverbund Neuropathischer Schmerz, DFNS) chronic neuropathic pain occurs with a prevalence of approx. 6%, corresponding to just under 5 million sufferers in Germany. The global costs for the diverse treatments of neuropathic pain were approx. $US 4.8 billion in 2010 with an estimated increase to $US 10 billion in 2018.

Long-term therapy of neuropathic pain currently involves the use of medicines with a variety of mechanisms of action. In addition to limited effectiveness, the success of treatment is mostly being impacted by resistance, serious side effects and addiction. Current therapy options are not curative, but instead seek to suppress pain by 30-50%. This entails an urgent need for new, effective and safe medications.

It is Algiax Pharmaceuticals’ aim to establish the first causal-therapeutic treatment of chronic neuropathic pain syndrome. The substances patented by Algiax (late preclinical development stage) don’t just target the symptoms of neuropathic pain, but also enable causal therapy of pain induction. The mechanism: a suppression of pain-inducing processes represents a therapeutic intervention at the earliest possible stage. It can not only prevent the development of neuropathic pain syndrome, but also the establishment of pain-induced secondary diseases. In preclinical studies it was shown that the Algiax substances have the potential to address a broad spectrum of both central nervous as well as peripheral neuropathic pain syndromes of differing origin.

“With the first closing for €4.3 million we have laid the foundation for the further expansion of the company. Our aim is to gain approval for the clinical testing stage”, said Dr. Jürgen Schumacher, co-founder and Managing Director of Algiax.

“We are happy that Algiax’s well-stocked seed round will enable the development of a preclinical program for a thus far inadequate treated indication with high medical need”, added Dr. Martin Pfister, responsible Investment Manager at High-Tech Gründerfonds.

Dr. Detlev Riesner as the lead investor for KfW, active for years as a business angel in the biotechnology scene, emphasizes that at Algiax excellent science in combination with experienced management and high market potential come together in a perfect way.

Contact Algiax: Algiax Pharmaceuticals GmbH
Stefan Fischer
Max-Planck-Straße 15a
40699 Erkrath Germany
Phone: +49 211 – 617 851 10
Fax: +49 211 – 617 851 50
Stefan.fischer@algiax.com