Update: BIO-Europe growing further

According to still official figures, EBD Group‘s partnering event in Hamburg, the vibrant centre of Life Science Nord‘s life science cluster, hit a new visitor record of 4,400 attendees from 2,300 companies and 61 countries, engaging in 27,375 one-to-one partnering meetings, a five percent increase over 2018.

Besides partnering, some interesting news surfaced in BIO-Europe‘s sessions on hot topics in drug development and business strategies and on the long hallways of Hamburg Messe.

In contrast to the common perception that Big Pharma is again quitting the field of antimicrobials due to the lack of adequate payment models for drugs that fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Boehringer Ingelheim has launched an engagement in the antiinfectives field. At a panel discussion on business models for AMR innovation it emerged that Boehringer will explore novel approaches to fight infectious diseases with unmet medical need including antimicrobial resistance through its Research Beyond Borders (RBB) programme. The new RBB activity will focus on research collaborations with applied academic research groups and cutting edge biotechnology companies to develop immunological therapies for infectious diseases and novel therapeutics for hard-to-treat infections. Ultimately, RBB’s goal is to explore new and disruptive ideas and technologies across the entire research spectrum.

While about 45% of partnering activities focus on cancer projects, according to Mike Ward from Informa, this year’s vote for the best pitch in BIO-Europe’s Start-up slam was the logical choice: Andreas Ladurna, CSO at Plannegg-based Eisbach Bio GmbH made the grade with a presentation of the company’s screening platform for synthetic lethality that identifies small molecules which specifically target the tumour’s chromatin in order to overcome treatment resistance of suppressor-deficient tumours. The udience choice award was going to Asgard Therapeutics AB

European Biotechnology also learned at BIO-Europe that a new medical cannabis industry association is to be launched in December in order to promote a legal EU framework allowing the expected huge market growth of cannabinoids and its medical applications in Europe.

Dr. Hinrich Habeck, Managing Director of Life Science Nord, said, “It was an honor for Life Science Nord and our industrial partners Eppendorf, Evotec, Nordmark and Indivumed to have BIO-Europe celebrate its 25th anniversary here in Hamburg. As this year’s regional host, it was a perfect opportunity to showcase Northern Germany’s strengths in biotech and pharma to an international audience.”

BIO-Europe^® 2020 will be held in Munich, Germany, October 26-28, 2020. Prof. Dr. Horst Domdey, Managing Director of BioM Biotech Cluster Development, regional host in 2020, commented, “BIO-Europe 2019 Hamburg again raised the bar; its success will be hard to beat. But Munich is looking forward to accepting the challenge, especially because it is accompanied with the good wishes from our friends in Hamburg.”

For springtime partnering, be sure to consider BIO-Europe Spring^® 2020, March 23-25 in Paris, France.?