I am too depressed to write about the UK playing silly buggers with the EU and the negative impact on science, so let’s look at something positive for Europe instead – the development of circular economy opportunities for biotechnology.
People do plenty of moaning about the European Parliament, so let’s look at something good that it did in October, when it rejected an EC proposal for national GMO bans.
European citizens are living longer than ever before and this trend is further continuing due to unprecedented medical advances and improved standards of living. By 2020, more than a quarter of Europeans will be over the age of 60.
A little bird tells me that the European Commission is moving towards a decision on whether various technologies involved in development of novel plant strains will fall under the terms of current GMO legislation.
Antibiotic resistance is widespread. Its global human and economic burden is tremendous and constantly increasing. Despite the recognised and growing need for new antibiotics, most large pharmaceutical companies today have dropped antibacterial drug discovery programmes.
European Biotechnology Network had the good fortune to moderate the 8th Berlin Conference on IP in Life Science, which this year had a focus on natural products. That will be interesting, I thought to myself, thinking about the world of complex structures and challenging development pathways. Interesting soon paled into insignificance as I fell headlong into the tiger trap that is the Nagoya Protocol, coming soon folks to a country near you.
Modern biotechnology has already helped many patients and we need to continue research and development because many diseases cannot be cured yet. However, inappropriate use of technology has serious side effects for patients and society. That is why strict rules if possible at cross-national level are necessary.
During the Swiss Biotech Day in Zurich, the Swiss Biotech Report 2014 highlighted the most important innovation drivers in the country’s industry and summarised the sector’s most relevant topics.
You would have to be blind, deaf and living in a hole for the last twenty years to not know that Europe struggles with the whole GMO thing.
Immune therapies have rapidly gained the attention of the medical community as a new hope for cancer treatment. Arguably, the intersection of immunology and oncology represents one of the most promising approaches, which may have a significant impact for patients with cancer today.