Emperor Nero, reportedly, fiddled as Rome burned in 64 A.D., much like society for a long time ignored and repressed the pending crisis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Gene therapy, considered to be the most efficient and sometimes only treatment option for many severe and life-threatening diseases, is shifting to more common indications with higher numbers of patients including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. This is where the new ELEVECTA® AAV producer cell lines come into play. ELEVECTA® is a revolutionary technology that enables viral vector manufacturing in an industry-standard, scalable suspension format.

Chromatography methods and practical tips to simplify and reduce the costs of your processes

BioEcho develops single-spin and 96/384-well kits based on the proprietary single-step EchoLUTION nucleic acid extraction process. Highly superior to the commonly used Silica-based solutions (bind-wash-elute), the whole procedure is extremely fast. Washing steps are not required and the isolated inhibitor-free RNA/DNA is detected with increased sensitivity. Due to the expertise of its founders and employees, BioEcho also uses their know-how to support companies with limited research capacities or specialized scientific knowledge. Especially in times like these, BioEcho helps to accelerate accurate tests on certain RNA/DNA viruses or pathogens.

Additional to the print edition the European Biotechnology Science & Industry Guide 2020 is available digital in the App Store and at Google Play. Download the free BIOCOM app on smartphone, tablet or laptop and have the complete edition in one hand.

BIO-Europe Spring: Leading life sciences partnering event pivots to deliver dealmaking
opportunities in a new format during very unusual times. With just 16 days to plan, EBD Group transformed BIO-Europe Spring from a physical event held in Paris to a fully digital solution where 1,700 delegates around the world participated in virtual partnering meetings and panels.

Many CDMOs have taken actions to meet the growing demand of viral vector development and manufacturing services for clinical trials, as well as for commercial scale production. While capacity is important, there are only a few companies who provide services across the entire supply and value chain. So, what should you expect when choosing a true one-stop-shop as a CDMO partner in the gene therapy space?

BioEcho develops single-spin and 96-well kits for the isolation of DNA from different starting materials. In contrast to common bind-wash-elute procedures, their proprietary EchoLUTION single-step technology avoids the use of inhibitory or harmful process reagents and does not require washing steps. 90% of the disposal costs are saved as well as more than 40% of the pipet tip consumption costs. The inhibitor-free DNA enables lowered time-to-result in enzyme-dependent genomic analyses such as PCR or NGS.

For its first phocean edition, BioFIT confirms its status as the leading European partnering event for early-stage deals and investment rounds in the Life Sciences field. Over 1,150 attendees from over 35 countries attended BioFIT’s 8th edition: 120+ exhibitors, 70 speakers, 16 conferences and 4 projects elected as the most innovative in their categories were gathered in Marseille at “Parc Chanot” on December 10th and 11th.

The 10th edition of the European Biotechnology Science & Industry Guide once more offers an interesting cross-section of the European biotech scene.