EU compiles top 100 biotech technology projects
offers in a new brochure, which showcases the offers in such a way
that encourages European researchers to pursue the exploitation of
their own research results.
The brochure cites Europe's weakness as down to the low participation by the industry, which often has the knowledge and experience of managing intellectual property, which academic institutions lack.
"Europe has a reputation for being very strong in research but weak in exploiting research results," said Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik in his preface.
"Industrial partners can have an impact on the outcome of a project such as financial and scientific management, knowledge and experience how to manage intellectual property, e.g. setting up consortium agreements," said the report.
The major reason for this low exploitation of research results could probably be found in the culture part of the innovation "wheel," e.g. education at Master level and university level in entrepreneurship and its related topics.
The brochure is expected to make for relevant reading, particularly in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
Examples of the biotechnology featured in the brochure include an improved production process for the manufacturing of vaccines.
This project involves an industrial mammalian cell culture process with protein free fermentation media. The researchers targeted the influenza vaccine production derived from permanent MDCK suspension culture.
The researchers discovered that the immunogenicity and quality of the desired product was shown to be identical to protein containing medium product with purification of that product proved to be more efficient and easy.
Other biotechnologies highlighted include an approach to large-scale manufacture of mAb in protein free media, which was achieved by establishing a novel protein-free culture and production medium.
Results have been compared with serum supplemented medium and the novel protein-free medium exhibited at least comparable productivities and stabilities in repeated de-batch systems as well as in continuous perfused fluidised bed reactors.
"We would demonstrate that we have now a complete technology platform including cost effective protein-free media for large-scale manufacture of CHOcell recombinant antibodies. We offer this technology platform to Polymun customers on a non-exclusive basis," the researchers commented.
This booklet contains 100 additional technology offers deriving from biotechnology projects supported since 1994 under the last three EU Research Framework Programmes, and selected on the basis of the TIPs and with the help of scientific officers of the European Commission at DG Research.
"The booklet's objective is to raise interest among Europeans to create new successful partnerships. Industrial participation is an important factor in EU translational research. Exploitation is a key to innovation," the report concluded.
To access the brochure online, please click here.
