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Positieve evaluatie Innovatiekrediet: regeling met 5 jaar verlengd

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Afgelopen maanden liet het ministerie van Economische Zaken en Klimaat een aantal financieringsinstrumenten evalueren. Uit de evaluatie van onder andere het Innovatiekrediet, de VroegeFaseFinanciering en de Seed Capital-regeling blijkt dat sinds de start ongeveer duizend ondernemingen zijn geholpen. Staatssecretaris Mona Keijzer concludeert dat de regelingen ondernemers verder helpt en heeft besloten de regelingen met nog eens vijf jaar te verlengen. Een mooie eerste stap voor de innovatieve MKB’ers uit de life sciences sector, waar de financieringsvraag uitdaging nummer één is en blijft. In de reactie op de aanbevelingen bij de evaluatie van het Innovatiekrediet stelt de staatssecretaris verder dat de nieuw op te richten financieringsinstelling Invest-NL naar verwachting ook een rol kan hebben bij het bieden van vervolgfinanciering.

 

Uit de evaluaties blijkt dat de regelingen het aanbod van risicokapitaal voor ondernemingen  versterken en additioneel zijn aan de markt. Start-ups en scale-ups kunnen hiermee aan financiering komen die zij anders niet hadden kunnen krijgen. HollandBIO droeg als gesprekspartner voor de interviews en de expertsessies bij aan de evaluatie van het Innovatiekrediet en is blij met de positieve evaluatie. Mede door het Innovatiekrediet weten bedrijven hun financiering rond te krijgen, gaan zij meer investeren in R&D en wordt de werkgelegenheid vergroot. Hiermee sluit de regeling aan bij maatschappelijke ontwikkelingen.

 

Gaten in financieringslandschap

Toch is er niet alleen goed nieuws. Al jaren staat het budget voor klinische ontwikkeltrajecten binnen het Innovatiekrediet onder druk. Uit de recente Financieringsmonitor van het CBS blijkt dat er een knelpunt zit in de financiering van innovatieve start-ups en scale-ups. Voor de financiering van bedrijven in de life sciences zijn investeerders nodig die bereid zijn risico’s te nemen. Die staan in deze fases niet in de rij, waardoor er gaten vallen in het financieringslandschap.

 

Tweetrapsraket

Dit marktfalen kunnen we aanpakken door de financieringsgaten voor zowel start-ups als scale-ups te dichten met een elegante tweetrapsraket. Met een uitgekiende financieringsmix voor alle fases van ontwikkeling ligt een mooie toekomst in het verschiet. Het verlengen van een regeling als het Innovatiekrediet is een mooie stap om het innovatieklimaat te blijven versterken in de life sciences. Maar de oprichting van Invest-NL geeft pas echt de mogelijkheden om als life sciences sector valorisatie van academische kennis een impuls te geven, de sector competitiever op de internationale kapitaalmarkt te maken, de bijdrage aan economische groei en werkgelegenheid toe te laten nemen en tegelijkertijd een verschil te maken op maatschappelijke uitdagingen rond gezondheid en zorg.

 

Meer informatie

Wil je meer weten over HollandBIO’s programma ‘Een ijzersterk innovatieklimaat’? Kijk op de programmapagina of neem contact op met Fabian.

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ProteoNic Licenses Protein Production Technology to Eli Lilly

ProteoNic Biotechnology has licensed its 2G UNic™ technology for boosting recombinant protein production to Eli Lilly and Company.

Under the agreement, Lilly gains non-exclusive commercial rights for application of the technology to the development of proprietary products. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

ProteoNic’s mammalian protein expression technology is designed to improve recombinant cell line production levels across a range of host cells, selection systems and protein targets. It increases transcription and translation rates via the combined effect of novel genetic elements, which together exert a powerful positive effect on recombinant protein production levels as well as on stability of expression. ProteoNic’s 2G UNic™ can be combined with other technologies to improve their performance.

Frank Pieper, CEO of ProteoNic, states that 2G UNic™ technology can be instrumental in achieving the highest possible production levels and contribute to the economically viable production of both innovator and biosimilar products. ProteoNic will continue to work to reach maximum potential of the production of biologicals for current and future clients.

Source: Proteonic

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André van de Sande ambassador and advisor of Pivot Park

André van de Sande has recently been appointed as ambassador and advisor to the Pivot Park in Oss. Together with the Pivot Park organization, Van de Sande is committed to creating opportunities for further growth of the campus. Activities that are part of the ambassadorship are the further increase of the park’s reputation as a hotspot for pharmaceutical innovation and attracting promising start-ups.

“I am delighted with the fact that André has taken on the roles of ambassador and advisor,” states Brigitte Drees, CEO of the Pivot Park. “With his years of expertise and network, André is the perfect person to jointly look for opportunities that result in further growth of the community.”

“I am impressed by the development of Pivot Park and am convinced that Pivot Park can play an even more prominent role in the innovative biopharmaceutical world. I look forward to working with the team on this” states André van de Sande.

At the moment there are 56 companies located at Pivot Park. Approximately 550 people work at these companies.

Source: Pivot Park

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VITAL European Project Kicks Off

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Recently, the EU-sponsored Vaccines and InfecTious diseases in the Ageing popuLation (VITAL) project was launched. VITAL will address – in a public-private consortium – the challenges of infections in the elderly and the potential of infection prevention by vaccination.

Within the VITAL project, which will run from 2019-2023, University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht will be the managing entity and scientific lead. The € 12.4 million project is sponsored by the European Union’s Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) with a grant of € 5.5 million which will be matched by grants in total of € 6.9 million from the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Associations (EFPIA). The consortium academic leader is prof. dr. Debbie van Baarle, professor of Immunology of Vaccinations at UMC Utrecht and Head of the Department of Immune Mechanisms at the Centre for Immunology of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines at the National Institute of Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands.

Multidisciplinary approach

Through a multidisciplinary public-private approach, VITAL will generate health, economic and societal benefits by mapping the disease burden of infectious diseases to be prevented by vaccines, Investigate immunity to infections and vaccinations in the aging population, calculate the clinical and economic consequences of possible vaccination strategies in different age and risk groups, and develop teaching tools for stakeholders.

The program is in line with recent recommendations from the European Council to strengthen cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases by working on cross-border vaccination programs and develop research and development studies for better understanding the benefit of life-long vaccination impact[1].

Debbie van Baarle explains: “An aging immune system is known to cause increased infection rates in elderly people. Prevention of infectious diseases in the elderly through vaccination is a requirement to promote healthy ageing in this growing population. Our main challenge, in close collaboration with our EFPIA partners, is to overcome the reduced immune responsiveness of this age group by improving the efficacy of vaccines and to identify new vaccination strategies to protect elderly people from infectious diseases.”

Burden of infectious diseases

Due to demographic developments, the population of elderly increases in size every year. Older people are more vulnerable to infectious diseases because their immune system becomes weaker with increasing age. As a consequence, an increasing burden of infections in the elderly is observed. Avoiding such infections by vaccination should delay, reduce, or avoid the exposure to institutionalized health care. In order to achieve optimal vaccination strategies for elderly or better protect elderly against infectious diseases, better insights are needed on how the overall process of ageing, exposure to infection, and immune response to vaccination, is developing and evolving.

Public-private Partnership

The partners in the international VITAL project include 7 academic research groups, 7 public health institutes, 3 private consultancy partners and 7 pharmaceutical industries with long-standing experience in epidemiology, health economy, clinical trials, immunology and public health.

Project details

Name: VITAL – Vaccines and InfecTious diseases in the Ageing popuLation

Start date: January 1, 2019

Duration: 60 months

Budget: €12.4mio

Coordination: University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht

VITAL partners

Academic research groups: University Medical Center Utrecht (the Netherlands), University Medical Center Groningen (the Netherlands), University of Innsbruck (Austria), Imperial College London (United Kingdom), University College London (United Kingdom), University of Ferrara (Italy), University Jean Monnet (France)

Public health institutes: National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (the Netherlands), Norwegian Institute for Public Health (Norway), INSERM: French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (France), Statens Serum Institute (Denmark), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (France), Instituto Superiore di Sanita (Italy), FISABIO: Fundacion para el Fomento de la Investigacion Sanitaria y Biomedica de la Comunitat Valencian (Spain)

Private partners: P95 (Belgium), Syreon Health Institute (Hungary), Mihailovic Health Analytics (Serbia), Glaxo SmithKline Biologicals (Belgium), Pfizer (United Kingdom), Sanofi Pasteur (France), Merck Sharp & Dohme, (USA), Janssen Vaccines & Prevention (the Netherlands), bioMerieux (France), Vaccines Europe/EFPIA.

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Ncardia Launches iPSC-Based Phenotypic Screening Service

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Ncardia, a leading provider of human iPSC-derived cell-based assays and services for drug discovery and development, announced the launch of their DiscoverHIT drug screening platform. The new service enables researchers to access human disease-relevant biology earlier in the drug discovery process with the goal of bringing better medicines to patients faster. The DiscoverHIT Platform is a phenotypic drug screening platform composed of four integrated modules:

  • Disease models: Genetic and induced human iPSC-derived cardiac and neural disease models
  • Large-scale manufacturing: Controlled bioreactor-based manufacturing to enable batch sizes compatible with high-throughput screening (HTS)
  • Customized assay development: Generation and validation of disease-relevant assays with clinically relevant readouts
  • High-throughput screening: Robust HTS using qualified disease assays in combination with high content data acquisition and analysis

“Ncardia enables discovery with efficacy in mind from the start. To realize this, drug developers need validated human iPSC products at scale, disease models, the right assay systems and high throughput screening. We’ve brought these components together in the DiscoverHIT platform.” stated Stefan Braam, CEO of Ncardia.

In addition to the four core modules of DiscoverHIT, Ncardia also offers access to a comprehensive compound library, scientific consultation, and the company’s newly founded training center, Ncardia Academy.

Learn more @ DiscoverHIT Platform

Source: Ncardia

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SMS-oncology reports strong growth in 2018, appointment of COO and future plans

SMS-oncology, a full-service contract research organization (CRO) solely dedicated to oncology drug development, today reports a continuous strong company growth in 2018. The growth comprises an increase in both revenue and employment base.

To accommodate future growth, SMS-oncology strengthened its management team by promoting Ms. Eveline Verheijen to Chief Operating Officer (COO) per January 2019. Ms. Verheijen has over thirteen years of experience in the field of oncology clinical operations, and held operational roles at Bayer and GSK before joining SMS-oncology. In her seven years at SMS-oncology, Ms. Verheijen contributed to the development of the company, and helped it become one of the key players in the field of oncology drug development.

Ms. Verheijen is excited to continue to build and implement the strategy of the company in her new position as COO: “The year 2018 was a great year in which we initiated numerous clinical trials, of which many involve the most innovative (immuno-)oncology drugs and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Clinical trials with anti-cancer compounds remain the most challenging of its kind. The growth we see in our company, both through new clients as well as repeat business, reflects the need for the oncology expertise we have to offer.”

The Oncology Drug Development Affairs department of SMS-oncology provides the oncology expertise needed to successfully design and conduct oncology trials. The company appointed Ms. Inka Pawlitzky, PhD, as department Director. Dr. Pawlitzky brings over 18 years of oncology and immunology research experience in both academia and industry.

With the growing number of trials and a challenging clinical landscape, SMS-oncology is excited and proud to have initiated a dedicated Patient Inclusion department. The department led by Ms. Wendy Onstenk, MD PhD, will focus on improving recruitment strategies. Before joining SMS-oncology, Dr. Onstenk was Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Hartwig Medical Foundation.

Ms. Philine van den Tol, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at SMS-oncology: “Industry research shows that a large group of eligible patients is not included in clinical trials. With our dedicated department, we are keen to overcome barriers hampering optimal patient recruitment and to support clinical investigators in such a way that recruitment of all eligible patients becomes a reality.”

Furthermore, SMS-oncology is spreading its geographical footprint by expanding its local presence in Germany, Spain and the Nordics.

Source: SMS-oncology

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Charles River and Toxys Enter Agreement to offer ToxTracker® in North America

Charles River and Toxys have entered into an agreement to offer access to ToxTracker® in North America. ToxTracker is a suite of assays that allow rapid carcinogenicity toxicity hazard identification in novel and existing drugs, chemicals, and other substances.

With an extremely high level of sensitivity and specificity, ToxTracker can be used to quickly screen chemicals for genotoxicity. By combining multiple biomarkers, ToxTracker provides mechanistic insight into undesired properties of compounds.

The assay identifies a chemical’s increased cancer risk through both traditional markers, such as DNA damage, and alternative Modes-of-Action, including oxidative stress, protein misfolding, and general cellular stress. For Charles River’s clients, utilization of the ToxTracker assay can help mitigate risk of regulatory rejection by demonstrating the exact mechanism of genotoxicity.

ToxTracker has been extensively validated using reference compound libraries recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Toxicity Forecaster (ToxCast) and the European Union Reference Laboratory for alternatives to animal testing (EURL ECVAM). Through this validation, ToxTracker has shown a very high sensitivity (94%) and specificity (95%) for the detection of genotoxic compounds.Additionally, ToxTracker’s versatility in identifying unsafe compounds provides applications across the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and consumer product industries.

“We are proud to work with Toxys to expand our portfolio of genetic toxicology assays. By providing our clients with access to the ToxTracker assays, we are improving their ability to deliver safe, effective compounds.” –Birgit Girshick, Corporate Executive Vice President, Discovery and Safety Assessment of Charles River

“When looking for a company to provide ToxTracker to the North American market, Charles River was an easy choice. Their deep industry knowledge and experience, coupled with an already robust portfolio of toxicology services, makes them the ideal partner for our innovative assays. We are excited to work together to bring ToxTracker to a wider audience.” –Giel Hendriks, CEO of Toxys

Source: Toxys

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Subsidieoproep ‘Hart voor Duurzame zorg’

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Medische technologie voor het eerder opsporen, monitoren en beter behandelen van hart- en vaatziekten is hard nodig. Technologische innovatie levert een belangrijke bijdrage aan een betere gezondheid. Deze innovaties zorgen voor kosteneffectiviteit en maken een persoonlijkere zorg mogelijk. Een zorg die is toegespitst op de wensen en mogelijkheden van het individu. Daarom investeren de Hartstichting, ZonMw en NWO in ‘Hart voor duurzame zorg’, een gezamenlijke subsidieoproep met een totale omvang van vijf miljoen euro. Heb je een briljant idee voor een nieuwe medische technologie? Of brengt je bestaande experimentele technologie naar de kliniek? Dien dan uiterlijk 9 april een voorstel in.

Lees hier verder voor meer informatie: https://www.zonmw.nl/nl/subsidies/openstaande-subsidieoproepen/detail/item/hart-voor-duurzame-zorg/

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DuPont breidt biotech activiteiten uit in Leiden

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Het Amerikaanse DuPont gaat zijn in Leiden gevestigde biotechnologie-activiteiten stevig uitbreiden. DuPont sleutelt in Leiden aan door micro-organismen gemaakte enzymen. Die vinden hun weg naar onder meer (vaat-)wasmiddelen, voedingsmiddelen en diervoeding. Het gaat dan bijvoorbeeld om enzymen die wassen op lagere temperaturen mogelijk maken en daarmee helpen om energie te besparen. De groei van deze activiteiten leidt nu tot een nieuwe investering van €30 mln, bestemd voor de opening van een nieuw en groter kantoor in 2020 en een groei van het aantal werknemers van 130 naar ruim 200.

Bron (inlog nodig): https://fd.nl/ondernemen/1286856/dupont-verdubbelt-bedrijfscapaciteit-op-leiden-bioscience-park 

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Janssen Pharmaceutica scholarships for biomedical start-ups

Janssen Pharmaceutica NV has made available 2 scholarships for the blended course Clinical Development from Paul Janssen Futurelab Leiden (PJ Futurelab). PJ Futurelab is a non-profit, independent education & training initiative of the Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) and Leiden University. Our mission is to train graduated biomedical professional to be tomorrow’s leaders in life sciences.

 

The scholarship awards the full course fee of €5600,- and gives access to the complete blended course Clinical Development: a 5-week online introduction course (study load 5 hours/week) + 4 days on-campus + 5 days on-campus extended. The international blended course Clinical Development from PJ Futurelab Leiden is highly rated by participants (4.4 out of 5 stars). Graduated biomedical professionals from promising start-ups are introduced to Question-Based Clinical Development and are guided on the development of a first-in-man trial. The course offers a unique opportunity to work on extensive teaching cases based on real R&D projects and to meet like-minded peers and key opinion leaders from prominent life sciences companies.

 

For more information, please find attached a short brochure and a letter signed by Marcel Kenter (Director PJ Futurelab) and Bart van Zijl Langhout (Janssen The Netherlands, Campus Lead).

 

Interested participants may apply for a scholarship directly through the website.

The application deadline for this scholarship is February 18, 2019, 12:00 CET.

The course starts on March 25, 2019.

 

For questions or sign up:

Mariella Franker, contact@pauljanssenfuturelab.eu

https://www.pauljanssenfuturelab.eu/scholarships-for-start-ups/

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