Biotechnology organization Prague.bio celebrates its 1-year anniversary
The second edition of Prague.bio Conference, held on this occasion, brought together global experts on technology transfer and the creation of biotech startups, awarded the best startup presentations and introduced the upcoming educational academy for future spin-off managers.
What was accomplished during the year?
· The Prague.bio Conference this September welcomed 300 participants from all over the world
· The number of members of the organization doubled to 12
· Major players from the pharmaceutical business joined the association - Bristol Myers Squibb and Zentiva
· A training academy for future founders and managers of spin-off and start-up companies is in the pipeline for Q1 2025
Prague, 24 September 2024: At the Prague.bio Conference 2024, the professional biotechnology association Prague.bio celebrated its 1-year anniversary. The conference, which took place on 24 September in Prague's Slovansky dum, welcomed 300 visitors from scientists, biotechnology experts and innovators from all over the world. The interest that the event had already registered last year was confirmed and even increased. Biotechnology, as one of the key technologies of the future, has its place and room for further development in the Czech Republic. This year's event focused more on technology transfer to university spin-offs and building successful startups or partnerships between industry and academia, areas that offer considerable potential for better exploitation.
"There was a lot of interest in this year's Prague.bio Conference, so logically we see potential for further growth. In addition to the possible expansion of the conference, we are also going to launch an educational programme in the first half of 2025, which will focus on future founders and managers of spin-off companies from Czech research institutes. We therefore want to further develop the topic, which was also covered in detail at this year's conference," says Petra Kinzlová, Director of Prague.bio.
The lectures of two experts on the transfer of intellectual property and the startup environment attracted a lot of attention this year. The conference was opened by Christian A. Stein, CEO of Ascenion GmbH, one of the largest technology transfer institutions in Germany, and founder of a several successful biotechnology companies. He spoke about the different models of IP licensing to start-ups from universities and research institutions, giving examples of models from the UK, the US and Israel, and a specific case study of Cardior, a spin-off of the Hannover Medical School, which was acquired this year by Novo Nordisk for €1.025 billion. Another speaker was Silicon Valley expert Petr Jansa, Executive Director for Medicinal Chemistry at Biomea Fusion (a publicly traded biotech company) and co-founder of other innovative start-ups. His expertise builds on his collaboration with Professor Antonín Holý and the development of new drugs at Gilead Sciences. His presentation summarized the sources of innovation that are currently driving the world of biotechnology in Silicon Valley.
The conference also offered a showcase of 12 biotech startups from the CEE region. The expert jury then selected the 3 best presentations. The 1st place went to the Polish company nCage Therapeutics, which is developing technology for the creation of new types of vaccines. The jury selected the presentation of the Czech startup LAM-X as the 2nd best, in which they presented its antimicrobial nanotextile for wound dressings, significantly reducing the risk of infection. The third place was awarded to the Czech project ChemCell from the IOCB (Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry), whose team is developing cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer.
"Biotechnology is one of the key areas that can make a major contribution to our future, not only in health, but also in strengthening the competitiveness of our economy. Fostering technology transfer between research institutions and industry is essential if we are to translate cutting-edge scientific discoveries into innovative solutions that can succeed in the marketplace more quickly and efficiently. That's why I am glad that the Prague.bio Conference is of such interest and that in addition to the results of large research institutions or companies, innovative startup companies are also presenting here. I believe that the Czech Republic has great potential in this area," said Marek Ženíšek, Minister for Science, Research and Innovation.
The conference was held under the auspices of the City of Prague and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the general partner was the global biopharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb, which is now also a member of the Prague.bio association, and presented its vision of healthcare in the future.
"We are pleased to support the Prague.bio 2024 Conference, which gives us the opportunity to get to know innovative ideas from Czech scientific institutions, as well as promising startups from the Central European region. At the conference, we also presented one of our visions of digital health, which combines digital technologies with diagnostic methods and has the potential to change clinical practice and ensure the best possible outcomes for every patient in the future," said Karin Bacmaňáková, CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb, Czech Republic.
Prague.bio
Prague.bio was founded in August 2023 with the aim of developing the biotechnology segment in the wider Prague region. The association connects important actors in the public, private and academic spheres and promotes the region as a biotechnology hub on the map of Europe. Members of Prague.bio are the Institute of Biotechnology of the CAS, Bristol Myers Squibb, dubanska & co., i&i Prague, Kapaji, MCB Lab, Institute of Microbiology of the CAS, Institute of Molecular Genetics of the CAS, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS, University of Chemical Technology in Prague, Wolf Theiss and Zentiva.
Media contact:
Kristina Svobodová
Marketing manager Prague.bio
+420 725 935 900
