PARISI L E D E F R A N C EBIRTHPLACE OF A NEW BIOTECH REVOLUTION
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PARISI L E D E F R A N C EBIRTHPLACE OF A NEW BIOTECH REVOLUTION
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CONTENTS
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LE MONDE - NEW YORK TIMES/EUROREACH - ADVERTISING FEATURE
PARIS VIES FOR POLE POSITION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY S01 - S12
Appearing in:
NATURE BIOPHARMA
HYBRIGENICS S13
NAUTILUS BIOTECH S14 - S15
MEDICEN PARIS REGION S16 - S17
GENOPOLE - EVRY S18 - S19
GENEWAVE S20
ATRAGENE S20
CELOGOS S20
DNA THERAPEUTICS S20
SERIAL GENETICS S20
GENETHON S21
SEBIA S21
OBETHERAPY BIOTECHNOLOGY S21
NOKAD S22
UNIVERSITE PIERRE ET MARIE CURIE S22 - S23
INSTITUT PASTEUR S24
Sponsored by:
and
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In association with
For a glimpse under the hood of the French bio-
technology sector, step into Yves Agid’s office
nestled in the sprawling Parisian campus of the
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (AP-HP). As the world-
renowned neurologist describes the bounty of
biotech projects in the Paris region, his desk starts
to rumble and shake. A race car motor revs. Just as
you’re about to duck for cover from a seemingly
speed-possessed desk, Agid silences the vibrating
Ferrari-red cell phone and finishes his sentence.
“The most talented scientists in the world are
interested in Paris. We have a dream team,” says
Agid, cofounder of the Institute for Brain and Spinal
Cord Disorders,1 slated to open in 2008.
The message is (very) loud and clear: France has
shifted into sixth gear and is gaining speed in the
international race for biotech innovation.
Paris Vies for
Pole Position
in Biotechnology
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France hardly starts from pole
position. Honors go to the United
States where Bay Area resear-
chers Stanley Cohen and Herbert
Boyer invented the technique of
DNA cloning and paved the way for
a new industry based on genetic
engineering. The discovery in 1973
gave Americans an early lead. The
French, however, are catching up.
The French government has
pledged to fuel biotech innova-
tion through funding and tax
incentives. But the true entrepre-
neurial impetus lies in the shared
zeal of public and private players
to transform basic research into
profitable applications.
Stakes are sky-high and the
potential rewards – astronomic.
Biotech breakthroughs offer the
technical know-how to save lives
or vastly improve their quality.
With rocketing current and poten-
tial demand for biotechnology
products, the sector enjoys rapid
growth in an otherwise lackluster
world economy.
Global revenues doubled in five
years and topped $63 billion
(€50 billion) in 2005.2 France –
home to some 400 biotech com-
panies with 20,000 employees –
boasts a swift 25 percent annual
growth rate.3
Paris, in particular, is poised to
profit. An enviable location at the
heart of Europe and the famed
French way of life continue to
draw international talent to the
world’s top tourist destination4.
Parisian charm, however, is rooted
in pragmatism. A centuries-old
preeminence in the life sciences
makes it an international biomedi-
cal leader today. Paris’ prestigious
research centers, universities and
hospitals are recognizable, even
in non-science circles. Nearly all
the major international pharma-
ceutical companies are present in
Paris, providing fertile ground for
cultivating industrial collabora-
tions. The creation of Genopole5
in 1998 gave France a “genetics
valley” 15 miles (25 km) south of
Paris.
And from Oct. 25-27, Paris will
play host city to EuroBiO6,
dubbed the “Davos of Life
Sciences” and regarded by many
as the European counterpart
to America’s BIO conference.
Add catalysts to this rich concoction
of possibilities and a maelstrom of
activity appears. Bio-incubators,
government initiatives and an
increasingly comprehensive network
of collaborative clusters spur the
creation of biotech startups. A new
generation of entrepreneurs is
discovering that there’s no better
place than Paris to launch a biotech
startup. ■
FOSTERING
FLEDGLING BIOTECHS
Genomic Vision7, a Paris-based
startup that specializes in early
cancer detection and drug therapy
monitoring, tells a common story
of how a particularly Parisian cast
of characters fans the spark of
scientific research into roaring
entrepreneurship.
In 1994, Aaron Bensimon, director
of the Genomic Stability Laboratory
at Pasteur Institute, discovered a
technology to analyze DNA mole-
cules. For some scientists, publi-
shing the find would suffice. But
Pasteur harbored greater hopes
for Bensimon. It wished to promote
his research and, 10 years later,
had just the structure to do so.
Keen to increase income from
applications of its research, Pasteur
inaugurated BioTop8 in 2000.
The in-house incubator helps
scientists set up companies to
further develop and market their
research.
In 2004, BioTop contacted Daniel
Nerson, a Pasteur-trained scientist
who had spent a dozen years honing
his corporate skills in the diagnostics
industry. BioTop made introductions.
Soon, Bensimon and Nerson were
crafting a business plan together,
raising seed money and launching
a first round of funding.
1.
www.parisdeveloppement.com/
index.php?id=993212416&
langue=2
www.icm-institute.org
2. Ernst & Young’s 2006
Global Biotechnology Report
3. www.investinfrance.org
4. World Tourism
Organization.
5. www.genopole.org/
html/en/connaitre/cite.htm
6. www.eurobio2006.com
7. www.genomicvision.com
8. Learn more about Pasteur
BioTop and the startups
it has incubated at
www.parisdeveloppement.com/
index.php?id=993212723&
langue=2
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The Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord Disorders (ICM), a 22,000 m2 complex
slated to open in 2008, will house 600-900 researchers dedicated to creating a
continuum between molecular biology and clinical research.
PARIS VIES FOR
POLE POSITION IN
BIOTECHNOLOGY
Maquette ICM - architecte J.M. Wilmotte
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YOU CAN RELY ON LFBTODAY AND TOMORROW
LFB is a leading French pharmaceutical company specialized in the key therapeutic areasof immunology, anesthetics & intensive care, and hemostasis. Each year in France, more than500,000 patients affected by serious and sometimes very rare pathologies are treated with LFB’s19 medicinal products. LFB is internationally recognized for its ethical commitment and its expertisein ensuring the biological safety of its plasma-derived medicinal products.
LFB’s 1,300 staff are working to build the LFB group. Its key focuses are innovation to meetpatients’ needs for better quality of life, and internationalization, especially in products for the treatment of rare diseases, of which it is one of just a few manufacturers worldwide.LFB’s decision to invest in biotechnology-based research programs will make it a key player in future therapeutic innovation.
www.lfb.fr
conc
eptio
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Within two years, the fledgling
biotech company signed research
partnerships with pharmaceutical
giants Sanofi-Aventis and Nerviano
Medical Sciences.
“These collaborations let us
refine our product for the market
to further interest the pharma-
ceutical industry,” says Nerson,
now the company’s COO.
Genomic Vision will present its
research at this year’s cancer-
themed French American Innovation
Day9 in Boston.
In six short years, Pasteur BioTop10
has helped launch 15 companies.
Along with aiding entrepreneurs
with the logistics of setting up,
Pasteur grants them access to the
center’s rich resources, including
a vast portfolio of patents, highly
specialized technology platform
and world-class talent.
Pasteur is not alone in nurturing
fledgling biotechs. Entrepreneurs
find a network of support from
incubators such as Paris Biotech
Santé,11 Genopole,12 Agoranov13 and
IncubAlliance.14■
PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR
PRIVATE INVESTMENT
Bio-incubators play matchmaker
and lend considerable logistical
and technical support, but biotech
entrepreneurs still face formidable
financial hurdles.
Early-stage investment is scarce.
Betting on biotechnologies remains
risky the world over, because the
pioneering nature of scientific
exploration means that promise-
filled paths might lead nowhere.
Even fruitful lines of research
could make investors languish
years before seeing a significant
return on investment. In a business
culture that favors a three-year
cycle of return-on-investment, the
biotech’s speed-to-market is
grindingly slow. New products
could take a decade or more to
wind its way from development
to market. Once marketable, it
could take several more years to
build a reliable revenue stream
for the product.
French biotech companies, typi-
cally smaller than their American
counterparts, can lack crucial
capital to go beyond early research
and development. The French
government perceived the eco-
nomic stalemate. Understanding
the public-health stakes involved,
the state passed a series of mea-
sures to make investing in biotech
startups more attractive to private
investors. It also sought to aid
biotech companies directly through
grants and tax breaks.
LE MONDE - NEW YORK TIMES - ADVERTISING FEATURE
9. Oct. 16-17.
www.france-science.org
/faid/objectives.html
10.
www.parisdeveloppement.com/
index.php?id=993212723&
langue=2
11. www.parisbiotech.org/pbs/
12. www.genopole.org/
html/en/entreprendre/
pepinieres.htm
13. www.agoranov.com/
index_uk.htm
14. www.incuballiance.fr/
The state assuaged investor fears with tax incentives. Since
January 1, 2004, a legal framework (SUIR) enables business
angels to benefit from corporate and income tax exemptions
for providing seed money to young entrepreneurs. Last
December, French Parliament voted to prolong until 2010
tax breaks offered since 1997 for investment in “innovative”
companies made through tax-attractive venture capital funds
(FCPI). And starting in 2007, the return-on-investment of
certain venture capital funds (FCPR, a parent of the FCPI)
and venture capital companies (SCR) will benefit from an
exoneration from capital gains tax.
The Pasteur Institute is one
of many Parisian institutions
dedicated to technology
transfer and nurturing
fledgling biotech companies.
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Assemblée Nationale.
French Parliament drafted laws to
give biotech a direct boost.
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DECRYPTAGE RENDEZ-VOUSACTUALITÉS
Chaque jour,le meilleur des analyses
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The French government worked to
create networking opportunities
for entrepreneurs.
The state-sponsored OSEO15 group
was created in 2005 when the
French Innovation Agency (ANVAR16)
joined forces with the Bank for the
Development of Small and Medium
Companies (BDPME17).
Its mission: “to provide assistance
and financial support to SMEs and
VSEs and facilitate their access to
banks and equity capital investors,
in particular during the high-risk
phases.”
The initiatives have successfully
incited investment. In 2005,
investors poured €8.1 billion of
private equity into the coffers of
1,250 non-listed French compa-
nies – an increase of 55 percent
from the previous year.18■
DIRECT STATE
SPONSORSHIP
French Parliament drafted laws
to give biotech companies a
direct boost. The Innovation and
Research Act passed in July
1999 was instrumental in stimu-
lating the creation of biotech
startups.
The law lifted restrictions, making
it easier for researchers to found
companies and public and private
research organizations to collabo-
rate. It lightened the tax burden
of “innovative enterprises” while
encouraging them to hire young
scientists. This resulted in the
emergence of 10 public bio-incu-
bators, which in 2000 and 2001
alone helped create 47 startups.19
A grants initiative aided some 200
innovative companies to find early
funding.20
A slew of measures followed.
“Plan Biotech 2002” provides
seed money to startups and
government loans to more esta-
blished biotech companies. A 2004
statute created a special status
for Young Innovative Enterprises
(JEI) that gives tax breaks to
companies that recruit personnel
involved in research and develop-
ment projects.
The latest program was launched
in May 2006 and targets high-
growth companies with fewer
than 250 employees. Two thou-
sand of these “gazelles” are due
to benefit from tax breaks to spur
research and development, legal
advice and logistical support.
The government will support the
creation of a network of business
angels that will advise and finance
projects.
Regulatory authorities play an
even stronger and vital role in
promoting paths of research that
harbor no hope of producing
blockbusters. The Public Paris
Hospitals’ (AP-HP) devotion to
develop and provide drugs for
small-market “orphan diseases”
is one example of France’s ethical
commitment to treat all ailments,
not just the most lucrative.
Likewise, LFB, a state-owned
pharmaceutical company, conducts
vital biotech research that contri-
butes to therapeutic progress for
serious but rare diseases. ■
BLOSSOMING
BIOCLUSTERS
In a bid to become Europe’s pre-
mier industrial pole in therapeutic
innovation, state and regional
authorities supported the creation
of the Medicen Paris Region Hub21
in 2005. Six areas of specialization
were chosen to leverage France’s
scientific strengths: neuroscience,
oncology, medical imaging, infec-
tious diseases, molecular and
cellular medicine and drug sciences
technology.
The state strived to create a self-
sustaining structure with overarching
economic imperatives. Medicen’s
chairman must always be an indus-
trial (currently Jean-Claude Muller
of Sanofi-Aventis22). Members include
representatives from large and small
companies (i.e. LFB23, Servier24,
Ipsen25), prestigious universities
(i.e. Paris V26, VI27, XI28 and the
French Grandes Ecoles), national
research institutes (i.e. Inserm29,
CNRS30, CEA31, INRIA32, Instituts
Pasteur, Curie, Gustave Roussy33),
Europe’s largest hospital network
(AP-HP)34 and local authorities.
Votes, however, are weighted to
give industry a stronger say.
Medicen offers networking oppor-
tunities and an endorsement
procedure that has successfully
15. www.oseo.fr/oseo/
groupe/english_version
16. www.anvar.fr/
agenanglais.htm
17. www.alsace.com/
documents/Financial%20Inc
entives/bdpme_gb.pdf
18. Association of Capital
Investors (AFIC)
www.afic.asso.fr/Website/
site/eng_accueil.htm
19. According to the French
Federation of Bio-incubators.
20. www.oseo.fr/oseo/
groupe/english_version
21. www.genopole.org/
meditech-sante/en/index.htm
22. www.sanofi-aventis.com
LE MONDE - NEW YORK TIMES - ADVERTISING FEATURE
“Rare diseases need to be
treated too,” says Christian
Bechon, the CEO of LFB.
“From a healthcare per-
spective, focusing on niche
applications is very import-
ant. From an economic
standpoint, specializing
in lesser-targeted biotech
therapies gives France an
economic edge in compe-
ting globally.”
“The investment environment
in France has considerably
improved in the past five
years,” says Philippe Guinot,
Senior Partner of Credit
Agricole Private Equity, a
venture capital fund. “The
percentage we invest in
biotech keeps increasing.”
“
“C
opy
rig
ht
Dig
ital
Vis
ion
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secured public funding for 100 %
of proposed research and develop-
ment projects in 2005 and 2006.
A key component of Medicen is
Genopole35, one of the leading
genome research centers in the
world. In 1998, the French govern-
ment, regional authorities, and
the French Muscular Dystrophy
Association (AFM) created this
gene research campus in Evry,
30 minutes south of Paris.
Researchers, entrepreneurs, stu-
dents and doctors at Genopole have
made major advances, including
contributing to the sequencing of
the human genome in 2003.
As with the other strategic
domains, cancer research benefits
from increased consideration.
In 2003, France launched a
Cancer Plan that allotted €640
million to fight the worldwide
scourge and created the French
National Cancer Institute. The
Curie Institute36 and the Gustave
Roussy Institute37 lend support to
Canceropole38, a European-wide
network of major public and pri-
vate research bodies. ■
PARIS WOOS
INTERNATIONAL
TALENT
The French biotech dynamo has lured
overseas talent to return to native
soil. French scientists André Choulika
and David Sourdive were post-doc
students at Harvard and Emory
University when they first formu-
lated a business plan. But though
American business suitors lined up,
the two returned to Paris in 1999
to start Cellectis39, a company that
develops “molecular scissors” for
the toolbox of genetic engineers.
“Paris had the patents and the
highly specialized brainpower we
needed,” says Sourdive, now COO
of Cellectis.
Acclaimed retinal specialist
José-Alain Sahel also enjoyed an
impressive international career
– lecturing at Harvard in Boston,
teaching at University College
in London, and chairing a
department at the Rothschild
Ophthalmology Foundation in
Paris. But Sahel chose to develop
his research in France. Sahel
moved to Paris in 2002 to
head the French National Eye
Hospital’s research program, the
“Cellular and Molecular Retinal
Physiopathology” Inserm Unit,
and to found the Vision Institute.
23. www.lfb.fr
24. www.servier.com
25. www.ipsen.com/home.jsp
26. René Descartes University
27. Pierre and Marie Curie
University
28. South Paris University
29. The French National
Health and Medical
Research Institute.
www.inserm.fr/en/home.html
30. The French National
Center for Scientific Research.
www.cnrs.fr/index.html
31. CEA Life Sciences
Division.
www-dsv.cea.fr/content/
cea_eng/home/
32. www.inria.fr
33. www.igr.fr/GB/php/index.php
34. www.aphp.fr
35. www.genopole.org/
html/en/home/index.htm
36. www.curie.fr/index.cfm/
lang/_gb.htm
37. www.igr.fr/GB/php/index.php
38. www.canceropole-idf.com
39. www.cellectis.com
LE MONDE - NEW YORK TIMES - AVERTISING FEATURE
Researchers at the Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) were instrumental in the creation of NeuroSpin, the newly
inaugurated neuro-imaging research center. NeuroSpin pushes beyond current limits of magnetic resonance
imaging and spectroscopy by using the CEA’s advanced knowledge. Physicists and neurobiologists will collabo-
rate with regional research agencies and universities to develop innovative tools and methodologies that apply
to neurobiology.
The NeuroSpin building at the
Atomic Energy Commission
(CEA) south of Paris.Copyright Vasconi Associés Architectes
Copyright : Observatoire de Paris / Lesia
Paris is a leader in creating innovative
medical imaging equipment. Scientists at the
French National Eye Hospital use a prototype
adaptive optics system – initially developed
for astronomy – to produce extremely
accurate, high-resolution retinal images.
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More than the French are seduced
by the intoxicating combination of
competence and collaboration.
San Francisco’s PDL BioPharma
installed its first European office
in Paris because “the location is a
great springboard for us to coor-
dinate European-wide clinical
activities,” says Tillman Pearce,
the company’s Director of Clinical
Research. ■
PRIMED FOR
PARTNERSHIPS
The rich network of institutions,
research centers, and industry
means that Paris is ideal for coor-
dinating collaborations.
As the second pharmaceuticals
market and first producer of drugs
in Europe, France is primed for
partnerships with biotech. Some
industry experts predict a future
wave of collaborations or all-out
alliances between big-pharma
and small biotech companies. With
patents expiring at a rapid clip
and meager offerings in the pipe-
line, pharmaceutical giants are
expected to woo innovative bio-
tech companies.
“More than half of all new medicines
come from biotechnology. So, yes,
collaboration is necessary,” says
Jacques Lhomel, director of
Biocitech.41 Sanofi-Aventis created
the technology park in 2003 to
bring together companies working
in the life sciences. Partnerships
are important because clinical
testing can bedevil the bottom
lines of even the biggest indus-
trials. For biotech companies with
small coffers of capital, the high
costs could cripple. Early-stage
collaborations also help biotech
companies refine their research to
better address the drug market.
Technology transfers between aca-
demia and industry have flour-
ished in the Paris region. The
National Health and Medical
Research Institute (Inserm)42, a
public organization devoted to
biomedical research and health,
currently has more than 6000
projects with foreign partners in
progress and is committed to
translating basic research into
clinical success. In 2001, it crea-
ted a private subsidiary, Inserm
Transfert43, to manage its more
than one thousand public-private
contracts. Likewise, the Paris
Public Hospitals’ (AP-HP) has an
Office of Licensing and Techno-
logy44 and its own pharmaceutical
company. The National Center for
Scientific Research even has a FIST
(France Innovation Scientifique et
Transfert)45 to “punch” through any
barriers between academia and
industry. ■
CLINICAL TRIAL :
HIGH-QUALITY,
COST-EFFECTIVE
& ETHICAL
While maintaining the strictest
guidelines46 on ethics and quality,
France cuts costs and speeds the
process of gaining market author-
ization for new therapies.
France boasts one of the fastest
speed-to-market for drugs, short-
ening the wait for life-saving
therapies while lowering the
time to collect on investments.
A special pre-market approval
procedure (ATU) makes drugs
available before they meet mar-
ket approval. Antiretrovirals, for
example, went to market an ave-
rage of 12 months before official
authorization was granted.47
France is a highly attractive place
to carry out clinical trials.48 It is
the top European producer of
scientific publications, bolstering
an already illustrious scientific
reputation.
Top quality trials are particularly
40. www.fovea-pharma.com
41. www.biocitech.com/
html/frameset_gb.html
42. www.inserm.fr/en/home.html
43. www.inserm-transfert.fr
44. www.aphp.fr/anglais/
indexanglais.html
45. www.frinnov.com
46. agmed.sante.gouv.fr/ang/
pdf/leaflet.pdf
47. afssaps.sante.fr
48. For a comprehensive
overview, download
“How to conduct European
clinical trials from
the Paris region?”
www.bioteam-parisregion.org/
pdf/trials.pdf
LE MONDE - NEW YORK TIMES - ADVERTISING FEATURE
Co
pyri
gh
tIn
serm
Inserm is the
French public
organization
entirely
devoted to
health
and biomedical
research.
Co
pyri
gh
tP
ho
toD
isc
“I wanted to create something
from scratch and everyone
(at the hospital, Inserm and
Pierre and Marie Curie
University) was very sup-
portive,” says Sahel, who long
imagined offering a broad
and continuous spectrum of
research and clinical activi-
ties under one roof. The
Vision Institute, slated to
open in 2007, is expected to
draw from public and pri-
vate funds and will include
facilities for fundamental
research, clinical trials and
industry. Sahel’s knowledge
of eye diseases also provi-
des the foundation for
Fovea Pharmaceuticals40, a
startup he co-founded in
March 2005.
“
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cost-effective in France. In fact, only
Belgium has lower costs, accord-
ing to the French Pharmaceutical
Industry Association (LEEM).49
The French benefit from state-
sponsored healthcare and produc-
tive public partnerships, like the one
that combines Inserm’s 11 clinical
investigation centers with the
world’s largest network of public
hospitals, the Assistance Publique
– Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP ).50
The high number of patients pro-
vides an abundant and varied
source for clinical trials. That they
are not paid assures that data
are more reliable and ethics are
not compromised.
Such a favorable environment for
clinical testing has resulted in
real breakthroughs. In 1999, for
example, two French researchers
performed the first successful
human gene therapy trial on
children suffering from a severe
immune deficiency disease. The
trial, sponsored by the Paris
Public Hospitals’ (AP-HP), showed
for the first time that gene the-
rapy can be used to correct a
disease. ■
BEYOND HEALTH
APPLICATIONS
As biotechnology moves toward
keeping death and disease at bay,
people are turning to products to
improve quality of life. They want
food that is more flavorful and
nutritious but takes less environ-
mental resources to grow. They
want detergents that work in col-
der water, thereby saving energy.
And they want all these technolo-
gies to be safe for their bodies
and the environment.
In Paris, the same frameworks
that reinforce red also boost
white and green biotechnologies.
The Pasteur Institute, for example,
partners with more than just
drug companies. In Nov. 2005,
Pasteur signed a joint venture
with French agro-food giant
Danone to deepen understanding
of probiotics, a healthful bacteria
present in yogurt. The four-year
program will take advantage of
Danone’s unique collection of
3,000 lactic ferments and
Pasteur’s test methods.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
with industries like agro-food is
strategic and financially smart.
France, after all, is a world leader
in the agro-food industry. As the
country’s largest industrial sector,
it makes sense for international
companies, like Swiss agro-food
giant Nestlé, to install a base in
France.
Biotech innovation has kissed the
cosmetics industry with techno-
logical inspiration. French cosmetic
giant L’Oréal grows skin cultures
in vitro to avoid testing products
on animals. The emerging field of
nanotechnology promises to shrink
particles small enough to penetrate
the skin, thereby aiding absorption
of skincare products.
In addition to making the body
beautiful, inside and out, biotech-
nology promises to protect the
environment. Many cities worldwide
use living organisms – bacteria,
yeast, fungi or plants – to convert
harmful substances in soil and
water into nontoxic compounds,
thereby reducing the need for
landfills. French biotech company
Eco-Solution51 seeks to improve
these processes of wastewater
treatment by developing new
microbial flora.
Research into agriculture and the
environment gets a boost from
the Paris-based National Institute
for Agricultural Research (INRA)52.
In 2004 alone, INRA Transfert53,
the research center’s technology
transfer arm, helped launch five
startups based on INRA research. ■
LE MONDE - NEW YORK TIMES - ADVERTISING FEATURE
49. www.leem.org/actualite/
actu2_frame.htm
50. www.aphp.fr
51. www.eco-solution.com/
pages/en/solutions-for-the-
environment/php
52. www.international.inra.fr/
research/all_about_inra_
research
53. www.international.inra.fr/
partnerships/with_the_
private_sector
Co
pyri
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t:
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thè
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THE SCIENCE AND BUSINESS OFDRUG DISCOVERYAND DEVELOPMENT
Do you need to keep up with the latest in therapeutic targets and strategies, cutting-edge technologies and analysis of major issues in the biopharma world? Then turn to Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.
As well as the highest-quality reviews and perspectives covering the entire fi eld of drug discovery and development, each monthly issue includes news stories that investigate the hottest topics, timely summaries of key research papers, and concise updates on fast-moving areas such as new drug approvals, patent law and industry trends.
www.nature.com/nrd/
NRDD_feature filler.indd 1 14/9/06 10:19:01 amparis.indd Sec1:11paris.indd Sec1:11 20/9/06 14:21:5720/9/06 14:21:57
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EuroBiO : A PAN-EUROPEAN
CONFERENCE
“Paris will seize the opportunity
to showcase successes in com-
bining excellence in life sciences
with excellence in lifestyle,”
says Régis Baudouin, President
of ARD-Ile de France.
These strengths include prestigious
private and public research cen-
ters, a dense fabric of industry,
supportive public policy, the largest
hospital network in the world, and
a university system with a tradition
of academic excellence.
International leaders in the life
sciences will witness firsthand how
quick and convenient it is to meet
in Paris. The city’s fast and efficient
metro is surpassed only by its own
bus system, where each trip takes
the rider inadvertently sightseeing
through one of the most beautiful
cities in the world. ■
PUSHING THE BIOTECHACCELERATOR
With a lineup of foreign and natio-
nal players converging at EuroBiO
– even French President Jacques
Chirac is expected to attend – the
conference provides Paris with a
prime opportunity to bolster its
bioindustry and bioscience sector.
Fortifying financial markets is cru-
cial and the challenge extends to
all of Europe. European companies
have 10 times less access to debt
financing than their American
counterparts.55 It is more difficult
in Europe to raise money directly
and through secondary routes, such
as offering stock or issuing debt.
In order to get a Nasdaq listing,
many European companies have
conducted reverse mergers with
American companies that have
already gone public or are found-
ering.56 French drug developer IDM,
for example, acquired Epimmune
in 2005 through a reverse merger.
Though it is now based in Irvine,
California, IDM’s research operation
and majority of employees remain
in France.
Despite a slow start, the pendu-
lum appears to be swinging back
in Europe’s favor. It is increas-
ingly difficult for young companies
to go public on Nasdaq. In 2005,
for the first time, more biotech
companies went public in Europe
than in the U.S.57
After a five-year lull, the pace of
biotech investment has picked up
in France. Just last year, French
companies Exonhit Therapeutics
and BioAlliance Pharma launched
IPOs in the European market.
And a new generation of startups
has raised more than €20 million
in first-round financing, includ-
ing Cerenis Therapeutics58, Fovea
Pharmaceuticals and Novagali
Pharma.
“Paris has become one of the
most attractive places world-
wide for investment,” says
Ludovic Doutreleau, Managing
Partner of Lyllner, a law firm in
Paris specializing in investment
in the life sciences. “Foreign
investors hold 40 percent of
the market capitalization in
France.” ■
LE MONDE - NEW YORK TIMES - AVERTISING FEATURE
54. www.paris-region.com/
ard_uk/default.asp55.
According to EuropaBio,
a trade group based in
Brussels.
56. Pollock, Andrew.
“Europe’s Biotech Immigrants
to America.”
The New York Times,
July 11, 2006.
57. Nature Biotechnology,
the leading scientific journal
in its field, reported that in
2005, 23 companies in
Europe went public compared
with 16 in the U.S.
58. www.cerenis.com
The fuel for innovation is abundant
in Europe, France, and especially
Paris. But to propel the economic
engines forward, determined
drivers are needed to push on
the biotech accelerator.
France is up for the challenge. In
Paris, in Agid’s office, at the heart
of one of France’s competitive
biotech clusters, you can literally
hear the motors revving.
Paris has plenty to be proud of and the Paris Region
Economic Development Agency (ARD-Ile de France)54
pledges to spread the word. The development agency
will sponsor EuroBiO, the largest pan-European bio-
conference, from Oct. 25-27. Much in the manner of
American counterpart BIO, EuroBiO is expected to pro-
vide a forum for more than 4,000 investors, industry
representatives and life sciences professionals. The
conference is led this year by geneticist Axel Kahn and
Eric Poincelet, the former Director General of world life
science forum Bio Vision and founder of BioSquare.
EuroBiO takes place on more neutral ground away from
the U.S. biotech powerhouse. Part of “Renaissance
Europe” – or the Europe of clusters – EuroBiO gives
European stakeholders an opportunity to shine.
American participation, however, is more than welcome.
To wit, EuroBiO’s International Steering Committee
includes current BIO President, Jim Greenwood, former
BIO President Carl Feldbaum, American biotech guru
Steve Burrill, and Rita Colwell, former Director of the
American National Science Foundation.
paris.indd Sec1:12paris.indd Sec1:12 20/9/06 14:21:5820/9/06 14:21:58
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Untitled-4 1 14/9/06 17:24:26 Untitled-4 1 14/9/06 17:25:39paris.indd Sec1:14paris.indd Sec1:14 20/9/06 14:22:0120/9/06 14:22:01
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Untitled-4 1 14/9/06 17:24:26 Untitled-4 1 14/9/06 17:25:39paris.indd Sec1:15paris.indd Sec1:15 20/9/06 14:22:0420/9/06 14:22:04
Nature Publishing Group ©2006
Medicen Paris Region*A world-class competitiveness clusterHi-tech for healthcare and new therapies
Initiated in 2005 as a result of the remarkable collaborative dynamism that united businesses, clinicians and academics in their response to the French government’s call for proposals, the Medicen Paris Region world-class competitiveness cluster unites all the key life science and healthcare players in the Paris metropolitan area. Located at the heart of Europe’s leadingregional economy, the cluster constitutes the highest concentration of healthcare expertise and resources in Europe.
With strong support from the French State, the Ile-de-France (Paris Region) Regional Council, local authorities and economic development organizations, Medicen Paris Region is determined to reinforce the international competitiveness, visibility and attractiveness of the Paris region in life sciences and make it one of the world’s top metropolitan areas for therapeutic innovation.
Medicen Paris Region focuses on advanced technologies for healthcare, innovative drugs and new molecular, cell and gene therapies. Its priority themes are those where the region’s stakeholders are among the world leaders : central nervous system diseases, cancer, infectious disease and, in the technological field, molecular and cellular medicine, biomedical imaging and drug design science and technology. Interaction between therapeutic and technological themes is the very essence of the cluster and is one of its main drivers for innovation.
“Medicen Paris Region effectively integrates skills and initiatives in the elds of life science, healthcare and pharmaceutical technology. The abundance and quality of these resources in the Paris region provide an exceptional potential for innovation that deserves recognition.
Our priorities? Promoting synergies and the implementation of major collaborative projects, establishing new relationships between large companies, innovative entrepreneurs, clinicians and academics, providing support for emerging biotech companies (by building collaborative projects and identifying funding opportunities), sharing access to infrastructure, skills and know-how and encouraging new business start-ups (and thus job creation).
By working together to seize these attractive opportunities, we are aiming at becoming Europe’s leading industrial cluster for therapeutic innovation - on the same level as world leaders in the US and Asia.”
Jean-Claude MullerPresident of Medicen Paris RegionSenior Vice President Administration and Resources, Scienti c & Medical Operations at Sano -Aventis
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Nature Publishing Group ©2006
Medicen DPS.indd 2 8/9/06 11:46:21
Medicen Paris Region is based on existing research networks and coordination organizations (Canceropole in oncology, for example), the many public-private partnerships already established and a great number of large-scale projects such as the Vision Institute (Quinze-Vingts Hospital/Inserm/University of Paris VI/Rothschild Foundation), the Institute for Cerebral and Medullary Disorders (ICM) at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital (AP-HP), the NeuroSpin high-field MR neuroimaging center (CEA) and the MIRCen multimode preclinical imaging center (CEA/Inserm).
The goal? To give new impetus to all these initiatives by stimulating industry research partnerships, increasing the competitiveness of existing Paris-based companies, boosting relocation to the region and promoting business start-ups. Reducing the time period between scientific discoveries and marketing of products based on these innovations in this way is the key to success. Pierre Tambourin (Medicen Paris Region’s Vice President and CEO of Genopole) likes to quote Jacques Vallée, the French astrophysicist and inventor based in Silicon Valley: “Every time you come up with an innovative company project, you have to count on about 10 other people in the world who have come up with the same idea. Whoever can go from A to Z the fastest wins.”
Medicen’s entrepreneurs
The multinational companies that are members of Medicen Paris Region all have R&D facilities in the area. Sano -Aventis (the world’s 3rd-ranked pharma company) has 3,500 researchers at six locations which perform more than two thirds of all its collaborative projects with French partners. Servier, (France’s 2nd-ranked pharmaceutical business) devotes 25% of its turnover to R&D - most of which is carried out in the Paris region via a longstanding network of academic and industrial partnerships. This is also true of Ipsen, which (along with Servier) was one of the cluster’s founding members. Other key stakeholders include GlaxoSmithKline, LFB, Pierre Fabre & Bio-Rad France and, in biomedical imaging, Siemens Medical Solutions France, Guerbet, Philips France and GE Healthcare.
Most of the Paris region’s 150 biotech companies are located on technology parks or business incubators that are hub members: Genopole, Biocitech, Paris Biotech Santé, Agoranov, Incuballiance, Pasteur Bio Top. From September 2005 to June 2006, 32 biotech companies received public funding as part of 13 collaborative R&D projects accredited by Medicen Paris Region: Imstar, Genomic Vision, Genewave, PartnerChip, Serial Genetics, Sibio, Abcys, Cellogos, GenoSafe, VigiCell, SuperSonic Imagine, Echosens, Theraclion, Mutabilis, Apcis, Biométhodes, Oroxcell, Cytomics System, Drugabilis, Anaconda, Ariana Pharma, Medit, Immuno-Designed Molecules SA, ShigaMediX, Cellectis, Myosix, Eucodis, Oncodesign, Mauna Kea Technologies, Imagine Eyes, Fovea Pharma, Novexel.
Medicen’s researchers and teachers
More than 40% of France’s academic life science and healthcare research is performed in the Paris region within Medicen Paris Region member organizations. The region hosts half the country’s Inserm units (the National Institute for Health and Medical Research) and more than 2,300 researchers from the CNRS (the National Center for Scienti c Research) and the CEA (Atomic Energy Commission). The latter’s Frédéric Joliot Hospital Service (SHFJ) south of Paris constitutes the only medical imaging facility of its kind in the world. Other members include internationally renowned research institutes (the Pasteur Institute for infectious disease, the Curie and Gustave Roussy Institutes for cancer), the AP-HP hospital network (Paris Public Hospitals Authority, Europe’s leading clinical research provider) and the INRIA (the National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control).
Last but not least: one of the major cultural changes sweeping the Paris area is the active participation of universities and other prestigious teaching institutions France’s — famous “Grandes Ecoles”— in business competitiveness-oriented projects. Project leaders include faculty members from universities such as Paris South XI, René-Descartes (Paris V), Pierre & Marie Curie (Paris VI), Paris VII Denis- Diderot and Paris XII Val de Marne and from the Ecole Normale Supérieure (Cachan) **. Even curriculum design — once a taboo subject — is being debated by Medicen partners.
*: previously known as “Meditech Santé Paris Region”.** and also schools such as the Ecole Centrale de Paris, Ecole Polytechnique, ENSCP, ENSMP, ESCOM and ESPCI
Medicen DPS.indd 3 8/9/06 11:46:30paris.indd Sec1:17paris.indd Sec1:17 20/9/06 14:22:0920/9/06 14:22:09
Nature Publishing Group ©2006
Genopole, 2, rue Gaston Crémieux, CP5723, 91057 Evry Cedex, France
+33 1 6087 8300, [email protected], www.genopole.fr
Created in 1998 by an initiative of the French Government, local authorities and the AFM (the French Muscular Dystrophy
Association), Genopole is a biocluster based on an original concept: bringing together on a single site academic and private research
laboratories, biotechnology companies and higher-education institutions. Based in Evry, in the Paris Region, Genopole unites a
world-class academic research campus dedicated to genetic and genomic and related scientifi c disciplines with nearly 60 biotech
companies developing tools and products for biomedical and life-science applications.
Units from France’s national research institutions and the University of Evry, organized around several national centers such as the
Genoscope (National Sequencing Center), are carrying out multidisciplinary research in fi elds including genomics, postgenomics,
gene therapy, epigenomics and stem cells. And on the business side, Genopole provides the logistic, technical, managerial and
fi nancial support, as well as the specifi c tools and skills that are needed to promote the creation and development of innovative
biotechnology companies.
GENOPOLE®: INVENTING TOMORROW’S MEDICINE
Genopole: facts and fi gures
■ A 90,000-m2 biotech-dedicated site, including a business incubator
and accommodation facilities
■ Home to nearly 25 government-funded research labs and over
60 biotech companies (which represents 40% of all life science businesses
in the Paris Ile-de-France region and 20% of the French total)
■ Biopark labs and companies have shared access to cutting-edge
technologies such as cell irradiation, biophotonics, NMR, transmission
electron microscopy and cell sorting platform.
■ Genopole-based business have raised more than 120 million euros in
equity funding since 1999
■ 25 businesses are already generating revenue and several IPOs are
expected by 2010
■ 56% of the biopark’s companies are developing biomedical-related
products, covering all stages of drug discovery and development
■ More than 15 products from Genopole-based companies are in
regulatory preclinical development or in clinical trials
FRANCE’S BENCHMARK BIOCLUSTER
“Genopole’s biotech image, the made-to-measure business accommodation and an excellent work environment were the main reasons behind our move to Evry. What’s more, some of our new neighbours are existing customers!”Khalil Arar, Operations Director, Sigma Proligo,
a company specializing in the oligonucleotide
production that has just relocated to Genopole
An attractive location for venture capital, with a highly diversifi ed
company portfolio.
Innovative research themes and close-to-market products.
Genopole offers a wide variety of investment opportunities, which permits investors to diversify their portfolio. Many companies are
already generating revenue, in particular in the diagnostics, instrumentation and service sectors. This is the case for Sebia (capillary
electrophoresis), Nokad (novel protein knock-out models in mammals), Novacyt (cytology diagnostics), Genewave (biophotonic
instrumentation), Texcell (viral safety of pharmaceutical products), Genosafe (gene transfer vector biosafety), Biosystems International
(the discovery, identifi cation and development of protein biomarkers) and Partnerchip (service provision in the fi eld of DNA chips and
functional genomics).
Drug development companies at Genopole are mainly focusing their research in the fi eld of orphan diseases, which considerably
reduces the time to market for potential therapies. All the products in the pipelines of companies based at Genopole have been
generated by innovative technologies: monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of certain blood diseases (MAT Biopharma), focused
ultrasound treatment techniques for tissues such as thyroid nodules and vein walls (Theraclion), cancer therapies based on the
discovery of ‘optimized cryptic peptides’ (Vaxon Biotech), therapeutic agents developed on the basis of a portfolio of genes involved in
angiogenesis (Gene Signal), cell therapies for urinary incontinence (Celogos) and therapeutic proteins (Nautilus Biotech).
www.genopole.fr
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To assist with early-stage fi nancing, Genopole has set up a preseed fund called “Genopole 1er Jour” (G1J). Since its creation in 1999, G1J has invested in 25 start-ups, with individual amounts varying from 30,000 to 100,000 euros. At present, G1J anticipates a further round of fundraising with the goal of raising almost 6 million euros by early 2007. To date, G1J portfolio (18 companies) have raised 88 million euros in equity with institutional investors. Genopole is also strongly involved in the economic development of Evry by encouraging life-science businesses and major pharma companies to expand on or relocate to the campus.
As well as the services offered by Genopole to new businesses, there are also the key benefi ts of a rich and well-equipped environment: a high-level, multidisciplinary research cluster in genomics and related sciences, a prosperous industrial fabric (notably due to the proximity of multinational pharma companies, such as Sanofi -Aventis) and cutting-edge, shared-access infrastructure.
Since 1999, Genopole has been actively pursuing the ambitious goal of equipping the site with essential infrastructure for campus labs and companies. In 2007, a recombinant protein and monoclonal antibody production center will come online at Genopole, which together with the Genethon viral vector production unit (operational in 2006), will produce promising biotherapeutics for companies and academic research labs. And in order to facilitate synergies between researchers, entrepreneurs and clinicians and accelerate the translation of research into innovative therapies, a new hospital is to be built at the heart of the Evry campus.
Today, Genopole’s priority is to promote therapy-focused biotech by providing optimal conditions for company growth and progress in research. Our goal: reducing the gap between the lab and the patient’s bedside.
Genopole: a key player in the Medicen Paris
Region competitiveness cluster
Medicen Paris Region is a world-class competitiveness cluster
dedicated to the use of hi-tech in pharmaceuticals and healthcare.
The hub’s presidency has been entrusted to Jean-Claude Muller,
Senior Vice President of the Sanofi -Aventis group.
Pierre Tambourin, Genopole’s Chief Executive, has
been elected Vice President.
The research centers of GenopoleBernard Barataud, the inaugural President of the AFM, the French Muscular Dystrophy Association, was the founding father of Genopole. In 1987, he organized
the fi rst “Telethon” national TV fundraising event and two years later, he founded Genethon: a laboratory dedicated to combating genetic diseases. Genethon,
based in Evry, established the fi rst physical and genetic maps of the human genome, and today focuses on the study of genetic diseases (particularly
neuromuscular diseases) and their treatment using gene and cell therapies.
Two major national centers were created in Evry in 1997: the National Genotyping Center and the National Sequencing Center (Genoscope), France’s fi rst
large-scale biology facility. Genoscope participated in sequencing the human genome (chromosome 14 , The International Human genome Project) and
continues to be involved with those of other species of scientifi c, medical, economic or environmental interest. Jean Weissenbach, Genoscope’s Chief
Executive, was the world’s most-cited author in the fi eld of molecular biology and genetics in 2005.
These centers became part of the core of Genopole when it was founded in 1998 to create Frances’s fi rst biopark dedicated to genetics research and biotech.
New centers and programs in emerging fi elds continue to be added, such as I-Stem, the Institute for Stem Cells in the Treatment and Study of Monogenic
Diseases, headed by Marc Peschanski, whose research group was the fi rst in France to be authorized to work on embryonic stem cells, and the Epigenomics
Program, an innovative collaboration between Genopole, the University of Evry Val d’Essonne and the CNRS that brings together biologists, computer scientists,
mathematicians, physicists and chemists.
According to Thierry Mandon (Genopole President, on
the left) and Pierre Tambourin (Genopole Chief Exec):
“the existence of Medicen Paris Region testifi es to the positive dynamism embodied by our campus. For us, the new competitiveness cluster represents an opportunity to confi rm our ambitions on the world stage.”
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At ATRAGENE, we assist research organisations in the design and implementation of :
• Innovative IT solutions to integrate, visualise and share heterogeneous biological and chemical information,
• Powerful IT infrastructures to capture, manage and store large amount of data at the enterprise level.
To fi nd out how we can enhance your discovery process please visit our website : www.atragene.com or contact us at : [email protected]
Innovative IT Solutionsfor Life Sciences
atragene.indd 1 27/7/06 11:35:31
Celogos is a biotech company dedicated to developing cellular therapies for the functional repair of damaged muscular tissue. Currently, the company is involved in three clinical trials that focus on the treatment of urinary incontinence, anal incontinence and some specifi c forms of ocular myopathy. On the heels of promising one-year safety data from its urinary incontinence study, Celogos has started a dose-ranging effi cacy study, the results of which should be released in Q1 2007.
To fi nd out more about Celogos, please visit our website: www.celogos.fr
M a k i n g c e l l t h e r a p y a r e a l i t y
DNA Therapeutics SA develops a disrupting approach* to ght cancer. Our siDNA acts as a bait for the DNA repair enzymes that permanently counteract the efficacy of radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy, and thus very significantly increases overall survival in a dose dependent fashion (see gure).Come and visit us at:
www.dna-therapeutics.com
*invented by M. Dutreix and J.S.Sunat the Institut Curie, Paris, France
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Since its creation in 1967, SEBIAhas had a major mission: to expandthe clinical diagnostic applicationsof electrophoresis trough simple,effective and innovative systems.
Electrophoresis is a well establishedtechnique used for the analysis of proteins present in the serum or inother biological fluids. It is very helpfulfor the diagnosis of pathologies relatedto cancer, the search of immune system abnormality or for the detectionof haemoglobin variants.
By developing its own research depart-ment, SEBIA has contributed to theimprovement of the electrophoresisdiagnostic applications.
Major innovations for both reagents andinstruments were launched. The mostrecent developments in the capillary
electrophoresis technology have leadto a full walk-away automation.
These continuous advances in technology as well as the high qualityof its products have contributed toestablish SEBIA as the market leader.Thanks to its subsidiaries and to theexclusive distributors that SEBIA hasspread in more than 80 countries, thecompany is enjoying a solidinternational reputation.
Energy to advance, the force to innovate
electrophoresiselectrophoresis
Parc Technologique Léonard de Vinci CP 8010 Lisses - 91008 EVRY Cedex - FranceTél. : 33 (0)1 69 89 80 80 - e-mail : [email protected]
GENETHON,An integrated structure :
From Research …to clinical development and Manufactoring
«DNA and drug vectors for monogenic diseases»
Généthon is a major biotechnology specialised in advanced therapy issued from genes knowledge.Généthon, launched in 1990, is a non-pro t association granted at 85% by AFM (French Association against Myopathies) with donations from the Téléthon.
What are Généthon’s “research and development” strategy ?
We mainly focus on rare monogenic diseases (neuromuscular, neurological, dermatologi-cal diseases and immnunode ciencies) that could bene t from advanced therapies spe-cially adapted to these pathologies in order to cure the diseases : gene or cell therapies, able to replacing or correcting the de cient gene and restoring acceptable cell functions.Providing the rst human genome map in 1991, Généthon has contributed to identi ca-tion of over 2700 genes. We have then vectorised some of these genes for four diseases, among which three neuromuscular diseases and one hereditary immunode ciency.
These four developments have obtained the “orphan drug” designation from the EMEA (European Medicine Evaluation Agency).One of these “orphan drug”, the gamma-sarcoglycan de ciency myopathy (a limb girdle muscular de ciency) will be for the rst time administered at volunteer patients for a clini-cal phase IIa tolerance study.Genethon is endowed with all necessary competencies, expertise and collaborations to develop these treatments stemming from their own research.
Do you have long-term projects ?
Between 2007 and 2009, these four products will arrive at the clinical development phases in human. Three other research projects are underway and should reach these clinical phases in the next six years. By 2012, we expect at least 3 drugs to be available for patients for whom no current therapeutic solution currently exists. In order to ensure the needed quantity of treatments for the market Généthon will have, in the next three years to fourfold its production capacity for gene and cell therapies.
• Into Genopole Campus
• Contributing at Meditech Project
• Partners in European collaborations
• Many collaborations with public Institutes and private
companies
• 10.000 m2 dedicated to laboratories
• Manufacturing : 5 GMP production suites (clinical batches)
• 4 “Orphan drugs” in development
• An af liate, dedicated to Safety Evaluation for
Gene-based Therapeutics
GENETHON1 bis rue de l’Internationale - BP 60 - 91002 EVRY Cedex
FrancePhone : + 33 1 69 47 28 92
http://www.genethon.frContact : Anne-Marie Masquelier, MD
GÉNÉTHON ‘S Manufacturing1 bis rue de l’Internationale - BP 60 - 91002 EVRY Cedex
FrancePhone : + 33 1 60 91 02 10
http://www.genethon.frContact : Patricia Noguiez-Hellin, PhD, Head of ETGC, Quali ed Person
GenoSafe1 rue Pierre Fontaine - 91058 EVRY Cedex
FrancePhone : + 33 1 69 36 07 04http://www.genosafe.com
Contact : Vincent Zuliani, Business Development Manager [email protected]
For reminding…Dr Anne-Marie Masquelier,Chief Executive Of cer of Généthon
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Lean genes allow youto eat without gaining weight...
Nature did it, ObeTherapy can reproduce it.
ObeTherapy’s innovative strategy is based on the identi cation of gene targets associated with a lean
phenotype contrary to competitor’s approach, which is based on obesity genes associated with the obese phenotype. This strategy has allowed us to identify enzymatic activity responsible for the absorption of
energy. This target is validated by a rare human genetic disease associated with a monogenic lean phenotype.
Moreover, it is non redundant, peripheral and tissue speci c. In order to identify hit compounds, we have developed a rapid and sensitive assay adaptable for HTS and several tests for speci city and selectivity.We are currently validating other anti-obesity gene
targets associated with lean phenotype in men.
For more information:http://www.obetherapy.com
and/or [email protected]
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Nature Publishing Group ©2006
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The NOKAD technology allows:
• In-vivo protein inactivation based on a controlled cross-reactive antibody response
• Fast functional Knock-out in 6 months
• Functional Knock-out models in all mammals
• Easy switching of NOKAD models from a strain to another in 1-2 months and from a species to another in 1-6 months
• Functional Knock-out directly in adult animals
• Selective inactivation of proteins from alternative splicing or enzymatic cleavage
• Long-term stable phenotypes
• Inactivation kinetics
EUROPE: 4 rue Pierre Fontaine, 91058 Evry Cedex, France / www.nokad-technology.com
USA: Nokad-Bioteam, One Broadway, 14th Floor, Cambridge - MA, 02142 / [email protected]
NOKAD the pioneer in functional KO generation in all mammals offers youits proprietary technology to accelerate your functional characterization
Enter in the new functional characterization era with NOKAD
Nokad.indd 1 18/9/06 4:25:00 pm
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“ The Vision Institute”In 2008, Paris will have a international research centre for eye diseases “ The Vision Institute” comparable to London’s prestigious Institute of Ophthalmology.
The institute is slated to open its doors in january 2008 in a new building (5,500 sq.m) built on the campus of the Quinze-Vingts CHNO.
The city of Paris, the Ile-de-France region, INSERM, University Pierre & Marie Curie, AFM, Retina France, Federation des aveugles & handicapes visuels de France, Fondation recherche medicale, Fondation NRJ, Fondation Bettencourt Schueller, Agence Nationale Recherche, have already committed their support to the project managed by the Pr Sahel.
Technical platforms galore
The institute will function with shared technical platforms, including animal research, transcriptome and proteome analysis, biocomputing, imaging, behavioural testing, electroretinogram (ERG) and patch-clamp studies of ionic channels.
The remaining surface area will be evenly shared amongst academic sector laboratories – including the founding team, INSERM Unit 592 (cell and molecular retina’s physiopathology), directed by Sahel – and the industrial sector. On the academic side, groups under consideration represent the fi elds of developmental biology, the visual neurosciences, physiological optics, information processing, the delivery of medications, engineering sciences and disabilities.
The biotechnology sector eyes the Institute
The industrial side of the Institute will rely on an incubator-type interface, and will include a start-up development centre occupying approximately 2,000 sq.m. Companies will have access to all technical platforms, to the clinical investigation centre and to the research networks linked to the Institute.
A second building of 5,000 sq.m will be constructed at the same time. Dubbed the “rental unit annex”, it will host companies and provide hotel-type residence accommodation for patients and researchers.
All in all, 200 researchers, engineers and academic technicians, and the same number of biotechnology companies, will gravitate to the Institute once it has been launched. It is conceivable that 400-500 people will work on the site over the long run, according to Sahel – making it well worth looking into.
An international request for proposals will be launched at the end of 2006.
Pr Jose Alain Sahel : [email protected] / Dr Olivier Lorentz : [email protected]
Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC, Paris 6) FranceThe largest university of science and medicine in the European Union
www.upmc.fr
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Nature Publishing Group ©2006
Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC, Paris 6) FranceThe largest university of science and medicine in the European Union
www.upmc.fr
The picture above, shows the Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC).The largest university for science and medicine in the European Union.
(Dir. des Services techniques de la Prefecture de Police, Paris)
Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC) is the largest university of science and medicine in the European Union.. UPMC has received international recognition for activities at the highest level, in both research and education.UPMC in Figures• 4000 researchers and teaching academics/researchers • 160 research laboratories • 3200 doctoral students • 30,000 students are enrolled (10,000 in medicine and 20,000 in science)• 150 postgraduate engineering diplomas • 500 scientific and medical cooperation agreements with leading
universities around the world • 220 theses supervised with universities outside France• 20,000 publications over the past four years
The main elds of research cover four broad multidisciplinary sectors: Modelling & Engineering; Matter & New Materials; Space, Environment & Ecology; Genomics, Cell Communication Systems & New Therapeutic Approaches
Life Science and Medicine cover: Neuroscience; Evolution & Development; Pathophysiological processes, inflammationand nutrition; Cell and molecular biology; Integrative biology; Bioengineering; Cell and non-invasive imaging; Physics & chemistry of living organisms In life sciences.
The Department for Relations with Industry and Technology Transfer (DRITT) develops partnerships between research laboratories and industry, provides assistance, expertise, for researchers, and helps them with partnership negotiations and with the protection of industrial property rights on inventions.
UPMC has established international chairs with tenure for four years. The subject areas chosen for 2005 are: • Imaging of disordered matter under extreme conditions using
x-ray techniques • Robotics• Marine genomics • Physiology & pathophysiology of in ammatory processes
The unit “Neurobiology of Adaptative Processes” belonging to both UPMC and CNRS contains more than 110 persons and is composed of 11 research teams.
The general research interests of the Unit concern adaptive processes of the nervous system, during development, in the adult, and during aging. These processes are studied at two levels of organisation: 1) the molecular and cellular level, concerning ion channels, ionotropic and metabotropic synaptic receptors, second messengers and signal transduction pathways (cAMP, ceramide, kinases…) leading to regulation of gene expression; 2) a more integrated level of neuronal networks where these molecular signals are used; this includes behavioural analysis.
The perspectives for these studies include a better understanding of certain integrated physiological processes (motor synchronisation, motor learning, memory…) as well as possible cellular bases of several pathological situations.
The integrative nature of this approach requires the use of multiple techniques, ranging from molecular biology and electrophysiology to behaviour. An important methodological characteristic is the almost systematic use of genetic mouse models (spontaneous mutants and transgenics); detailed post-genomic analysis of these animals allows a better understanding of the function(s) of these genes in adaptive neuronal processe.http://npa.snv.jussieu.fr / [email protected]
LPESP
La Pitié Elastic Spine Pad artifi cial lumbar disc (LPESP) stems from a 12 years project initially instigated by Pr R. Roy-Camille jointly with the French Center for Atomic studies and developed by Pr.G. Saillant at the head of the La Pitié Salpétrière Orthopaedic department with the support of FH Ortopedics company and the Pierre et Marie Curie medical university. LPESP is a semi constrained prosthesis with a fl exible cushion sandwiched between two titanium plates. The device has been designed to mimic the characteristics of the physiological intervertebral disc as accurately as possible. It restores the disc anatomy (dimension, level of mobility and elastic return properties) while preserving stable spine motion (fl exion-extension, lateral bending and rotation).LPESP is implanted through an anterior mini invasive retroperitoneal access.To date 50 prosthesis have been implanted in patients with lombalgia from discopathic origin. This multicentric prospective clinical trial show outstanding performance regarding pain and disability reduction as well as operating [email protected]
AgoranovScience-based incubator (Paris)
Agoranov was created in 2000 by 4 prestigious French academic institutions: University Pierre & Marie Curie, University Paris Dauphine, Ecole Normale Supérieure and ParisTech. Its mission is to promote the creation of innovative companies exploiting results from academic research. Agoranov is supported by the French Ministry of Research, the European Social Fund, the City of Paris and Region Ile-de-France. Since its inception Agoranov has created 70 new companies which have secured over 25 Million € in private capital. In Life Sciences, several of Agoranov’s companies have contributed to the emergence of a strong medtech cluster in the Paris region. These companies include: Echosens (medical imaging systems); Addenfi (tools for physiological investigations); X-Medim (radiographic imaging); Picotwist (biophysical devices); and Cytorhex (cardiovascular devices). Other companies are focused on current, high profi le public health concerns, including Cryolog (food conservation); Naskeo (depollution); Medialis (health information technologies); Climpact (climate information technologies); Visiotact (solutions for independent living); Biophytis (phytonutrition); Statlife (prevention); and Zyken (sleep wellness systems). Agoranov also incubates projects in information technologies and engineering sciences. www.agoranov.com /[email protected]
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Nature Publishing Group ©2006
A non profi t institute dedicated to Research and Public HealthIn its endeavor to make science available to improve Public Health, the Institut Pasteur is increasingly interacting with industry.
Licensing for success
The business development team operates with the goal of transferring new technologies to industry in major fi elds including:
Diagnostics
Immunotherapy
Vaccines
Gene Therapy
Therapeutics
Cancer
…
In response to industry needs, the Institut Pasteur proposes various types of collaborations and agreements :
Privileged Partnership Agreements Research & Development Contracts Material Transfer Agreements Licensing AgreementsService AgreementsConsulting Agreements
www.pasteur.fr
Privileged Partnership Agreements Research & Development Contracts Material Transfer Agreements Licensing AgreementsService AgreementsConsulting Agreements
Privileged Partnership Agreements Research & Development Contracts Material Transfer Agreements Licensing AgreementsService AgreementsConsulting Agreements
Identifi cation of Pharmaceutical, Life Science and Bio Technological Innovation from the Institut Pasteur research.
Pasteur BioTop was incorporated to provide a mechanism for the identifi cation appraisal and selection of innovative biotechnology projects with the aim of progressing those commercially viable through start-ups.
The graduates companies
Cellectis Celogos Cognium Diatos Eco-Solution Genomic Vision Hybrigenics Texcell
The resident companies
Anaconda Ariana Pharma Biocortech BT Pharma Theraptosis
Pasteur BioTop Incubator
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