MVA newsletter no 03, March 2005

: MVA HIGHLIGHT: General Assembly and Annual Meeting 2005
by Stina Gestrelius, Acting CEO, Medicon Valley Academy



In spite of the snow and cold weather we are approaching spring both east and west of the Øresund Bridge, and it is time for the Medicon Valley Academy General Assembly and Annual Meeting 2005. Both meetings will be held in MVA’s new and very convenient premises in Ørestad City at Arne Jacobsens Allé 17 on Wednesday 30 March starting at 14.00 and 15.15, respectively, and continuing with reception and networking at 17.15.

The programme of the Annual Meeting reflects the ongoing work on an MVA Strategy Report on Research in Medicon Valley. We have asked key actors from the EU, Denmark and Sweden to give their views on future research strategies and the implications they foresee for biomedical/technical research in the Øresund region. The speakers are:
* Bertil Andersson, Professor & Chief Executive, European Science Foundation
* Bruno Hansen, Director & Chairman, Danish Council for Research Policy
* Staffan Normark, Professor & CEO, Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research
* Kristian Helin, Professor & Director, Biotech Research & Innovation Center

Recently, research has been put at the top of the political agenda in Denmark, and the newly proposed research bill for Sweden is expected at the end of March. Furthermore, the European Union is discussing whether to initiate a European Science Council. Which consequences can we expect for research and research funding in Medicon Valley? Will future research be limited to only prioritised areas and excellent research environments? What happens with the flow of innovations?

It is our hope that many researchers from the universities, hospitals and companies of Medicon Valley will attend and discuss these questions.

Many other networking activities and meetings will be arranged by MVA during this spring, as you can see below. Let me only point at the unique two-day Chinese Clinical Research Conference in May. We are expecting a big delegation with prominent representatives from Chinese hospitals and the Chinese Medical Products Agency. Presently, we are securing sponsors for this meeting, and are grateful for all contributions, which allow the programme to be as broad as possible.

Welcome to Ørestad!

: NEWS INDEX

• Inauguration of MVA's new offices in Ørestad
• MVA General Assembly and Annual Meeting 2005
• Medicon Valley supplement in Berlingske Tidende
• The 12th European Conference on Biotechnology - Call for abstracts: 1 April 2005
• Used equipment for sale - new service for MVA members
• Jobs in Medicon Valley
• 6th Medicon Valley - Hepatocyte User Group Meeting
• MVA Drug Development Network Meeting
• MVA Biostatistics Network Course: Clinical trial simulation in drug development
• MVA Seminar: From pre-clinical projects to licensing
• China Clinical Research Conference
• Medicon Valley based LiPlasome Pharma raises DKK 45 million
• Optimism among Swedish growth companies
• Leading Swedish and US stem cell researchers at US Stem Cell Symposium
• Medicon Valley based SpectraCure raises SEK 21 million
• EMBO award for communication in life science - deadline: 31 May 2005
• Medicon Clinical Pharmacology unit expands with 40 beds to meet increasing demand
• Zealand Pharma enters into expanded collaboration agreement
• Debate contribution on the future Swedish governmental research funding
• SEK 2 billion for an improved innovation environment in Sweden
• TopoTarget acquires the German anti-cancer therapeutics company G2M Cancer Drugs
• New Swedish medtech company in Medicon Valley: VibroSenseDynamics AB
• Increasing number of employees within biotech in Sweden
• Genmab wins Biotechnology's Helix Award for top performance
• Zealand Pharma completes international EUR 26 million financing
• Successful Lund scientists receives funding

: MVA NEWS

Inauguration of MVA's new offices in Ørestad
17 March 2005 / Ørestad / Copenhagen / Denmark
Visit Medicon Valley Academy's, Øresund Science Region's other platforms and Øresund University's new location in Ørestad, Copenhagen, at an afternoon reception.
Read more here (in Swedish) www.mva.org/composite-1402.htm

MVA General Assembly and Annual Meeting 2005
30 March 2005 / Ørestad / Copenhagen / Denmark
Medicon Valley Academy invites to its Annual Meeting 2005, where key actors from EU, Denmark and Sweden will give their views on the future research strategies and possible implications for Medicon Valley. MVA's General Assembly will be held prior to the Annual Meeting.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1318.htm

Medicon Valley supplement in Berlingske Tidende
13 May 2005, Medicon Valley Academy publishes a supplement to Berlingske Tidende presenting the social importance of biotech research. NB! 10% discount on advertising rates for Medicon Valley Academy members.
Read more here (in Danish) www.mva.org/composite-1418.htm


The 12th European Conference on Biotechnology - Call for abstracts: 1 April 2005
In August 2005, Danish Biotechnology Forum, Danish Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Medicon Valley Academy invite to the 12th European Congress on Biotechnology (ECB12), which will address cutting edge research in the fields of modern biology and biotechnology. The scientific programme will include symposia on: Genomics, Proteomics and Protein Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Pharma Biotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Food Biotechnology, and Environmental Biotechnology. The organisers encourage all scientists and in particular Post Doc’s and PhD students working in the broad field of biotechnology to submit abstracts. Deadline: 1 April 2005.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1290.htm

Used equipment for sale - new service for MVA members
This week, Medicon Valley Academy launches a new initiative where organisations and companies in Medicon Valley can list laboratory equipment for sale on our website. This service is free for all Medicon Valley Academy members. At present, Lund University are selling a Becton Dickinson FACSVantage DIVA, which is an ideal instrument for a research environment that has been considering moving into flow cytometry and cell sorting.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1434.htm

Jobs in Medicon Valley
Visit Medicom Valley Academy's job site and view the latest job descriptions in the region from ALK-Abelló, CMC Biopharmaceuticals, Umetrics, H. Lundbeck, Kelly Scientific, Hartmanns, Novo Nordisk, Maxygen, Symphogen, Coloplast, Novozymes, Sigma-Aldrich, Statens Serum Institut and Zealand Pharma.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/jobs

6th Medicon Valley - Hepatocyte User Group Meeting
6 April 2005 / Frederiksberg / Denmark
The Medicon Valley - Hepatocyte User Group Meeting (MV-HUG) invites to an afternoon meeting to discuss experiences on different medias/incubation conditions for hepatocyte applications - such as induction and metabolite ID studies - and to discuss best practice.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1373.htm

MVA Drug Development Network Meeting
12 April 2005 / Ørestad / Copenhagen / Denmark
Medicon Valley Academy in collaboration with Chubb Insurance Company of Europe invites to a meeting on how to deal with and manage risks during drug development, including the conduct of clinical trials.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1454.htm

MVA Biostatistics Network Course: Clinical trial simulation in drug development
18-20 April 2005 / Lund / Sweden
The course is an introduction to the field of drug simulation. The course will cover topics like how modeling and simulation can contribute to drug development, simulation in drug development-good practice, simulation strategies, planning a CTS project, interpretation of simulation results, different softwares used in CTS and practical hands-on.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1135.htm

MVA Seminar: From pre-clinical projects to licensing
28 April 2005 / Ørestad / Copenhagen / Denmark
This seminar addresses questions arising during early clinical development from a clinical perspective and related business decisions. It will help you to avoid pitfalls and to reduce risk.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1365.htm

China Clinical Research Conference
19-20 May 2005 / Ørestad / Copenhagen / Denmark
Medicon Valley Academy in collaboration with Astrom Research International invites to a conference on EU pharma and biotech companies' opportunities for clinical trials in China.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1423.htm


: MEDICON VALLEY NEWS

Medicon Valley based LiPlasome Pharma raises DKK 45 million
The Danish biotech company LiPlasome Pharma A/S has raised DKK 45 million to secure clinical studies of its novel targeted nanocarrier technology for cancer treatment.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1433.htm

Optimism among Swedish growth companies
The Swedish Industrial Development Fund (Industrifonden) and CONNECT in Sweden's Entrepreneur Index reaches new hights.
Read more here (in Swedish) www.mva.org/composite-1438.htm

Leading Swedish and US stem cell researchers at US Stem Cell Symposium
In April 2005, leading stem cell researchers from Sweden and California will join pioneers from the fields of life sciences, finance and the legal community to map out the future of stem cell research and development.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1431.htm

Medicon Valley based SpectraCure raises SEK 21 million
With two new investors Swedish Industrial Development Fund (Industrifonden) and TeknoSeed and two excisting investors Karolinska Development I and Östersjöstiftelsen, SpectraCure based in Lund, has raised SEK 21 million for its development of solid tumour treatments.
Read more here (in Swedish) www.mva.org/composite-1447.htm

EMBO award for communication in life science - deadline: 31 May 2005
The award is given for outstanding work in the area of public communication of life science done by a practising scientist working in Europe or Israel.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1441.htm

Medicon Clinical Pharmacology unit expands with 40 beds to meet increasing demand
After only 14 months' activity the Medicon Clinical Pharmacology unit inaugurates one more floor of 1,000 m2. The demand for trials in healthy volunteers as well as phase IIa trials in patients has been so great, that is has been necessary to increase the number of beds.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1425.htm

Zealand Pharma enters into expanded collaboration agreement
Zealand Pharma A/S and Wyeth have announced an expansion of their existing research collaboration in the field of gap junction modulators. This is the third research agreement between the two companies following the initial licensing agreement in 2003 to co-develop ZP123, a novel drug candidate for the treatment of arrhythmias.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1427.htm

Debate contribution on the future Swedish governmental research funding
Read extract of a debate contribution written by Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, Karolinska Institutet's President, and Björn Nilsson, SwedenBIO's Chairman - published in Dagens Industri, the leading business daily in Sweden.
Read more here (in Swedish) www.mva.org/composite-1424.htm

SEK 2 billion for an improved innovation environment in Sweden
The Swedish Ministry of Industry, Employment and Communication earmarks SEK 2 billion for an improved innovation environment.
Read more here (in Swedish) www.mva.org/composite-1446.htm

TopoTarget acquires the German anti-cancer therapeutics company G2M Cancer Drugs
The Danish biopharmaceutical company TopoTarget A/S has acquired G2M Cancer Drugs AG, the German anti-cancer therapeutics company. The move unites two companies with complementary strategies, products and research and creates a heavy weight Danish oncology company with subsidiaries in the UK and Germany.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1420.htm

New Swedish medtech company in Medicon Valley: VibroSenseDynamics AB
The new Swedish medtech company VibroSenseDynamics AB has raised SEK 2.1 million from private investors and Lunds Universitets Utvecklingsaktiebolag (LUAB).
Read more here (in Swedish) www.mva.org/composite-1440.htm

Increasing number of employees within biotech in Sweden
The Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA) recently presented a mapping of number of employees within the Swedish biotech, pharmaceutical and medtech industry.
Read more here (in Swedish) www.mva.org/composite-1439.htm

Genmab wins Biotechnology's Helix Award for top performance
Genmab A/S has won the James D. Watson Helix Award in the international category. The Helix Award honors biotechnology companies that display leadership in three areas: scientific innovation, company growth and corporate citizenship.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1437.htm

Zealand Pharma completes international EUR 26 million financing
Zealand Pharma A/S has announced an additional closing of EUR 13 million, bringing its C-financing round to a total of EUR 26 million. Investors in the second closing include CDC Entreprises Innovation and AGF Private Equity, both based in Paris, and Life Sciences Partners, based in Amsterdam. The investors in the 1st closing were BankInvest, LD Pensions, Dansk Erhvervsinvestering, Vaekstfonden and a group of small shareholders.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1426.htm

Successful Lund scientists receives funding
The two successful Lund scientists Patrik Brundin and Lars Samuelsson receives funding from the Swedish Research Council.
Read more here (in Swedish) www.mva.org/composite-1445.htm


: FUTURE EVENTS - see all events

Mini symposium on Non-Clinical Safety Assessment within Reproduction and Carcinogenicities
17 March 2005 / Copenhagen / Denmark
A must for all toxicologists and very important for all drug developers. Exploit this unique opportunity to meet two international well-known experts in the fields. From Sequani, UK, Dr. Lorna Burns and from Covance, UK, Dr. David Kirkland.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1430.htm

Scandinavian Biotechnology 2005
5-6 April 2005 / Copenhagen / Denmark
A two-day conference on Scandinavian biotechnology. The programme will cover research policy, current biotechnological research, innovations in the biomedical industry and investment opportunities. The conference is organised by the Norwegian Embassies in Sweden and Denmark in collaboration with Medcoast Scandinavia and Nycomed and is part of Norway's Centennial Anniversary Programme 1905-2005 in Denmark and Sweden.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1421.htm

Workshop on creation of biopharmaceutical development platform with involvement of biotech SME's
21-22 April 2005 / Barcelona / Spain
A consortium comprising a number of European organisations invites to a workshop on the structure, organisation, content and maintenance of a new European biopharmaceutical platform within the EU. The workhop presents discussion sessions on a number of important aspects on how a technological platform could be established, organised and maintained. A written report of the outcome will be issued and presented to the European Commission.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1375.htm

Tissue engineered blood vessels
23-24 April 2005 / Gothenburg / Sweden
Two-day international meeting with presentations on the subject of tissue engineered blood vessels, the extracellular matrix, and cell stress.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1321.htm

BioFinland 05 Investor Forum
26-27 April 2005 / Helsinki / Finland
BioFinland 05 Investor Forum will feature up to 25 selected high-potential biotech companies from the Scandinavian and Baltic countries.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1357.htm

ERBI's 7th Cambridge Biopartnering Exchange Event
4-5 May 2005 / Cambridge / UK
Meet Europe's most successful biotech entrepreneurs at ERBI's 7th Bio-partnering Exchange. The meeting is limited to 450 senior level delegates; a guarantee that you meet the people who will make an impact on your business. With over 30 presentations from innovative biotechnology companies in Cambridge.
Read more here (in English) www.mva.org/composite-1380.htm


: NEW MVA MEMBERS - see complete membership list

CLS Communications A/S - www.cls-communication.com - is a international provider of language services. CLS Communication offer comprehensive corporate solutions based on process-oriented order fulfilment and innovative language technologies. Main customers are banks, insurance companies, telecommunications and IT companies, legal departments and chemical and pharmaceutical companies.

Covance Caps Nordic - www.covance.com - one of the world's largest and most comprehensive drug development services companies. Covance helps pharmaceutical and biotech companies of all sizes fulfill their research and development, clinical trial, regulatory and marketing-support needs.

Cross Technology Solutions AB - www.cross-solutions.com - is specialized in helping other companies with customized solutions within technology and methodology. Main focus areas are: Medical Device, Industrialization, Quality and Optical systems.

HAMLET Pharma AB - www.hamletpharma.se - is a Swedish biotech company that develops novel cancer therapeutics based on research into protein complexes that selectively induce cell-death in tumours.

Temp-Team A/S - www.temp-team.dk - is one of Denmark's leading recruitment agencies.

Ørestadsselskabet (Ørestad Development Corporation) - www.orestadsselskabet.dk - has two overall tasks - to construct the Metro in Copenhagen and to develop and sell sites in the new neighbourhood of Copenhagen - Ørestad.