October 2008

Editorial

Why is Danish Life Science Thriving?

When VINNOVA decided to update its Cluster Profiles Report regarding Swedish biotech, pharma and medtech industry in 2007, MVA was asked to make separate cluster profiles for Denmark and Medicon Valley, as well as a case study to expose and explain some of the differences between the development of the life science industry in Denmark and Sweden. The conclusions are outlined in this editorial. Read more

 

Advertisement

 

MVA Project News

A Succesfull Meeting Medicon Valley 2008

More than 230 executives and industry specialists participated in Meeting Medicon Valley 2008. The theme of the day was Future Partnering Strategies.

We would like to thank all the participants, speakers, and sponsors for taking part in Meeting Medicon Valley 2008. The conference was very well received by the participants, who evaluated it as a good networking venue. An online survey among the participants showed that 68% of the survey participants created relationships which could turn into future partnerships. The overall conference evaluation was 4.3 out of 5 (5 being the best). We would also like to thank the 20 biotech companies who contributed with a poster to the poster competition - and especially Symphogen who was appointed winner and chose to donate the prize of DKK 10,000 to Medecins Sans Frontieres.

Pictures from the conference are available online at www.mva.org/MMV2008 and news footage from the conference is available at Medicon Valley TV in the category Life Science in General.

MVA Annual Meeting 2008, 23 October:
Attracting Life Science Talent to Medicon Valley

165 guests have signed up and we are pleased to welcome them to our Annual Meeting on 23 October. The programme will focus on current and future HR issues in Medicon Valley. Do we have the appropriate competences needed to develop the region's pipeline of life science leads to market? How do we maintain and recruit the best talent?

These challenges for Medicon Valley will be discussed with a panel of regional actors from the life science industry. A Nordic and national focus will be presented by the Swedish Minister for Nordic Cooperation Cristina Husmark Pehrsson and Bo Smith, Permanent Secretary, Danish Ministry of Employment.

Seats are still available for MVA members and participation is free. Please register here.

Medicon Valley Workshop on Research Infrastructure, 14 January 2009

MVA is hosting a workshop on the research infrastructure in Medicon Valley on 14 January 2009. The aim of the workshop is to give examples of top level research environments in Medicon Valley and to discuss if, why and how we can take full advantage of the proximity in the region. Examples include bioimaging, biobanks, bioinformatics, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, MAXLab, Centers of Excellence for cancer research, and - for the future - ESS, the European Spallation Source. Registration deadline is 19 December. Read more

 

News from Medicon Valley

 

Read the latest update on clinical trials performed by MVA members here.

Read the latest news about people in Medicon Valley here.

Opinion

In Opinion, leading life science stakeholders from Medicon Valley express their opinion about the industry and the current situation in the region. View all Opinions at www.mva.org/opinion or read the latest by Morten Mølgaard Jensen, COO, Symbion Science Park about "The Dawn of an Infrastructure for Biotech Innovation" here.

Medicon Valley TV - the New Platform for Picturing Life Science in Medicon Valley

Recently, MVA launched Medicon Valley TV which provides you with an ongoing flow of news from the region and gives MVA members the opportunity to reach a wider audience in the region as well as internationally. Visit www.mva.org/MVTV where you can view, among other things, the following news:

- Ideon Celebrates 25 Years Anniversary - Good News in the Middle of the Financial Crisis - Bavarian Nordic Receives Positive Data - New Method to Identify Type 1 Diabetes - Biotech Challenged by Financial Crisis - Poster Exhibition at Meeting Medicon Valley - Meeting Medicon Valley 2008

You will also find the company profile from PhaseOneTrials, who has bought the first corporate video to be placed at Medicon Valley TV and a corporate video from ESS Scandinavia (the European Spallation Source).

KU and Novozymes: Top Line Research Requires Top Line Facilities

If Denmark is to produce the world class research that the government wishes, it is off the essence that new facilities along with the necessary new technology are provided. Read the feature article from berlingske.dk here (in Danish)

EXINI Diagnostics Launches Diagnostics Support for Bone Cancer

EXINI Diagnostics' new diagnostics support for bone cancer will be launched in a few weeks from now. Read more (in Swedish)

Advertisement

CellaVision and Sysmex Extend Exclusive Distribution Agreement

CellaVision AB has extended its exclusive distribution agreement with Sysmex Europe for another two years. This is to meet the growing demand for automated image analysis in EMEA. Read more

Novo Nordisk and Innate Pharma Swap Product Rights

Novo Nordisk and Innate Pharma have reached an agreement about NN1975/IPH 2101 and NN8555/IPH 2301. The agreement is in line with Novo Nordisk's decision to exit the oncology area and increase its activities within the area of inflammation. Read more

PhaseOneTrials Initiates New Clinical Research Unit

PhaseOneTrials is expanding with a new clinical research unit at Hvidovre Hospital, Denmark. The goal is to increase the number of clinical researches from 10 to 15-20 a year. Read more (in Danish)

MPI and Affymetrix Collaborate to Develop Cancer Treatment Products

Medical Prognosis Institute has signed an agreement with Affymetrix. With this agreement, MPI gains non-exclusive access to Affymetrix microarray technology. Read more

NNE Pharmaplan Expands Its Activities in France

NNE Pharmaplan has announced the official opening of its new office in Lyon, thus expanding the company's presence in France and meeting the needs of a growing and dynamic French market. Read more

Allergy Vaccine Tablet GRAZAX Honoured as Product of the Year

ALK's tablet-based vaccine against grass allergy, GRAZAX®, has been awarded "Product of the Year" by The Confederation of Danish Industry. Read more

 

For more news about Medicon Valley, visit the MVA News section.

 

Other News

6 New PhD Positions at Malmö University

Biofilms Research Center for Biointerfaces announces 6 new PhD-student positions. Go to www.mah.se/biofilms for more information.

Information Seminar: Interreg for Beginners

On 21 October 2008, Øresundssekretariatet is hosting a free seminar for people who would like to gain insight into the Interreg IVA Øresund Programme. Read more (in Danish)

 

Advertisement

New Members

Best Talent

Best Talent performs Executive Search and Selection within life science. We have extended experience in assessing leaders and highly specialised peoples skills, talent and potentials. Best Talent has a solid knowledge of the market conditions and a very attractive Talent Database with highly qualified candidates. Best Talent works cross-border and is a member of the international European Executive Search organisation, Enex. We solve assignments across all functional areas within Medical Device, Biotech, Food Science and the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Contact: info@besttalent.dk • www.besttalent.dk • +45 45 56 53 00

Primacyt

PRIMACYT is a specialist for in-vitro technologies. We act as a CRO and provide customers with human and animal hepatocytes, microsomes and S9 fractions. PRIMACYT has developed, standardized and validated HEPAC2, a long-term, chemically defined human hepatocyte culture system. HEPAC2 allows serum-free cultivation of differentiated human hepatocytes for several weeks. PRIMACYT is certified according to GLP, DIN EN ISO 9001, and DIN EN ISO 13485.

Contact: info@primacyt.de • www.primacyt.eu • +49 385 3993 600

eResearchTechnology

eResearchTechnology delivers technology-based products and services that enable pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies to collect, interpret and distribute cardiac safety and clinical data more efficiently. With fully equipped ECG core labs in Philadelphia, USA and Peterborough, UK, eRT is a market leader in centralized electrocardiographic (ECG) services - a core diagnostic capability. eRT is also a leading provider of ePRO and EDC solutions that allow customers to automate and streamline data-based components of clinical trials, helping them bring new drugs to market faster.

Contact: eresearch@ert.com • www.eRT.com +46 730 14 70 77

 

 

See the full list of MVA members here.

 

 

The MVA Newsletter is a monthly newsletter service, which provides you with news on MVA projects, members and the Medicon Valley region. As a MVA member, please feel free to send us your press releases. When possible, we will run your news in the MVA Newsletter or in our webs