EATRIS is a consortium of nine EU Member States and leading medical centers in these countries in the area of translational research. Other countries can and will join in future. These centers will work closely together to improve the competitiveness of Europe in the field of translational investigations. EATRIS, still in its Preparatory Phase (2008-2010), coordinates and supports these centers in order to give European researchers access to the necessary state-of-the-art infrastructure and facilities for translational biomedical research. EATRIS will also contribute to improved knowledge, standardization and harmonization of regulatory and biomedical data.

The ultimate purpose is to accelerate translation of basic biomedical research into tangible products and services for the patient.

The Netherlands plays a prominent role in the area of translational research with the eight University Medical Centers (UMCs), the Center for Translational Molecular Medicine (CTMM), the BioMedical Materials program (BMM), Top Institute Pharma, and a strong public-private Life Sciences and Healthcare structure. The establishment of EATRIS in Amsterdam reinforces the role of the Netherlands as a center for cross-fertilization between academia and industry for translational research. It is expected that the Netherlands will become an even more attractive location for international companies in the health sector.

Patient benefits
Translational research is research that allows a quick transfer of an invention in the laboratory to its application in patient care. This includes prevention and diagnosis. This type of research is the link between basic and clinical research and strives that patients benefit as soon as possible from the latest scientific developments. Translational research results in new drugs, vaccines and new methods for (early) diagnosis. This will put an important step towards 'personalized medicine': customized for the individual patient.

ZonMw promotes health research and development in the Netherlands and is, on behalf of the government, together with the CTMM the Dutch partner in the EATRIS consortium. ZonMw and CTMM have closely worked together with the Dutch Federation of University Medical Centers (NFU) for the establishment of the EATRIS headquarters taking place in the Netherlands. In the new building along the South Axis in Amsterdam the VU Medical Center will realize a center in which expertise in the field of medical imaging, diagnostics and regenerative medicine will be developed.

More information:
EATRIS
ZonMw
VUmc
NFU
NWO

Source:
CTMM, ZonMw

This has been discovered by AMC PhD student Jasper van den Boorn, who will defend his thesis on 6 July. Van den Boorn invented this new form of immunotherapy by the name of MIC, that has shown good results in mice with melanoma.

Source: AMC

Dr. Bob Timmins, OncoMethylome's chairman, said that the OncoMethylome board unanimously selected Dr. Groen based on his extensive experience of managing diagnostic product development and commercial operations in both the United States and in Europe, as well as his strong executive and personal qualities. "Our search for a CEO to lead the company in its next phase of development and to accelerate the commercialization of our pipeline of products has been thorough.  A screening team of board members evaluated a broad range of candidates and interviewed many individuals. Dr. Groen was our top choice" said Dr. Timmins.

"Dr. Jan Groen has a reputation for being both a strategic visionary and a results-driven leader.  At Agendia and at Quest Diagnostics, he has managed products in areas similar to those of OncoMethylome, such as tests for colorectal and breast cancers. Dr. Groen's hands-on experience in dealing with several critical factors in our industry - such as conducting and prioritizing research projects, validating products in clinical trials, seeking and obtaining regulatory approval of new tests, and obtaining insurance and government reimbursement for medical tests - make him a perfect fit for the company's needs" comments Dr. Timmins.

"I am very excited to join the company at this critical time and I very much look forward to work with OncoMethylome's team to realize its ambitious goals for the development and growth of molecular diagnostic products to target the global cancer diagnostic market." said Dr. Jan Groen.

Dr. Groen will start on April 26 and join the OncoMethylome board immediately.  "Dr. Groen is an excellent choice as CEO for OncoMethylome and I will support him and the company going forward" stated Mr. Herman Spolders.  Mr. Spolders retired as CEO in 2009 and will now also retire from his OncoMethylome Board position effective April 26, 2010.  Herman Spolders will stay on as an advisor to the company, but desires to spend more time on other activities.

The Board is thankful to Herman Spolders for all the work and effort he put into developing the company and its products over the past 7 years. "Herman Spolders was key to identifying opportunities and developing products based on a new technology, and we are glad to be able to count on his continued support going forward" stated Dr. Timmins.

Dr. Jan Groen will succeed Mr. Philip Devine, a co-founder of the company, who has been chief financial officer since 2003 and has also been the interim chief executive officer. Philip Devine will remain CFO.  OncoMethylome will continue the changes that have been launched by Mr. Devine in the last months, including the focus on a core set of products, a reduction of the operating costs of the company, and the focus on the United States market.

Source: Oncomethylome

Source (Dutch): AMC

About MammaPrint(R)
MammaPrint is the first and only breast cancer recurrence test cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA clearance under the in vitro diagnostic multivariate index assay (IVDMIA) guidelines requires clinical and analytical validation and reporting systems to ensure patient safety issues are addressed. Highly accurate, MammaPrint identifies patients with early metastasis-patients who are likely to develop metastases within five years following surgery. Several authoritative studies have shown that chemotherapy particularly reduces early metastasis risk. In planning treatment, the MammaPrint test results provide doctors with a clear rationale to assess the benefit of chemotherapy in addition to other clinical information and pathology tests.

All MammaPrint tests are conducted in Agendia's CLIA-accredited service laboratory. Breast cancer recurrence assays currently marketed by other manufacturers have not been subject to the rigorous FDA clearance process.

Source: Agendia

"Cancer tumor profiling in the neoadjuvant setting is critical to the success of the I-SPY 2 trial. Agendia is uniquely positioned to be a part of the Biomarker Consortium in this landmark study, and proud to be working side by side with a large number of visionary therapeutic companies and research centers," said Bernhard Sixt, Chief Executive Officer of Agendia. "Agendia's MammaPrint test has proven value for breast cancer recurrence in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, Agendia's TargetPrint provides objective, quantitative information about the expression of ER, PR and Her-2neu, while our DiscoverPrint measures the expression of the whole genome. In concert they will form an integral part of the clinically relevant discoveries the Consortium aims to make."

Scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), FDA, and nearly 20 major cancer research centers across the United States have united to develop and conduct this unprecedented large-scale scientific collaboration to test novel breast cancer drugs in the neoadjuvant clinical trial setting. Results will be made broadly available to the cancer research and development community in order to foster this integrated approach to improve clinical trial success and the efficacy of cancer therapeutics.

The adaptive design of the I-SPY 2 trial promises to integrate and advance multiple biomarker types into a new generation of predictive signatures. This approach has the potential to both streamline Phase III trial designs and yield a new generation of personalized diagnostic tools with regulatory acceptance and approval. Information from Agendia's whole genome expression profiling, essentially "snapshots" of tumor biopsies before and after administration of the neoadjuvant therapies under investigation, combined with data from the other trial participants, promises to accelerate trials, reduce patient enrollment numbers, and generate huge savings for commercial, research and governmental institutions.

For background information on the I-SPY 2 trial, please go to http://ispy2.org

Source: LSH

Source: AMOLF

“The acquisition of Solvay Pharmaceuticals further diversifies our pharmaceutical portfolio, expands our presence in key high-growth emerging markets, enhances our investment in R&D and accelerates our long-term earnings-per-share growth outlook,” according to Miles D. White, chairman and CEO of Abbott. The addition of Solvay provides Abbott with “a large and complementary portfolio of pharmaceutical products and a significant presence in key global emerging markets,” he adds, and also includes full global rights to the fenofibrate franchise. Previously, Abbott had U.S. rights to fenofibrate and paid royalties to Solvay.

The acquisition also includes Solvay’s vaccines business, which will provide Abbott entry into the expanding global vaccines market. Solvay also has a small molecular diagnostics unit that will become part of Abbott’s diagnostics organization upon the transaction close.

The European Commission, however, had initiated an antitrust probe of Abbott’s planned deal and early this monthThe European Union gave the green light to the deal with the decision being conditional upon the divestment of the cystic fibrosis testing business of Solvay’s subsidiary Innogenetics in Europe.

“In anticipation of future market needs, we are ensuring we have the technologies, products, infrastructure and reach to serve patients globally and continue to deliver sustainable industry-leading growth,” White says. “The acquisition of Solvay Pharmaceuticals is a key part of Abbott’s strategy to bolster our presence in key markets and deliver sustainable, industry-leading growth. In addition to taking both Abbott and Solvay products into new and expanding markets, the acquisition enhances our R&D investment, providing Abbott with the opportunity to drive future pharmaceutical growth.”

Abbott notes that it has a strong portfolio of specialty pharmaceuticals and Solvay brings successful, consistently performing products—including branded generics—that will further diversify Abbott’s pharmaceutical business. These products complement Abbott’s presence and expertise in specialty markets such as cardiovascular disease, neuroscience and gastroenterology, and include treatments for men’s and women’s hormonal health, and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, which is associated with several underlying conditions such as cystic fibrosis and chronic pancreatitis.

Solvay’s pharmaceutical unit generated just over $2.75 billion in sales in the first nine months of 2009, up 5 percent from the same period a year earlier. Products for cardio-metabolic needs and for men’s and women’s health made up most of the company’s sales.

Source: DDN

Public vouchers have to be spend at public knowledge institutes like universities and research institutes. Private vouchers on the other hand should be used for reimbursement of private services.

More information: AgentschapNL

Source: OMFL

The output was based on the number of products, combined turnover, number of companies active within the sector, the employment opportunities the sector generates, public and private investments. When looking at the number of companies, the Netherlands ranks above average. Dutch performance on the other criteria was, however, below average. The Netherlands scores particularly low in the number of products and turnover. The Boston/Massachusetts cluster is the worldwide champion.

The Biotech Outlook also gives a clear signal to politicians: longer-term vision and increased consistency are helpful to the sector, as these are required for the often long-term development processes inherent to the sector. Especially important is attention to the later stages of the product development process. ‘Industry is already investing in these, and the Netherlands has demonstrated the most rapid growth in private investments, showing that there is indeed confidence, understanding and belief in the sector. All that is required now is that politicians close up the ranks.’
Compared with 2007, the Dutch ‘red’ biotech sector has shown tremendous growth. In 2008, the number of private investments made by venture capitalists in companies quoted on the stock exchange increased by no less than 21 percent. According to LSH and Nyenrode this is particularly noteworthy, as the financial crisis resulted in investments worldwide decreasing by an average of 37 percent. The growth in the number of products (64%) and the number of companies (11%) in the Netherlands in 2008 was also above average.

Commissioned by the LSH Innovation Program, the Nyenrode Life Sciences & Healthcare Institute in cooperation with The Decision Group carries out annual research into the position of the Dutch life sciences and health cluster in comparison with the international leaders. The performance and progress in six different fields are considered: number of products, turnover, number of companies, employment opportunities, public and private investments. The production of this Outlook constitutes part of an on-going research program into the performance and progress of the Dutch ‘red’ biotech sector as a result of intended strategic policy. The seven clusters that the Netherlands was compared to are the Boston region, the San Diego region, the Research Triangle Park (USA) region, Great Britain, Switzerland, Medicon Valley (Sweden and Denmark) and the Munich region.

Adapted from Source: Life Sciences & Health

The report can be downloaded from www.biotechoutlook2010.com