Molecular Partners AG Wins EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD 2015
Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.
The winner of the EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD 2015 has been announced: Molecular Partners AG from Switzerland. This year, the purpose of the prestigious prize was to recognize a company that has established a “disruptive technology” in the biotechnology or life sciences sector and has demonstrably turned this technology into a commercial success.
“We are very proud that the renowned BIOTECHNICA jury has classified our DARPin platform as a ‘disruptive technology’ for biotechnology and life sciences,” said Dr Christian Zahnd, CEO of Molecular Partners. The award was presented during the BIOTECHNICA/LABVOLUTION evening reception on the first day of the trade fair in Hannover, Germany - a ceremony attended by some 500 guests from industry, research and politics.
It was no easy decision for the jury, with a host of candidates from the USA, France, Switzerland and Germany in the running for the award. Chaired by Dr. Karsten Henco, Chairman of the Board of HS LifeSciences GmbH, Düsseldorf, the jury finally decided on Molecular Partners AG: “What we are seeing here is a technology that extends the established potential of antibody therapies to include further areas of application.”
Listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich, Molecular Partners is a biopharmaceutical company with products in clinical development. The company is developing a new class of therapeutic agents known as DARPins. These are highly specific and versatile protein therapies that have the potential to offer advantages over conventional monoclonal antibodies and other protein therapeutics currently available.
DARPin technology facilitates a multispecific approach to treatment. In order to broaden treatment options, DARPins can be applied against multiple targets or several mechanisms of action can be tackled at the same time. DARPins have the potential to advance modern medicine and significantly improve the treatment of serious diseases, including cancer and serious eye disorders.
Molecular Partners has four products at various stages of clinical and preclinical development as well as several products at the research stage, with the focus currently on ophthalmology and oncology. The most advanced product candidate is abicipar, which is licensed to Allergan. The company collaborates on research and development with leading pharmaceutical groups and is backed by established biotech investors.
CEO Dr Zahnd: "The timing of this award is very apt for us as two approval trials (phase III) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration were successfully launched in 2015 for our first product candidate, abicipar, in our partnership with Allergan."
BIOTECHNICA and LABVOLUTION 2015
From 6 to 8 October 2015 Deutsche Messe is for the first time staging the two trade fairs BIOTECHNICA and LABVOLUTION in parallel at the Hannover Exhibition Center. For 30 years now BIOTECHNICA has been the premier trade fair for biotechnology and the life sciences in Germany and Europe. It covers the entire value-adding chain in the biotech sector - from basic scientific research to the finished product. The BIOTECHNICA PLAZA features dedicated “marketplaces” on Bioeconomy, Personalized Medicine Technologies and Bio-IT, thus covering all the hottest topics in the biotech sector. LABVOLUTION is celebrating its premiere in 2015.
The new trade show presents the complete range of laboratory equipment and technology for research labs, analytical labs, production labs and training labs. Laboratory technology for the biotech and life sciences industry has always been an important theme at BIOTECHNICA. LABVOLUTION will now showcase laboratory technology for many other key markets: the chemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, medicine, plastics, materials development and materials testing, cosmetics, medical technology, environmental engineering and the food industry. One ticket is valid for entry to both trade shows.
Deutsche Messe AG
With revenue of 280 million euros (2014), Deutsche Messe AG ranks among the world’s ten largest trade fair companies and operates the world’s largest exhibition center. In 2014, Deutsche Messe planned and staged 134 trade fairs and congresses around the world - events which hosted a total of over 41,000 exhibitors and some 3.6 million visitors.
The company’s event portfolio includes such world-leading trade fairs as CeBIT (IT and telecommunications), HANNOVER MESSE (industrial technology), BIOTECHNICA (biotechnology), CeMAT (intralogistics), didacta (education), DOMOTEX (floor coverings), INTERSCHUTZ (fire prevention and rescue), and LIGNA (wood processing and forestry). With approx. 1,200 employees and a network of 66 representatives, subsidiaries and branch offices, Deutsche Messe is present in more than 100 countries worldwide.
