Juergen Eck (Ph.D.)

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆?? 🍫 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿? 🍬 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀? 🍭 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲? 💰   These are just some of the questions that Technische Universität Dresden tries to answer in its new #YouTube video. The "Gute Frage" team sheds light on the topic of "#Sugar" from different angles and asks various experts from TU Dresden about different aspects related to "sugar".   As an expert in the field of #diabetes research, Prof. Michele Solimena, Speaker of the Paul-Langerhans-Institut Dresden of the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD e.V.), explains the functions of sugar in the human body, the connection between sugar consumption and #type2 diabetes and the health consequences that excessive sugar consumption can have for humans.   Take your time and have a look. 😍 It turned out to be a great video! 📽   ➡ https://lnkd.in/et5bHME6   A big thank you to the Technische Universität Dresden social media team for the opportunity to be part of this project.

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This is probably useful for founders to know--and also to consider ways that they can increase probability of being the company to return the fund relative to the timescale of the fund Some people like hedge funds better because they don't have the artificial 10 year time horizon; potentially this allows companies to grow for longer if the return will be greater (this may or may not help in weathering tough economic periods) In the midst of an unfortunate economic cycle this is going to be more challenging, and probably will affect all investors to some degree Biotech investors say the good thing about it is that drugs that really help patients will move forward despite the underlying market conditions

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How to improve Tech Transfer from Research Organizations and Universities? Finding good answers and collaborating to implement them across the European Ecosystem is crucial for us to stay attractive as a business location. Especially at times of stagnating investments, we urgently need to increase transfer effectiveness and reduce barriers. In the Munich Ecosystem, we have fantastic success stories like Reverion or FERNRIDE but are constantly working on how we can create an even better ecosystem for our sciencepreneurs at XPRENEURS incubator for high-tech start-ups by UnternehmerTUM. So I am excited to discuss this topic with experts across Europe at Podim Conference in a panel and a keynote next week in Maribor. Looking forward to opportunities to join forces - reach out if you are there and want to connect. #startup #ecosystems #sciencepreneurship

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We are on television today! Yesterday, a report for the ARD lunchtime program was filmed at b-ACTmatter and the Faculty of Chemistry. Dr. Christian Sonnendecker and Dr. Ronny Frank from the start-up team ESTER Biotech explain how they are planning the up-scaling of PET recycling with enzymes from laboratory scale to industrial application. The result is PET monomers that can be reused for production without the need for fossil fuels. #sustainable_chemistry, #University_of_Leipzig, #bACTmatter

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“AlphaFold 3” predicts the structure of all molecules of life Google DeepMind has announced a novel AI model for pharmaceutical research that precisely enables the structure and interactions of proteins with other biomolecules. “AlphaFold 3” goes beyond the calculation of proteins , explained Deep Mind, a subsidiary of the Google holding company Alphabet. “AlphaFold 3” provides particularly precise predictions for interactions between proteins and other biomolecules in human cells. The Deep Mind subsidiary Isomorphic Labs from London, which specializes in the use of artificial intelligence in drug research, also played a key role in the development of the AI ​​model. DeepMind had previously developed “AlphaFold 2,” a program that can calculate the three-dimensional shape of proteins. Researchers assume that biological processes in the body and diseases can be better understood if the shape and therefore the function of proteins are known. In 2020, Deep Mind made a fundamental breakthrough in protein structure prediction. So far, millions of researchers worldwide have used “AlphaFold 2” to make discoveries in areas such as malaria vaccines, cancer treatments and enzyme design. In an article published in the journal Nature, Deep Mind now presents the AI ​​system “AlphaFold 3” as a model that can predict the structure and interaction of all molecules of life with unprecedented accuracy. “In the interactions of proteins with other types of molecules, we see an improvement of at least 50 percent compared to existing prediction methods, and in some important categories of interactions we have doubled the prediction accuracy.” Deep Mind also announced the “AlphaFold Server”. This free tool gives non-commercial researchers access to the capabilities of “AlphaFold 3” to generate models of biological structures. It makes it possible to create large and complex protein structures on the screen with just a few mouse clicks. In order to exploit the potential of “AlphaFold 3” for drug development, Isomorphic Labs is already working with pharmaceutical companies.

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German biotech days #dbt2024 Highlights day two: 1)     The very hungry counterpillar - science slam session 2)     German biotech policy - panel 3)     VC and private investors with BVK 4)     IP and market value 5)     Conclusion   1)     #Scienceslam by EXIST - Existenzgründungen aus der Wissenschaft: "Nobody will come" was the general opinion the day before. A packed hall on the morning of the second day proved the opposite. The young entrepreneurs had taken the trouble to prepare entertaining pitches, which surprisingly also showed how to explain the technology of a start-up to investors and other interested parties. Lumatix Biotech started with famous #KleineRaupeNimmersatt to illustrate the two states of antibody binding. The prizes went to ResCure BioThrust Lumatix Biotech, further presentations by DeepEn, ingineeon , LIMAA Technologies. Ute Fink   2)   Plenary session "Innovation policy for Germany": I would like to thank #BIODeutschland for inviting all parties (except the AFD) represented in the #German Bundestag to the plenary session, together with the State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Here we could experience how four leading representatives of biotechnology in Germany discussed our topic. And later exchange ideas with them. And that was, in my opinion, the most important benefit of this plenary session. Michael Kellner Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Thomas Jarzombek, Prof. Dr. Stephan Seiter, Ruppert Stüwe.   3)     The BVK (German Private Equity and Venture Capital Association) was represented by its Managing Director Ulrike Hinrichs in the session "New Financing Instruments" by Dirk Honold. Her participation drew attention to the step that VC and private investors have taken towards the biotech and life science industry in recent years. Other participants of the interesting panel were Tobias Faupel Patrick Rose and Angelika Vlachou.   4)     Wellington Management and SPRIND - Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen's contrasting approaches to valuing startup projects set the pace for the "IP, market value and startups" session. It was between simple questions to determine value plus the processes that follow and the search for "risky" projects and their entrepreneurs. Further high level expertise from Emblem, Evotec, Osborne Clarke and DKFZ German Cancer Research Center.   5)  My overall opinion of the dbt has changed as a result of this year's event: It is no longer a "#classreunion". For me, consideration must be given to organizing the German Biotechnology Days more frequently in #Berlin, because the participation of #politicians is a plus that cannot be found in other places. It could happen that the conference helps to change the political discussions. Last, not least: Thank you to the organization team at Netzwerker BIODeutschland, thank you to all colleagues for all chats and discussions. And thank you to BIO.NRW for having us on the common booth. Picture: Saturnia Pavonia

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Interesting insights from #DBT2024 #Biotechnologietage regarding financing of startups in the #biotech sphere - on the panel, led by Prof. Honold - Tobias Faupel, Ulrike Hinrichs, Patrick Rose and Angelika Vlachou discuss the current environment for #biotech #startups in Germany. #osborneclarke #teamtomorrow

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Skipping the needle: ETH Zürich spin-off OBaris works on a revolutionary way of delivering injectable drugs, without pain. Innovators Nevena Paunović and David Klein Cerrejon explain the technology and introduce their startup: About: millions of patients face the discomfort of daily injections due to their dependence on medications that cannot be taken orally. OBaris has developed a needle-free alternative, named “OctoPatch”, in the form of a painless suction patch applied to the inner cheek, which allows the drugs to enter the bloodstream efficiently. OBaris aims to access the rapidly growing market of therapeutic peptides, with an overall size of ca. CHF 40 billion in 2023. Its goal is to provide a painless alternative to patients across multiple therapeutic indications, with a focus on metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis. OBaris also aims to partner with leading pharmaceutical companies to make its solution available for an even broader population of patients. OBaris will invest the CHF 150’000 from Venture Kick to validate its regulatory strategy and initiate the first meeting with the FDA, organize the scale-up manufacturing, and further prepare for the fundraising by meeting with international investors. Read more: https://lnkd.in/e74rjbEC #VentureKick #SwissStartups

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🧬 OMG, is that GMOs ?! 🥛 At Bon Vivant, we push the boundaries of biotechnology to create sustainable alternative dairy proteins. But we are also aware that anything genetic-related can sound scary. So here's an insight into our sophisticated genetic design process: Step 1: Gene identification and synthesis 🐄➡️🔬 We start by identifying the genes that correspond to the animal milk proteins, all through a public digital database, without actually needing any cow. You can think of genes as the ID card and user’s notice of any molecule. The relevant genes are then synthetically created and prepared for integration. Step 2: Integration into microflora 🧫 These genes are carefully inserted into the DNA of microflora like yeast. In nature, microflora often incorporate foreign DNA when repairing their own. We leverage this process under controlled conditions to insert dairy-producing genes. Think of our microflora strain as a mini-factory that we carefully design to produce the proteins we need, by reading the specific DNA ID card we provided it with. The most recent and powerful technique to insert genes is called CRISPR, also known as ‘genetic scissors’, that has been proudly developed by two extraordinary women, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier (and she’s even French!), who won the Chemistry Nobel Prize for it. Step 3: Cultivation, reproduction & fermentation 🔄 Microflora that successfully recognize and integrate the new genes are isolated and grown. One of microorganism superpowers is their ability to produce proteins when fed sugar. With our genetic design, we target this protein production to the specific dairy proteins we need. As they reproduce, they keep passing the new traits to future generations, ready to convert sugars into identical dairy proteins during fermentation. Step 4: Purification 🧽 Once our microflora has fermented and produced dairy proteins, we go through a purification process in which we isolate the proteins from the microorganisms. This brings us to a pure dairy protein powder, with no traces of any DNA from our biomass. Again, think of our microflora pretty much as a factory, and the dairy proteins themselves are identical to the animal ones, presenting the same genetic ID card if you may.  Hence our end-products are 100% GMO-free, with the same qualities as conventional farming dairy proteins, and absolutely safe to use and consume, just like the precision fermentation-made vanilin you taste in your yogurt or the rennet used to produce your favorite cheese! This precise manipulation not only emulates the qualities of traditional dairy but also underscores our commitment to ethical production and environmental sustainability. #AlternativeProteins #PrecisionFermentation #BioTech

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How do groundbreaking ideas transition from the lab to the market? Our Venture Partner in the biotech team, Kathrin Ballesteros Katemann, recently shed light on this journey during her lecture in the "Beyond Papers: Research in Practice" series. In her session, "From Bench to Bedside: What to Consider in Drug Development," Kathrin explored the crucial steps in translating research into practical drug development. With over 20 years of experience supporting startups in the life sciences sector, Kathrin is a master at transforming early-stage scientific projects into valuable businesses. Beyond her scientific expertise, she is also a skilled Business Coach, Team Coach, and Team Developer. 𝐋𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 Kathrin shared four critical success factors in drug development: 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: Get their advice early to create data that will bring you forward. 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬: Ensure relevant endpoints, patient groups, and fit-for-purpose design to demonstrate safety and efficacy. 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬/𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞: Collaborate with CROs, CDMOs, regulatory consultants, QM systems, and skilled professionals to meet standards accepted by regulatory authorities. 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲: Adequate funding is essential to finance the development steps from early pre-clinical to clinical stage and successful market authorisation. Thank you for organizing and inviting Kathrin! Christin Menke REACH University of Münster FH Münster  Kim N. Kirchhoff Worldfactory Start-up Center (WSC) Hanna Zimmermann Gateway Gateway Excellence Start-up Center University of Cologne Shanika Yadav KOALA Startup Network Julia P. RWTH Innovation Centrum für Entrepreneurship & Transfer garage33 Are you an inventor with an innovative approach to develop novel treatments in therapeutic areas with a high unmet need? Connect with Kathrin to explore how we can help bring your innovation to life! #NLC #bringsciencetolife

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Mit #Spotspraying lassen sich in Reihenkulturen im #Gemüsebau Insektizide und Fungizide einsparen. Agroscope hat untersucht, wie gross das Einsparpotenzial ist und wie es um die Kosten im Vergleich zur flächigen Behandlung mit einer Feldspritze steht. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dtPCbipD 🚜 💦 🥬 Le spot spraying permet d’économiser de grandes quantités d’insecticides et de fongicides dans les #CulturesMaraîchères cultivées sur rang. Agroscope a étudié le potentiel d’économie et les coûts par rapport au traitement avec un pulvérisateur à rampe classique. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dy5SMitd 🚜 💦 🥬 In #vegetable row crops, spot spraying can save on insecticides and fungicides. Agroscope investigated the extent of this savings potential and compared the cost of spot spraying to broadcast treatments with a field sprayer. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d5ZHrTPR Federal Office for the Environment FOEN Grangeneuve #AgrarForschungSchweiz #RechercheAgronomiqueSuisse #SwissAgriculturalResearch #Landwirtschaft #Agriculture #farming #innovation #Pflanzenschutz #ProtectionDesPlantes #PlantProtection #AgrarForschung #RechercheAgronomique

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A great post from Stephen Gilbert which includes an explainer and link to his most recent paper in Nature Reviews: Cancer. As we are all no doubt aware, current medical device regulation essentialy prevents generalist AI and LLMs from being used in medical devices. Sure, lots of people are developing products for use in the healthcare setting, but they are chosen with great care to ensure they don't fall foul. Meanwhile, countless patients and clinicians are making use of LLMs in an uncontrolled manner. How do we square this circle? The paper, a neat 2 pages, covers this nicely. Perhaps we reign in LLMs to narrow use cases? Maybe we develop a mandatory human in the loop solution and wrestle with automation bias? What IS clear is that blocking GenAI in healthcare isn't a long term strategy.

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#MeetTheMasterClass 👨‍🎓 ✍️ 👩‍🎓 Meet one of our fellow members in TUM Entrepreneurial Masterclass, Erik Nitzschke! 💡The sense of smell in animals is a much more potent means of molecular analysis than current technologies. Responsible for this fast and efficient mechanism are tiny receptors that react to the presence of specific molecules and induce a signal to our brain. Scentum is working on a method to make this powerful mechanism available for usage outside of biological systems. With receptor-based sensorics, fields like medical diagnosis, security, or pharmaceutical development can be transformed. These industries require highly sensitive and selective testing equipment that provides high throughput capacity. With the state of the art being unable to fulfill these requirements, the bioinspired sensing platform of Scentum will provide its partners with a unique competitive advantage. 👉What are you concretely working on within the Entrepreneurial Masterclass? "My thesis at EMC will provide the experimental backbone for further technology development at Scentum. I evaluate what experimental strategies are possible and compare them to the state of the art on artificial olfaction. Together with my supervisors, I evaluate and conduct experiments, working my way up from basic procedures to the state-of-the-art in the fields of system biology and sensing applications. When working on new technology, there are many aspects to consider and the assessment of different strategies for receptor-based sensorics will make the next steps in our product development a lot easier." 👉Why are you a part of the Entrepreneurial Masterclass? "When looking for opportunities to conduct my master's thesis on my individual project, I quickly knew EMC was the perfect program for students in my situation. Taking part in EMC meant that I got to meet many students who are working on exciting projects and face similar challenges, be it about completing the thesis or advancing once startup. Another reason why I wanted to engage in EMC is its importance for the student startup ecosystem at UTUM and TUM. As higher education centers can be quite rigid and fixated on the established academic procedures, students with individual project ideas for a master's thesis will hear 'No' a lot and might doubt if writing a master's thesis has to be the uninspired chore that it is for so many students. EMC demonstrates the institutional support for students to pursue their own master's thesis, and I wanted to be part of this encouraging spirit." #Innovation #Technology #Entrepreneurship #Scentum #Masterclass #Biotechnology #Research #Startups #TechInnovation #Biotech

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📰 Huge win for Basel's newest innovation district! The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering, an independent research institute on a mission to develop novel immune-based diagnostics and therapeutics, has chosen the Main Campus as its future home starting in 2027! Until then, it will make its impact felt at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel. The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering aims to address gaps in advanced healthcare technologies and improve the health of children and young people around the globe. This groundbreaking initiative is made possible by Fondation Botnar’s exceptional $1 billion endowment. Our innovation district's application emerged successful against three locations in the USA, as well as against the “Golden Triangle” of London, Oxford, Cambridge in England, and Tel Aviv and Singapore. 💬 “In line with our mission to improve the well-being of young people, Fondation Botnar has made a bold investment to unlock scientific innovations specifically for the benefit of child and young people’s health in low- and middle-income countries,” stated Dr. Alexander Schulze, interim CEO of Fondation Botnar. 💬“The institute will bring together top experts in immune engineering, creating a collaborative environment designed to translate lab discoveries into real-world solutions,” said Stephen Wilson, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering. -Mission: Develop novel immune-based diagnostics and therapies for children and young people -Partnerships: University of Oxford, ETH Zürich, and more to come -Future Location: Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area - Main Campus -Institute of up to 300 scientists and support staff Stay tuned for more updates on this groundbreaking initiative! Read more right here: https://lnkd.in/ecSJny2y Kanton Basel-Landschaft #Innovation #Healthcare #BaselArea #Globalhealth #Research #Childhealth #Adolescenthealth

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Yesterday 12 June, the National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies (GCT) was published in Berlin and presented at an official event to Bettina Stark-Watzinger, Federal Minister of Education and Research. SKC's founder and managing director, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Matthias P. Schönermark, was one of the 150 experts of the working group for a national strategy for GCT and contributed significantly to the development of the strategy. 💬 "It was a great pleasure and honor to be able to participate in Working Group VII, which dealt with improving market access for gene and cell therapies. We developed concrete ideas on how market access for ATMPs in Germany can be directly facilitated and made internationally competitive. Let us hope that politicians will now react in a targeted manner." (Prof. Schönermark) The national strategy for GCT strives for a holistic concept for the location Germany, which covers all parts of the value chain from basic research through to the provision of medical care. The primary goal is to ensure the well-being of patients, who are offered new perspectives through GCT focusing on serious diseases for which there are no effective treatment options available. The strategy is focused on therapeutic approaches with advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), therapeutic approaches with novel biological products (e.g. mRNA) and other approaches of this kind in the context of gene- and cell-based therapies. It comprises eight fields of action with strategic goals and concrete proposals for measures including the areas of 1️⃣ networking and stakeholder support, 2️⃣ training and strengthening expertise, 3️⃣ technology transfer, 4️⃣ standards and regulatory frameworks, 5️⃣ expansion of quality and capacities in the area of good manufacturing practice production, 6️⃣ research and development, 7️⃣ market authorisation and transition to supply as well as 8️⃣ interactions with society. The measures are now to be implemented in collaboration with all stakeholders and will be subsidised by the federal and state governments over the next few years. As Market Access Special Forces, SKC has already been able to support the German market access of 8 ATMPs in recent years. We welcome the proposals of the national strategy for gene and cell therapies and will continue to contribute to ensuring that patients with diseases for which there are no or only limited treatment options have access to effective treatment.

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Can AI help make a more sustainable food system? These examples that suggest it can: 🔬 Accelerating scientific research with optimisation algorithms, e.g. Multus 🤖 Automating industrial processes with "digital twin" models, e.g. Ark Biotech 🌱 Discovering new food ingredients with search algorithms, e.g. Shiru Accelerating...automating...so far, so obvious. The challenge is in blending very different disciplines - such as machine learning, cell biology, fluid dynamics and food taste - to create stuff that scales and sells. Another well researched article from Protein Production Technology International on the future of food (link below)

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Want to know about the potential of micro-foaming for the development of plant protein based meat alternatives? Researchers from the Swiss Federal University of Technology in Switzerland have conducted a study on the micro-foaming of plant protein-based meat alternatives with the aim of developing a method to improve the texture and mouthfeel of these meat alternatives. The researchers utilised a Texture Analyser to measure the physical properties of the foamed meat analogues and found that the foaming process resulted in improved texture, with increased protein content leading to greater foam stability. This research provides insights into how to enhance the sensory attributes of plant-based proteins, making them more similar to traditional meat products. Read more: https://bit.ly/480gYnS | See which instrument they used: https://bit.ly/2K3wlqI

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What do doped camels in the desert and yogurt cultures have in common?   At a first glance, nothing much, but the link lies in mass spectrometry and our brand-new World Factory in Bremen.   The German news “Buten un binnen” visited the factory and also highlighted how the MALDI Biotyper is making the invisible visible.   Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/et8tP-EY   #BrukerMID #MALDITOF #GOTsirius #microbiology

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