| GENEVA, Switzerland; August 25th, 2009 |
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NovImmune nominated for the EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD 2009 Hannover/Geneva. 25th of August. The EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD jury has selected the three finalists for 2009: The nominees are the biopharmaceutical companies NovImmune, Switzerland, TRION Pharma GmbH, Germany, and VIVALIS, France. The award, with prize money totalling 100,000 euros, recognizes the achievements of young, innovative European companies from the areas of biotechnology and the life sciences. It is presented annually by Deutsche Messe AG, Hannover, and its partners. NovImmue SA NovImmune develops monoclonal antibodies for thetreatment of inflammatory and immune-related disorders. The company is based inPlan-les-Quates, near Geneva,Switzerland,and so far has generated seven monoclonal antibodies with the intent to treat immune-relateddisorders. The company's product spectrum ranges from preclinical to clinical phaseII. All portfolio products have the potential of becoming a medicine formultiple medical conditions due to their specific mechanism of action. Twocompounds are in early clinical development, with the most advanced in clinicalphase II. The lead product, NI-0401/anti-CD3, is currently being tested in Crohn'sdisease, type 1 diabetes and transplantation. Founded in 1998, the companycurrently employs a workforce of 75. TRION Pharma GmbH TRION Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company thatdevelops trifunctional antibodies called Triomab® at its site in Munich. They are based ona platform technology for which TRION Pharma holds IP rights around the world. Triomab®antibodies simultaneously activate multiple immune defence mechanisms againstcancer. As a result, tumour cells are specifically destroyed with hitherto unknownpotency and precision, and the immune system's memory is activated. In 2009, Removab®(Catumaxomab) was the first member of the Triomab® family to receive EU marketapproval. It is not only the first drug indicated for the treatment of malignantascites (abdominal fluid retention) in cancer patients, but also the first bispecific,trifunctional antibody worldwide. Removab® is marketed by TRION's developmentpartner Fresenius Biotech. VIVALIS SA VIVALIS (NYSE Euronext: VLS) providesthe pharmaceutical industry with cell-based solutions for the manufacture ofvaccines and proteins, and develops drugs for the prevention and treatment ofviral diseases. Headquartered in France, the company specializes inthe field of embryonic stem cells and their practical applications in human andveterinary medicine. Its proprietary EB66® cellline platform, derived from duck embryonic stem cells, presents uniqueindustrial and regulatory characteristics to replace the eggs in the productionof vaccines and to produce antibodies with enhanced ADCC activity. In addition to its proprietary programs, VIVALIShas developed partnerships with more than 25 pharmaceutical and biotechnologycompanies. Through these partnerships, VIVALIS develops and manufactures arange of vaccines and antibodies. The internationaljury of experts, consisting of eleven members and chaired by Prof. Dr. PeterStadler, CEO, Artemis Pharmaceuticals, Cologne,will decide on the ultimate winner immediately before the award ceremony duringthe BIOTECHNICA opening event on 5 October. The winner will receive prize moneyof 30,000 euros. In addition, all finalists will receive numerous non-cashprizes. The award will be presented by opening speakers Janez Potocnik, EU Commissionerfor Science and Research; Dr. Philipp Rösler, Minister of Economics, LowerSaxony; Dr. Stefan Marcinowski, Member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASFand President of the German Association of Biotechnology Industries; and KaryMullis, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. All three finalistswill be represented at BIOTECHNICA from 6 to 8 October in Hall 9, Stand F05/1. Furtherinformation about the conditions of participation and the prize-winners inprevious years can be found at www.biotechnica.de/award_e.
About BIOTECHNICA BIOTECHNICA is Europe'sleading annual event for biotechnology and the life sciences. It covers theentire spectrum of biotechnology, including fundamentals and equipment,bio-informatics and services, and addresses all five major fields ofapplication, i.e. pharmaceuticals/medicine, industrial manufacturing, food,agriculture and the environment. Ever since 1985, BIOTECHNICA has been organizedand staged by Deutsche Messe AG in Hannover,Germany. As aglobal brand, BIOTECHNICA now also has sister events in Asia (BIOTECHNICA CHINA) and in the U.S.(BIOTECHNICA AMERICA).
Number of characters (incl.spaces): 4,753 Your contact at Deutsche Messe for further information: KatharinaSiebert Tel.: +49511 89-31028 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |