The Prague.bio conference will bring together representatives of science and industry in Prague to seek new investment opportunities
Marek Št'astný, Senior Scientific Advisor and Business Development Liaison for the Czech Republic in Bristol-Myers Squibb, will participate in the Prague.bio international conference.
Prague, 28 June 2023. The best in the field of biotechnology will gather in the Czech capital in September. The Prague.bio international conference will be attended by representatives of funds that together manage more than € 200 million and invest in promising scientific projects. Presentations will be given by such industry aces as Jan Berka from Roche Diagnostics Solutions and Marek Šťastný from Bristol-Myers Squibb.
The Prague.bio international conference is aimed at academics, investors and industry representatives involved in the development of new drugs, diagnostics and other areas of biotechnology. The attendees can look forward to lectures by representatives of major pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, panel discussions with foreign investors and presentations of promising biotechnology projects.
Speakers at the Prague.bio forum include, for example, Jan Berka, a renowned expert in sequencing systems from Roche Diagnostics Solutions, who will offer a lecture on "The future of disease diagnostics is the immunome". He adds: "I will focus on the role of the immunome in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of diseases. The immunome is a dynamic set of immune cells and receptors reacting to different antigens, which, according to recent studies, shows interesting potential as a biomarker for various diseases. These include infections, autoimmune disorders and cancer."
Marek Šťastný from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Senior Scientific Advisor and Business Development Liaison for the Czech Republic, will also enrich the conference with his presentation. "I will present current trends and results in the field of biomarkers and the possibilities of future developments in the field of immunotherapies," he describes. His talk is summarized by the title: "The extent of cancer immunotherapy in clinical practice & what is important to know for developmental opportunities?"
The investor panel discussion promises to provide interesting insights. It will include Aleksander Kłósek from YouNick Mint VC in Poland, Alexander Schwartz from xista science ventures in Austria, Michael Krebs from KHAN Technology Transfer Fund in Germany and Jaromír Zahrádka from i&i Biotech Fund. They will talk, among other things, about the potential risks of financing scientific startups at the very beginning of their development. In addition, the Prague.bio conference will connect investors with representatives of Czech and foreign universities and research institutions. These contacts may result in new financial support for promising research projects.
Extensive support of state and local government
The Prague.bio international conference was supported by the Minister for Science, Research and Innovation Helena Langšádlová, by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the CzechInvest agency and the Prague City Hall. Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda notes: "Prague has a very good reputation and potential in the field of biotechnology and medicine. I am glad that the Prague.bio conference will draw attention to this fact on an international scale and will welcome a number of very interesting personalities."
The symposium is organised by the i&i Prague Bio-Innovation Centre and the IOCB Tech Technology Transfer Office, which is part of the ecosystem around the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. "A large number of top scientists work at universities and research institutes, and industry creates interesting opportunities for cooperation, which means that potential investors in scientific projects are increasing. But what is missing is a more intensive link between these worlds, communication and understanding. The Prague.bio conference aims to help fill this gap," says Prof. Jan Konvalinka, director of the IOCB.
Contact:
Martin Kovalčík, kovalcik@iniprague.com, +420 777 472 863
Martin Opatrný, opatrny@prclinic.eu, +420 602 252 405
More information
IOCB Prague
Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry is an internationally renowned scientific institution whose main mission is basic research in the field of chemical biology and medicinal chemistry, organic and materials chemistry, chemistry of natural substances, biochemistry and molecular biology, physical chemistry, theoretical chemistry and analytical chemistry. The Institute seeks to find ways to apply the results of basic research to applications that can improve the lives of society as a whole. Since 2010, the Institute's subsidiary IOCB Tech has been in charge of all activities related to the transfer of results into practice, applications and intellectual property issues. In 2017, another subsidiary of IOCB, i&i Prague, was established, which focuses on the development and funding of promising early-stage projects, not only from the Institute but also from other research and academic institutions.
For more information visit www.uochb.cz/en.
IOCB Tech
The Technology Transfer Office IOCB Tech, s.r.o. is a fully owned subsidiary of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB). The main responsibilities of IOCB Tech include the identification of commercially interesting projects at IOCB, analysis of their market potential and patentability, protection of intellectual property, support for the development of the projects in the form of project management, search for commercial partners and negotiation of contractual terms for signing license agreements. IOCB Tech has been involved in the process of negotiating and concluding more than a dozen key license agreements with major pharmaceutical partners such as Gilead Sciences, Merck, Novo Nordisk and SHINE Medical Technologies. In 2017, the company established a subsidiary, i&i Prague, which focuses on funding promising early-stage projects at the Institute and other research and academic institutions.
For more information visit www.iocbtech.cz.
About i&i Prague
i&i Prague focuses on the transfer of new technologies into practice. It was established at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the CAS and is dedicated to innovations in the field of drug development, diagnostics and medical devices originating from academic institutions. It supports the creation of spin-off companies and the sale of licenses. So far, the company has participated in the creation of or otherwise supported 15 spin-off companies from 5 countries, has an equity stake in 9 of them and has invested over 70 million crowns. Overall, the spin-offs in i&i Prague's portfolio have raised more than CZK 1.8 billion from other investors. In 2021, i&i Prague established i&i Biotech Fund in cooperation with the European Investment Fund.
For more information visit www.iniprague.com.