Biotechnology
account for 20.6% of biopharmaceuticals worldwide. EuropaBio believes that in order to maintain and grow this leading position, it is es- sential that Europe equips itself with the best pos- sible policy framework to advance innovation, knowledge and growth in the healthcare biotech industry.
One entity seeking to advance biotechnol- ogy in Europe is Biotechnologies Wallonie In- novation (BioWin). Created in July 2006 in the Walloon region of Belgium, BioWin’s role is to bring together local stakeholders participating in innovative projects and/or training in the fields of biotechnology and healthcare. It aims to create a new culture of openness and of part- nership in order to foster innovation in Wallo- nia, attract first-rate human capital to the region, assist with the creation of a collective infra- structure and technological platforms, and pro- mote Wallonia’s
strengths in the field of
healthcare biotechnology internationally. BioWin says that Wallonia has a long tradi- tion of excellence in the field of healthcare biotechnology. World leaders such as GSK Bi- ologicals (vaccines), UCB (biopharmacy) and IBA (cancer diagnostics and treatments) are companies that have grown out of the local sci- entific and industrial scene. Around 30% of em- ployees of these companies are dedicated to research and development. Baxter (biophar- macy and medical devices) has been working in Wallonia for more than 30 years and continues to make long-term investments in the region.
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Alongside these large industrial players, there is a large network of small and medium-sized enterprises, including numerous university pin-offs. BioWin supports the emergence of innova- tive research. One priority is to capitalise on the Walloon government’s calls for projects to cre- ate a culture of collaboration between universi- ties, businesses and research centres so that together they develop innovative products and services with high added value and the poten- tial to reach an international market. The government of Wallonia commissioned
BioWin to create an infrastructure for the com- mercial production of cell-therapy products in response to the requirements of three Walloon companies at various stages of development in the field of cell therapy. The project became reality with the
creation of Masthercells,
a company offering a wide range of services re- lated to cell therapy. The company also attracts interest from companies from European and in- ternational cell therapy companies who wish to market their products in Europe. In another project, BioWin’s Walloon biobank aims to create a formal structure and network for the biobanks currently housed in hospital laboratories. Europe has identified biobanking as one of the key factors for innovation in life sciences. This project is intended to enable ac- cess to a large inventory of samples for the whole scientific community, academic and industrial.
Looking to the future, one of the main emerging trends in the industry that is being actively pro- moted by EuropaBio is the field of personalised medicine. Recent scientific developments have made more realistic the concept of a tailored healthcare system. This ultimately involves matching patients' unique profiles and needs to suitable therapies rather than merely addressing symptoms in isolation. Personalised medicine provides the right treatments to the right patient at the right time by using biotechnology processes. Practically, it improves patients' healthcare out- comes and quality of life through increasingly tai- lored treatments. It also ensures better safety and efficiency of treatment, therefore improving the costs involved for patients.
The industry comprises more than 1,700
companies New European Economy
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