With expansion a prime focus for businesses worldwide, many are looking towards rapidly establishing new regions of growth, particularly in Asia, Pacifi c Rim countries.


The latest business developments from across Asia by Heather Hobbs To appear in our next issue, send your Business and Financial News stories to heather@intlabmate.com


This section of International Labmate will especially look at the success of both Asian and European companies with established premises or business partnerships, highlighting the opportunities that exist while realising


potential for other companies to move into export markets.


Medical Japan: 18th-20th January 2023, Osaka


With an ageing population and vast healthcare expansion, Japan has become the World’s 3rd largest medical market. This means that, combined with a free trade agreement with the UK, it is a great time for British companies to export to this region.


Medical Japan is a B-2-B exhibition and conference, covering a wealth of products, services and technologies from the healthcare sector. It is supported by many industry organisations, including the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Japan.


The 2023 event is expected to attract 500 exhibitors from 21 countries and almost 15,000 global visitors with a strong percentage from Japan. Visitors include distributors, importers, hospitals, nursing and elderly care facilities and pharmacies.


Exhibiting at B-2-B international trade shows offers


companies a platform like no other to meet multiple exporting goals, such as:


• Showcasing products and services • Raising your company profi le globally • Generating new business


• Networking with thousands of healthcare professionals • Keeping up-to-date with industry trends


Medilink UK offer British companies a full spectrum of support to make your exhibiting experience as easy, stress-free and cost-effective as possible.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/Y0jY 58887pr@reply-direct.com


CEPI-funded Partnership Seeks to Develop a Variant-Proof SARS-


Study Identifi es Bacteria Associated with Worsening Lung Conditions


In an international landmark study scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore have discovered that Neisseria – a genus of bacteria that lives in the human body – is not as harmless as previously thought, and can cause infections in patients with bronchiectasis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).


Bronchiectasis, a long-term condition where the airways of the lungs become abnormally enlarged, is up to four times more prevalent among Asians, particularly the elder population, as compared to their Western counterparts. It can occur following recovery from tuberculosis, but no obvious cause is found in most cases and the condition tends to arise spontaneously and without warning.


To investigate why bronchiectasis worsens at a signifi cantly greater rate among older Asian patients, the international team – spanning researchers and hospitals in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia, and the UK– led by NTU’s LKCMedicine Associate Professor Sanjay Chotirmall, Provost’s Chair in Molecular Medicine, matched disease and infection data from 225 patients with bronchiectasis of Asian (Singapore and Malaysia) origin to those from bronchiectasis patients in Europe.


The research team found that Neisseria dominated the microbiome of Asian patients with worsening bronchiectasis, specifi cally those with predominant amounts of a subgroup of Neisseria called Neisseria subfl ava (N. subfl ava) experienced more severe disease and repeated infections (exacerbations) when compared to patients with bronchiectasis without such high amounts of Neisseria.


Upon further investigation using experimental cell and animal models, the research team confi rmed that N. subfl ava causes cell disruption, resulting in infl ammation and immune dysfunction in bronchiectasis patients with this bacterium.


Professor Chotirmall, who is also Assistant Dean (Faculty Affairs) at LKCMedicine, said: “Our fi ndings have established, for the fi rst time, that poorer clinical outcomes such as greater disease severity, poorer lung function and high repeated infection rates among bronchiectasis patients


Professor Sanjay Chotirmall. Credit: NTU Singapore


are closely associated to the bacteria Neisseria and that this fi nding is especially important for Asian patients.”


“This discovery is signifi cant because it can change how we treat our bronchiectasis patients with this bacterium. Doctors will now need to think about Neisseria as a potential ‘culprit’ in patients who are worsening despite treatment, and to conduct tests to identify those who may be harbouring this type of bacteria in their lungs. We hope that early identifi cation will lead to personalised therapy, and consequently, better disease outcomes for Asian patients with this devastating disease.”


The bacteria was also found to be present in other more common chronic respiratory conditions such as severe asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).


Using next-generation sequencing technologies, the team were also able to surmise that the indoor living space and potentially the tropical climate may favour the presence of this bacteria in the Asian setting.


The study was published in Cell Host & Microbe, September 14th, 2022.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/oYdy 58889pr@reply-direct.com


CoV-2 Vaccine ExcellGene SA has announced its role in the recently approved consortium funding through the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a global partnership of public, private, philanthropic and civil society organisations founded to develop vaccines against future epidemics. The consortium partnership strives to advance a new vaccine concept that confers highly cross-reactive protection against numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoCs) as well as other Betacoronaviruses. ExcellGene will produce complex chimeric Spike antigens using its engineered CHOExpress®-cell based technology. The Swiss company will use insights from several scientific and technical disciplines along with artificial intelligence to identify the most promising antigenic structure.


Together with Bharat Biotech, and Professor Jamie Triccas and his team at the University of Sydney, Australia, ExcellGene will generate and screen a large and diverse library of chimeric spike proteins to identify highly cross-reactive antigen structures that recall past and possibly future variants. CEPI will provide up to US$19.3 million in funding to develop a ‘variant-proof’ SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate for phase I clinical trials.


The ExcellGene team will produce complex chimeric proteins using its engineered CHOExpress®-cell based technology, and Professor Triccas and his team will assess the range of immune responses in various animal species and undertake a Phase 1 trial to assess safety and immunogenicity of the lead candidate.


Professor Jamie Triccas, Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, The University of Sydney said: “We are delighted to partner with ExcellGene, Bharat Biotech and the CEPI organisation to progress our platform for the development of broadly protective COVID-19 vaccines. Our mission is to deliver safe, affordable and highly effective vaccines to combat existing and future SARS-CoV-2 variants, and our international consortium is well placed to achieve this goal. The University of Sydney will provide a framework for pre-clinical assessment of vaccine candidates, together with access to Australia’s world-class early phase clinical trial community.”


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/Z2aa 58666pr@reply-direct.com


Does your company sell or wish to sell laboratory products and services to the economies of Asia? Are you looking for local distributors and agents to represent you?


If so, why not advertise your products in our market-leading journal Lab Asia.


Email: info@intlabmate.com


Business


Opportunities Asia


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