Key events

2008

JANUARY

As part of the First International Colloquium on Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research which took place from January 31 to February 2 at the Genocentre in Evry, the Colloquium’s Organizing Committee and Genopole® co-organized a public debate on human embryonic stem cell research, the potential therapeutic applications of these cells and the related political and philosophical issues. The debate was led by journalists Jean-Yves Nau (from Le Monde) and Marianne Gomez (from La Croix).
[+] The debate program
[+] The FISH-ESC colloquium

European Career Fair 2008 in Boston : connecting the continents
Genopole® attended the 12th edition of the European Career Fair from February 2 to 4 on the MIT campus in Boston. The goal of the event was to put students or new graduates from American universities in touch with the most innovative European companies.
[+] More information

FEBRUARY

NOVAGALI Pharma, an emerging pharmaceutical company specializing in ophthalmology, announced that the United States FDA had approved its investigational new drug (IND) application for a Phase I clinical trial of Nova63035 (an injectable ophthalmic emulsion based on the EYEJECT technology, containing a corticosteroid prodrug) for the treatment of diabetic macular edema.
[+] Press release
[+] Novagali Pharma

APRIL

NOVAGALI Pharma launches Cationorm®, a cationic emulsion for relieving the sensation of dry eye.
[+] Press release

WATCHFROG closes its first round of financing with CapDecisif Management, an early-stage venture capital fund based in the Paris Ile-de-France Region. Watchfrog specializes in ecobiological assays for REACH compliance and is the first start-up to screen for toxic effects using amphibian models. The company also sells innovative solutions for in vivo detection of the activity of a wide variety of chemicals used in the pharmaceutical or cosmetics industry.
[+] Watchfrog

PARIS MARATHON: Véronique Billat and her group at the Integrative Biology of Physical Exercise Research Unit perform the first real-time cardiac blood flow and 12-lead ECG measurements
The joint INSERM University of Evry Val d’Essonne unit is pioneering the use of new technologies for studying biological responses to physical effort.
[+] Integrative Biology of Physical Exercise Research Unit

The Ethics Week in Evry, from April 7 to 11, 2008, at Evry Town Hall
Around 500 people attended the debate on April 9 at 8.30 pm: “Research and business: GMOs, the real debate” with Marie-Christine Blandin, Pierre Tambourin, José Bové, Philippe Gracien and Christian Velot.

GENOPOLE signs two agreements with Saudi Arabian universities
These agreements formalize collaboration with the King Saud University of Riyadh and King Abdul Aziz University of Jeddah and will enable Genopole® to develop joint projects in the fields of stem cells and medicinal chemistry, in particular. Genopole® will also help the Saudi Arabian universities to set up their own science parks.

The Innovative Drugs Initiative - IMI : a strategic opportunity for France, a major player in the life science and biotech industries.
IMI Seminar - April 14, 2008. LEEM (the French pharmaceutical manufacturers association), the Medicen Paris Region cluster and Genopole organize a seminar for raising awareness of the IMI - a funding program that forms part of the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), with support from the European healthcare industry. The IMI’s objective is to enhance the productivity of the drug discovery process and boost the pharmaceutical sector’s competitiveness.
[+] More information

On March 14, 2008, Genopole responds to the European Union’s “Knowledge Regions” call for tenders by submitting a proposal for a €884K project built around a consortium of 7 European partners
The “Knowledge Regions” initiative is part of the European Union’s FP7 “Capacities” program. It seeks to reinforce the European regions’ capacity to invest in R&D by prompting them to (i) directly initiate research activities and (ii) foster the involvement of local stakeholders in European research projects. The goal is to bring together regional research stakeholders, help them build a common approach and share technical and methodological tools.

DNALLIANCE moves into business accommodation on the Genopole® campus
DNALLIANCE provides operational marketing services and strategic consultancy to life science start-ups. Its CEO (François Dohet) is also Sales & Marketing Director of the Belgian biotech company Diagenode.

MAY

“EUROPEAN UNION FUNDING PROGRAMS AS PART OF YOUR CORPORATE STRATEGY” _ Workshop organized by Genopole® and the Medicen Paris Region cluster
This workshop attracted representatives from France’s national research institutes and biotech SMEs based in the Paris Ile-de-France region. The meeting’s goal was to better integrate pro-active French life science start-ups into a European environment.

NOVAGALI Pharma announced the first-in-man injection of CORTIJECT® in a Phase I clinical trial. CORTIJECT® is an ophthalmic emulsion based on the company’s EYEJECT® technology. It contains a corticosteroid prodrug for the treatment of diabetic macular edema.
[+] Press release

Genopole® launches its ATIGE 2008 call for tenders for young researchers)
Genopole®’s ATIGE grants offer young staff researchers in public-sector research organizations the opportunity to set up and lead their own research group within a campus lab. This fostering measure should help attract young promising scientists to the Genopole® campus in Evry.

Genopole® attends BIO 2008 from June 17 to 19 in San Diego
Genopole® accompanied 8 campus-based companies and one research institute (I-Stem) to BIO 2008. To celebrate Genopole®’s 10th birthday, Klaus Plate (Director of the Heidelberg Technology Park) had invited the French biopark to be a special guest at the prestigious breakfast that he organizes every year at BIO. This was a great opportunity to present the biopark’s achievement and forthcoming projects to an audience of life science managers from around the world. Genopole® also attended the “Fast-Track R&D Partnering with France” day (organized by France’s technology clusters) on the day before BIO opened.

Pierre Tambourin, Genopole®’s CEO, is part of the business delegation that accompanies French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Israel on June 22-24, 2008.

JULY

4 Genopole® start-ups win prizes in France’s 10th national business plan competition for innovative technology companies The official prize ceremony for France’s 10th national business plan competition for innovative technology companies (organized by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research) takes place at the Entrepreneurs Show in Lyons. The jury awards prizes to four Genopole®-incubated companies: Innavirvax, AssistMov, Antys Biopharma and Ginkgo Biosciences..

COFACE and Genopole® sign a collaboration agreement
This agreement enables Genopole®’s biotech companies to benefit from special COFACE insurance for foreign demand generation and lead management and will thus facilitate the development of their international trade.
[+] Press release

The 2008 CNRS Gold Medal is awarded to Jean Weissenbach, Director of the Genoscope lab and a pioneer in the field of genome exploration & analysis.
[+] Press kit

Yves Champey succeeds Bernard Barataud as head of Genethon, the laboratory created in 1990 with the funds raised by France’s Telethon
[+] Press release

Genopole® signed a memorandum of understanding with Poland’s LifeScience Krakow cluster
On July 4, Karol Musiol (Chairman of the Life Science Klaster Krakow) and Pierre Tambourin (CEO of Genopole®) signs a memorandum of understanding which formalizes the two organization’s intention to cooperate (notably in the biotech field). Signature of the memorandum follows on from a visit by a Genopole® delegation to Life Science Klaster Krakow in April 2008.

The bacterium Salmonella typhimurium can infect plants
Researchers from the URGV research unit in Genopole® and from the University of Vienna show that the bacterium Salmonella typhimurium can infect plants by penetrating inside their cells.

Genopole® becomes an associate member of LEEM, the French pharmaceutical manufacturers association
[+] More information

Novacyt wins an AGBM “Innovative Medical Technology” prize
The second prize in the 5th Innovative Technology Competition organized by the French Alliance for Biological and Medical Engineering (AGBM) has been awarded to Novacyt for the development of a unique, entirely automated, thin-layer cytology system for cervical cancer screening.

Cellvir closes its first round of seed funding with G1J Ile-de-France and INSERM Transfert Initiative
Cellvir, a biotech company specializing in the development of new-generation antiretroviral agents against the AIDS virus, closes its first round of seed funding with G1J Ile-de-France and INSERM Transfert Initiative.
[+] Press release

Imagene completes its move into new premises in the Genavenir 6 building on Genopole® Campus 1), initiated in June 2008.

Launched by Genopole® Research, the “Apprentice Researchers” project seeks to “share the excitement of the world of research” with high school and senior high school students in the town of Evry. With supervision from researchers, technicians and PhD students, the student learns about the scientific approach and life in the lab for a Wednesday afternoon every month. The students will present the results of their work during an “Apprentice Researchers” congress at the end of the year and will receive a “Research Initiation” diploma.

OCTOBER

On October 6, Genopole® organizes the 2nd edition of its International Biomanufacturing Symposium _ “PRODUCTIVITY AND OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE IN BIOMANUFACTURING”
On October 6, the 2nd edition of the International Symposium on Biomanufacturing (“Productivity and Operational Excellence in Biomanufacturing”) took place at Genopole®. The results of a joint LEEM/Genopole® survey entitled “Biomanufacturing 2008, state of the art and recommendations for making France more attractive” were also presented.
[+] Event website + presentations

The Genopole® Entreprise-CCIE company incubator celebrates its 10th birthday
On October 29, personalities Gerard Huot, Manuel Valls, Thierry Mandon, Pierre Tambourin and Serge Dassault celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Genopole® Entreprise-CCIE company incubator. Since the arrival of the first company (Neurotech) in October 1998, 27 start-ups have graduated from the incubator.

Novagali raises €15 million
Novagali Pharma, a French biotech company specializing in ophthalmology, closes a €15 million round of financing with its existing shareholders. The fresh funds will enable Novagali Pharma to pursue the development of its high-potential projects.
[+] More information

The “Genopole - 10 years” event From October 7-9, Genopole® celebrates its 10th birthday at EuroBiO
5 campus-based companies (Bioquanta, Novagali, Sigma-Aldrich, Texcell and Watchfrog) share the Genopole stand. Pierre Tambourin, Genopole®’s CEO, chairs the 2008 edition of EuroBiO 2008.

October 14th - the LEEM/Genopole® “Pharmaceutical Café” debate on “Innovation and Tomorrow’s Drugs” at the Café Apollo in Paris
As part of Dialogue Week, the LEEM (the French pharmaceutical manufacturers association) and its partners organize several debates, including a “Pharmaceutical Café” with Genopole® on “Innovation and Tomorrow’s Drugs”.

NOVEMBER

BIOMETHODES, the European leader in enzyme engineering, announces the signature of a worldwide, exclusive licensing agreement with Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc. (Virginia, USA). This key agreement will enable Biomethodes to become a fully integrated player with the full value chain and know-how required for the development of second-generation biofuel production projects.

GenoSafe® obtains GLP compliance and pursues its growth
GenoSafe® SAS, a Genopole® campus company specializing in evaluation of the safety and efficacy of innovative biotherapeutics, obtains a GLP compliance certificate from France’s AFSSAPS competent body.

PhInC Development, specialized in consultancy and project support for preclinical and clinical development, moves into business accommodation on the Genopole® campus.

INSERM Transfert Initiative and G1J Ile de France announce the closure of the first round of funding for locally based company DNA Therapeutics. The investment syndicate (led by INSERM Transfert Initiative and including G1J Ile de France, Blue Medical Investment and a group of international business angels) invests €800,000.

An international convention on "The Gene: an Evolving Concept
November 25, at the Genocentre in Evry As part of its 10th birthday celebrations, Genopole® organizes an international convention entitled “The Gene: an Evolving Concept”, in collaboration with campus companies and labs, French national research institutes and the University of Evry-Val-d’Essonne.

The “Genopole Success Stories” exhibition
at the Evry Genocentre from November 20, 2008, to June 20, 2009
The exhibition recounts the exceptional story of genetics research in Evry, from the early initiatives taken by the French Muscular Dystrophy Association (AFM), the progress made by the Genethon lab, success stories from the campus labs and companies and the biopark’s plans for the future.

NOVACYT, the Genopole®-based company specializing in the development and commercialization of innovative solutions in medical cytology, announces a €700,000 investment from the Aurinvest private equity fund.

XENTECH, a biotech company specializing in cancer drug efficacy screening, closes a €600,000 series A round of financing with the Aurinvest Capital 2 fund.
[+] Press release

DECEMBRE

The Science Alliance conference on “Best Practices in Science Based Incubators”.

On December 11 and 12, 2008, Paris hosts the 7th edition of this annual Science Alliance seminar which attracts company incubator managers from around the world. All aspects of company incubation are addressed: funding, real estate, technical facilities and, more generally, all types of business support services. In the previous edition in Seville, Genopole® and Science Alliance had signed an agreement on co-organization of the 2008 event in Paris, as part of Genopole®’s 10th birthday celebrations

Watchfrog moves into new premises on the Genopole® Evry biopark This innovative start-up offers industrial businesses an opportunity to more accurately predict the impact of a pharmaceutical or cosmetic substance on human health by offering them innovative solutions for detecting and screening a wide variety of chemicals.

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