The consortia are joining forces to accelerate research, development and innovation in the area of ATMP’s and biopharmaceuticals
Utrecht (the Netherlands), October 10th, 2024. Following a joint statement earlier this month, three National Growth Fund-supported initiatives – RegMed XB, Biotech Booster and Oncode Accelerator, gathered at their joint office space in Utrecht to sign a cooperation agreement. Although the consortia have been working together for a while, this agreement marks the official start of their collaboration within, but certainly not limited to, the areas of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP’s) and biopharmaceuticals. More collaboration agreements with key partners, such as NXTGEN Hightech, will follow soon.
All initiatives are part of the Dutch National Growth Fund’s healthcare cluster, and share the ultimate goal of leveraging biotechnology findings to create societal impact, such as bringing new therapeutics to patients faster and providing novel treatments for a spectrum of diseases ranging from cancer to autoimmune diseases.
The collaboration is rooted in a shared vision of fostering innovation and improving human health and will take form in various ways including knowledge exchange, strengthening their shared network, and joint research and development projects. Other examples of how the three consortia will actively collaborate are joint scouting activities, exploring opportunities to share funding resources and developing joint educational activities or training programs aimed at cultivating the next generation of scientists, entrepreneurs, and professionals in biotechnology, oncology and regenerative medicine.
RegMed XB has the goal to cure chronic diseases and to establish a competitive and sustainable regenerative medicine (RM) industry. It is a public-2-private partnership in the Netherlands and Flanders focused on advancing the new field of RM and translate this into accessible and affordable solutions for patients with chronic diseases.The RegMed XB Pilot Factory is one of the largest international infrastructures for regenerative medicine. RegMed XB bring together academic institutions, industry, Health Foundations and (national and regional) governments to develop innovative regenerative therapies aimed at curing chronic diseases by repairing or replacing damaged tissues and organs.
Bernard Mulder, CEO of RegMed XB, adds,
“By mirroring good manufacturing practices early in research and development, integrating diverse technologies, and leveraging expertise from gene editing to regulatory affairs, we can accelerate the development of advanced therapies and improve early access to future cell therapies for patients.”
Oncode Accelerator is a public-private partnership funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund that aims to collaboratively optimize and accelerate the development of new cancer therapies for the benefit of patients of all ages. Envisioning a world where cancer patients have access to personalized treatments developed by innovative and integrated R&D ecosystems, the Oncode Accelerator Program actively leverages their Innovation Platforms – well-defined patient cohorts, organoid models, and artificial intelligence – to accelerate and de-risk preclinical drug discovery and therapy development. Oncode Accelerator’s preclinical drug discovery pipelines, known as Workstreams, focus on the four most prominent types of cancer therapies: small molecules, biologics, cell and gene therapy, and therapeutic vaccines.
Friso Smit, COO of Oncode Accelerator, explains:
“Sharing knowledge and expertise across NGF-funded initiatives is essential. It’s clear that our goals are aligned. The deep scientific expertise and top infrastructure of RegMed XB, the commercial know-how of Biotech Booster, and the innovative and integrated R&D efforts of Oncode Accelerator are a winning combination.”
Biotech Booster will be a key collaborator to bring innovative medicines developed within the consortia to market as quickly as possible. The program offers mentorship, financial support, business and technical expert advice and networking opportunities, to guide founders from the idea stage to developing an investable and commercial proposition.
Nettie Buitelaar, CEO of Biotech Booster, states,
“We highly believe that bringing biotech findings to the market to realise societal impact should be the ultimate goal of any researcher. We aim to help them do so as fast as possbile by bringing together the academic world and the sector at a very early stage. By joining forces with RegMed XB and Oncode Accelerator we aim to maximise our collective societal and economic impact for patients and society.”
Main contact:
Kartika Sidabutar,
Communication officer
Kartika.sidabutar@biotechbooster.nl
About RegMedXB
RegMed XB stands for Regenerative Medicine Crossing Borders. RegMed XB is a public-private partnership dedicated to bringing regenerative medicine solutions to patients and creating a new industrial sector in the participating regions. RegMed XB brings together leading scientists at Dutch and Belgian universities and institutes and a range of companies in so-called “Moonshots”: long-term visions of breakthroughs for patients, translated into research roadmaps with specific short-term milestones. Each is championed by a Health Foundation and their related patient organizations, putting patient impact at the heart of RegMed XB.
Website: https://regmedxb.com
About Biotech Booster
Biotech Booster is a national program funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund that supports the commercialization of biotechnology findings in The Netherlands. Biotech Booster offers financial support, mentorship and networking opportunities to guide scientists and entrepreneurs from the idea stage to an investable or commercial proposition. The goal is to make sure that the benefits of biotechnology will have more and faster impact on society. Moreover, Biotech Booster facilitates close collaborations between public and private partners in the biotechnology sector and established five Thematic Clusters following biotechnological focus areas: White: Industrial Biotechnology & Production (TC 1); Green: AgroFood biotechnology (TC 2); Red: human health, diagnostics, therapeutics (TC 3, 4 & 5).
Website: https://biotechbooster.nl
About Oncode Accelerator
Oncode Accelerator is a public-private partnership funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund that brings together six key coordinating partners: Leiden University, Leiden University Medical Center, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Princess Máxima Center, UMC Utrecht, and the Oncode Accelerator Foundation. Oncode Accelerator partners believe that preclinical drug discovery and therapy development can be significantly accelerated and de-risked by leveraging an innovative combination of well-defined patient cohorts, organoid models, and artificial intelligence platforms. Oncode Accelerator preclinical drug discovery pipelines, known as workstreams, focus on the four most prominent types of cancer therapies: small molecules; biologics; cell and gene therapy; and therapeutic vaccines. Through “Demonstrator Projects”, program partners gain access to our unique cancer research network and infrastructure – streamlining their collaboration with world-class research institutes and industry. New partners with potential leads for drug candidates are encouraged to apply.
Website: https://www.oncodeaccelerator.nl
