Fresh off the press: |transkript 2/2024

|transkript, one of our German magazines, has been the leading industry publication for biotechnology and life sciences in German-speaking Europe since 1995. It covers current information, opinions, and background on business, research, and politics. In this issue:

Germany has not covered itself in glory when it comes to human genome sequencing. It joined HUGO too late and failed to establish a sustainable infrastructure. Its involvement in European sequencing projects came with delays, leaving neighbouring countries hundreds of thousands of genomes ahead. GenomDE is a new academic initiative, but doubts persist.

Topics:

Power-to-X with Biology
Electrochaea GmbH offers a technology to produce synthetic methane from archaea, which can replace fossil natural gas and be delivered via the existing gas network. A new partnership aims to further develop this technique.

A Belated Triumph
An ancient antibody developed by Wilex AG suddenly brings millions to its successor, Heidelberg Pharma.

|transkript Personal: Dr Ulrich Betz, Senior Vice President Innovation at Merck and Chairman of Future Insight e.V.

Roche Combines Gene Vectors
A gene therapy development centre is being established in Penzberg, balancing the planned Bayer and Charité Berlin centre.

Incentivising Innovation
An interview with Dr Frank Wissing, Secretary General of the Association of Medical Faculties in Germany, on accelerating clinical trials in the country.

Clinical Trial Hub Germany
After lengthy negotiations, study sponsors and clinical trial centres have agreed on standard contract clauses that properly recognise the inventions of investigator teams during clinical studies—a breakthrough for Germany as a trial hub.

Ministries Divided
Defence Minister Boris Pistorius plans to dissolve the Bundeswehr’s medical service as an independent organisational unit, sparking ongoing protests.

Straight Talk: Helmholtz Centre for Ageing Research – Now!

CRISPR: Animals Next
The push to liberalise the use of CRISPR in European plant breeding has failed, but the next application looms on the horizon. British company Genus Ltd is targeting virus-resistant pigs, while Germany focuses more on biomedical applications.

Lab-Grown Meat on the Mind
Survey results reveal consumer ambivalence towards lab-grown meat and fish alternatives.

Including:

• |transkript-Spezial: Biomanufacturing
• Laborwelt-Spezial: Analytica 2024
• Medtech-zwo: MedtecLIVE 2024
• Catalyser

Read issue 2/2024 of |transkript here.