Page 170 - CW E-Magazine (9-7-2024)

News from Abroad

BIOTECH ECOSYSTEM
Bayer and Berlin’s leading medicine university

setting up gene and cell therapies research centre

German pharma and crop protection
conglomerate, Bayer, and Charité-Uni-
versitätsmedizin Berlin – one of Europe’s
largest university medical centres,
have unveiled plans to set up for
‘Berlin Center for Gene and Cell
Therapies’.

The aim of the joint project is to
bring groundbreaking cell and gene
therapies (CGTs) to patients more
quickly while creating a leading bio-
tech ecosystem for innovative therapies
in Berlin. The project is being substan-
tially financed and supported by
Germany’s Federal Government as
well as the State of Berlin.
percent of this company, with Bayer science, industry and politics. This
By targeting diseases at the genetic owning the remaining 33 percent. institution will become the core of an
and cellular level, CGTs could offer entire organism of gene and cell-based
options to people for whom conventional The Berlin Center for Gene and Cell therapies”.
therapies have failed or where no effec- Therapies will bring together research,
tive treatment is currently available. development and the manufacturing of Prof. Dr. Karl Lauterbach, German
cell therapies and gene therapies in Minister of Health, added, “Targeted
The new centre, to be set up on the the heart of Berlin. Purposely embed- gene therapies, personalized cancer
Bayer campus at Berlin Nordhafen, ding it within the Berlin ecosystem, a vaccines and novel antibody-drug conju-
will seek to translate basic research into European capital with a large number gates, together with artificial intel-
benefits for patients faster. Construc- of biomedical and healthcare facilities, ligence, will open a new era in medi-
tion is planned to begin in 2025. The it is intended to become a creative and cine and entirely new prospects for pa-
centre will support start-ups bringing interactive hub for biotech innovations tients. These revolutionary treatment
their innovative approaches in the area in the area of CGT. Mr. Olaf Scholz, approaches place high demands on labo-
of cell therapies and gene therapies Federal Chancellor of Germany, said, ratories, hospitals and doctors. This
into clinical development. To achieve “With the kick-off of the new transla- joint project of Bayer and Charité is an
this, the centre will include a so-called tion centre, we are also celebrating a ideal partnership to learn together and
incubator with fully equipped labora- unique form of collaboration between make rapid progress.”
tory space and a production area certi-
fied according to the standards of good Chemours resumes titanium dioxide
manufacturing practice (GMP). These
early-stage companies will receive production at Mexican site
advice on regulatory requirements, clini-
cal trials, patent rights and business US-based Chemours has an- titanium dioxide (TiO ) manufac-
2
development. To operate the incubator, nounced that the Mexican govern- turing facility in Altamira, Mexico.
Bayer and Charité will establish a joint ment has lifted its prior water intake The company had announced a tem-
public-private, non-profit company with restrictions, enabling the company porary pause in production on May
limited liability. Charité will own 67 to resume normal operations at its 31, 2024.

170 Chemical Weekly July 9, 2024

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