Innovation Prize of the AK BioRegio
Berlin, 17.04.2024
As part of this year's German Biotechnology Days (DBT) in Berlin, the Innovation Award of the BioRegions was presented again on 16.04.2024.
With the Innovation Prize, the Working Group of Germany's BioRegions honors innovative patents in modern biotechnology, bioeconomics or medical technology related to biotechnology. For 17 years, the prize has successfully supported researchers in making their patented ideas visible and subsequently implementing them in marketable products and founding their own companies.
The six finalists presented their research projects to an international audience of experts, potential investors and the trade press. The winners, chosen by a jury of experts, were then announced. The three equal prizes, each worth €2000, went to researchers from Duisburg/Essen, Berlin/Schiffweiler (Saarland) and Würzburg.
One of the three winners is the team led by Prof. Dr. Bernd Giebel from the University of Essen/Duisburg and the startup Exosla, which was honored for its project “Extracellular Vesicles: Cell-free stem cell therapy 2.0”. The underlying patent describes the immortalization of primary mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) using a novel method, thus creating the basis for making this highly potent therapeutic approach usable for widespread application for the first time.
Another of the 2024 winners is the project “Bifunctional Peptides for Combating Pathogens” by the team led by Dr. Anja Himmelstein and Dr. Marius Hittinger from Freie Universität Berlin and the startup MucosaTec. The patent covers novel bifunctional peptides that enable a flexible and cost-efficient method for combating viral infections. The peptides bind to both the pathogen and the body's mucous membranes, thus immobilizing the microbes.
The third prize went to the “FungiMAB” project of the team around PD Dr. med. Niklas Beyersdorf and Dr. Daniela Langenhorst and from the University of Würzburg. The patent describes novel monoclonal antibodies that specifically target immune evasion proteins of fungal pathogens. This overrides their inherent function of deceiving the immune system. This platform technology thus creates completely new approaches for the therapy of fungal infections.
The laudatory speeches for the respective award winners were again given by the prize money sponsors. This year they were Dr. Christine Schreiber from Springer Nature, Dr. Florian Rückerl from Dehmel-Bettenhausen Patentanwälte and Dr. Angelika Vlachou from High-Tech Gründerfonds.
In addition, the finalists again had the opportunity to win another award – the 2024 Audience Award. Via online voting, the audience was able to vote for their favorite project after the presentations. The audience winner was Dr. Uwe Freudenberg from Dresden with his project “Polymer materials for the healing of inflammatory diseases”.
The other finalists were Dr. Andreas Schneider and Dr. Benjamin Aberle from Stuttgart with their project “New to nature – production of terpenes from cyclases” and Dr. Nikolai Jaschke from Dresden with the topic “CBP/p300 HAT inhibition for the treatment of neutropenic fever”. Dr. Julia Behnke, who won the 2019 Innovation Award and reported on her further career path since then, also provided an exciting impulse.
Dr. Cathrin Dierkes and André van Hall from the organizing BioRegions BioIndustry and BioCologne moderated the award ceremony. “We are delighted that, with the Working Group of the BioRegions, we can once again help to provide a platform for innovative cutting-edge research from Germany, thereby increasing its visibility,” said Cathrin Dierkes enthusiastically. André van Hall adds: “Fortunately, the basis of German biotechnology remains excellent. The task at hand is to consistently develop the framework conditions for the sustainable success of biotechnology.”
About the Innovation Award
The Innovation Award of the German BioRegions is an initiative of the Working Group of the German BioRegions. Every year, the Working Group awards prizes to the three most innovative (patented) research ideas in the life sciences. In this way, the Innovation Award of the German BioRegions promotes the transfer between science and industry and strengthens public interest in biotechnological research.
Further information: www.innovationspreis-der-bioregionen.de
About the German BioRegions Working Group
The German BioRegions Working Group is a voluntary association of the German BioRegions and has its office at BIO Deutschland in Berlin. The 31 members deal with topics such as financing, start-ups and technology transfer, as well as the public image of the German biotechnology industry. Since 2007, the AK BioRegio has been awarding the annual Innovation Award of the German BioRegions, a nationwide competition for application-oriented ideas from universities, and, together with BIO Deutschland, organizes the German Biotechnology Days.
Further information: www.biodeutschland.org/de/ak-bioregio.html
The 2024 German BioRegions Innovation Award was sponsored by long-standing partners Springer-Verlag, the law firm Dehmel & Bettenhausen and High-Tech Gründerfonds, and organized jointly by BioIndustry and BioCologne.
Press contact for the German BioRegions Working Group:
German BioRegions Working Group
c/o BIO Deutschland e. V.
Schützenstraße 6a
10117 Berlin
Email: info@ak-bioregio.org
Web: www.ak-bioregio.org