newsdigest
March
In this section, biotechnologie.de has summarised a number of recent and relevant biotech news from the past month:
Gene sequence patent for high performance dairy cows confirmed +++ Micromet raises 70 million dollars on the capital market +++ Four life scientists awarded with 2010 Leibniz Award +++ Bacteria produce stable construction kit +++ Industry to allocate “No Genetic Engineering” label
Gene sequence patent for high performance dairy cows confirmed
A controversial patent for a gene sequence in the genome of dairy cows will remain valid for the foreseeable future. The European Patent Office (EPO) in Munich ruled against an objection made on 3 March to the “turbo cow” patent. Greenpeace, together with the Association of German Dairy Farmers (BDM), the German Small Farmers' Association, the SPD, Greens, the Freien Wahler (Free Voters) in Bavaria, and the Catholic aid organization Misereor, had demanded the revocation of the patent, claiming that such genetic modifications inflict suffering in the animals. The EPO ‘opposition division’ – a panel of three technical experts (patent examiners) and one lawyer – were not convinced by the critics’ arguments. The patent opponents now want to appeal the decision.
It cannot be possible to say that the animals do indeed suffer, but that the important fact is that more milk is produced, argued Robert Schnekenbühl, the lawyer for the patent opponents. The lawyer for the patent holder rejected the criticism, saying that there was no evidence for the suffering of such genetically modified animals. According to the patent office, the European patent EP 1330552 concerns DGAT1, a specific variation of the gene associated with increased milk production in cattle. Among other things, the corresponding gene-sequence itself as well as genetically modified animals whose genetic material have been complemented with this sequence are now protected as intellectual property. The patented invention does not apply to naturally occurring, non-transgenic animals, said the patent office. The patent was submitted to the EPA on the 31 October 2001 by Belgian and New Zealand biotechnologists, and granted on 24 January 2007. A legal tug of war also began last year for a biomarker for improved pork.
Micromet raises 70 million dollars on the capital market
Repeating their feat of 2009, the German-American developer antibodies Micromet has raised 70 dollars million on the capital market. The low market price last year meant that 14 million fresh shares had to be sold; this time just 10 million were sufficient, at a price of $7 per share. There were some illustrious names behind the follow-on funding: The underwriters were Goldman Sachs, Piper Jaffray, RBC Capital Markets, Needham, Roth Capital Partners, Ladenburg Thalmann and the Maxim Group. Micromet clearly had no trouble finding financial backers. The announcement was made on 9 March; the full volume was exhausted just two days later. Micromet’s broad appeal is the result of their own-developed BiTE antibodies. Many observers predict a bright future for the modified antibodies. As a result, the share price of the NASDAQ-listed company almost tripled last year.
The capital will, among other things, enable Micromet to drive forward the development of its flagship product, MT103. Blinatumomab is intended for use against a specific form of leukaemia (ALL), as well as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The first patients for pivotal tests against ALL are set to be recruited in mid-2010, CEO Christian Itin told investors on 10 February. MT103 targets the CD19 antigen, serving as a switch between the tumour cell and T-cells. Activation of these cells directs the patient's own immune system against the malignant cells. In contrast to conventional antibodies - the passive immune therapies – the so-called Bite-antibody provokes an active response from the immune system, making this new therapeutic approach hugely attractive. Micromet Inc. is essentially a German biotech company; all research activities are carried out in Munich. Following a merger with the listed company CancerVax Inc. and a subsequent change of name, the company made the leap to the NASDAQ technology stock market in early 2006, and moved the legal seat of the firm to the United States.
Four life scientists awarded with 2010 Leibniz Award
Four scientists from the life sciences were in Berlin on 15 March as winners of the highly regarded Leibniz Award. The research prize is now in its 25th year. Each of the ten scientists can look forward to € 2.5 million euros in funding. The funding will flow directly into research. This takes place “entirely without project applications, without reviewers, without a scientific advisory board, and without evaluation,” said Cornelia Quennet-Thielen, Federal Ministry of Research State Secretary at the award ceremony in Berlin. Ten proposals from a total of 170 were chosen by a committee at the German Research Foundation (DFG) in December 2009.
Four of these winners are from the life sciences, including the only woman in the current round, biophysicist Petra Schwille from the Technical University of Dresden. Her work has considerably driven forward both the development and the application of fluorescence spectroscopy (FCS) in the area of cell biology. Peter Fratzl from the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam is an internationally leading figure in modern biomaterials. His work is occupied with various issues of natural materials such as bones and plants, focusing above all on their mechanical properties. Christoph Klein from the Hanover Medical School is both a basic researcher and doctor. Using genetic analyses, Klein has identified a small number of genetic defects that cause severe and often fatal immune diseases. Stefan Treue from the German Primate Centre in Göttingen has been honoured for his work in the field of attention research. Treue researches in particular the principles of attention control, which are among the basic characteristics of higher brain functions.
Bacteria produce stable construction kit
Bacteria can do more than just degrade organic material: They also secrete substances that ensure the stability of sediments on the bottom of waterways. Sabine Gerbersdorf at the University of Stuttgart’s Institute of Hydraulic Engineering has discovered that bacteria excrete a polymer glue, giving them the role of builders in some situations. As the research facility announced in March, the bacteria discharge so-called extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that surround the microorganisms and have a variety of functions, for example docking the bacteria to other bodies, enriching it with nutrients, or providing protection from drying out or pollutants. Bacteria’s ability to attach themselves firmly to surfaces is much feared in fields such as dentistry and biotechnology. In sewage management and industry (as an additive for cosmetics, for example), the polymers’ binding properties are regarded as hugely beneficial. Gerbersdorf has demonstrated that, by excreting these polymers, bacteria improve the stability of sediments, a talent previously also attributed to microalgae
The scientist initially chose glass beads as a substrate for the bacteria. The result: a rise in the concentration of EPS significantly increased the stability of the substrate. In further studies, Gerbersdorf explored the interactions between EPS-producing microalgae and bacteria, and demonstrated that their coexistence led to more EPS overall and thus to improved bio-stabilisation only under specific environmental conditions, and depending on the species composition. The composition of the EPS is also crucial, consisting as it does of a variety of compounds such as sugars, proteins, uronic acids, humic acids, nucleic acids, fats, in all possible combinations. The Stuttgart-based scientist demonstrated that not only various sugars play a decisive role in the anchoring, as was previously assumed, but also proteins. Above all, the interactions between sugars and proteins are crucial for increasing sediment stability. The stability of waterway sediments is important for a number of reasons. In the 1970s, organic pollutants and heavy metals were discharged untreated into water bodies, where they eventually settled in the sediments. Since then, they have been highly polluted. The resuspension of sediments and their contaminants, for example as a result of flooding, is a major ecological and economic problem. Stable sediments can also resist hydraulic force for longer, which is particularly important for coastal protection.
Industry to allocate “No Genetic Engineering” label
The nationally standardised “No GM” label will in the future be assigned by the food industry. On 23 March in Berlin, 31 companies and associations founded a corresponding association that will take over the rights of use from the federal government. The founding members in the association include companies from a variety of sectors in the food chain - from producers to retailers. The “Association of Foods without Genetic Engineering” will award the “No Genetic Engineering” label, which was introduced to the public in August 2009 on the initiative of the Federal Minister for Consumer Protection Ilse Aigner.
“The association will be responsible for awarding and administrating the logo,” said Aigner. The introduction of the official seal has been slow to date. The founding of the association had dragged on for some time, meaning that the Ministry of Consumer Protection was responsible for the label. The now completed establishment of the association is hoped to result in a broader voluntary adoption of the label. The green diamond containing a three-leafed plant and the white inscription “Ohne Gentechnik” (No Genetic Engineering) is intended for products that are guaranteed to have been produced without any trace of genetic engineering. Ingredients from genetically modified plants are not allowed in foodstuffs, as well as accidental or technically unavoidable admixtures of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The seal is intended to fill a gap in the current labelling system. To date, food manufacturers have only had to specific when GM ingredients are present in their products. Animal products, such as milk from cows or eggs from hens receiving GM feed, do not fall under these regulations.
The voluntary “No GM” label will give industry an opportunity to provide clarity for consumers in this grey area. Many consumer protection groups are pushing for a mandatory reference to the use of genetic engineering, although this has been blocked by the EU. Aigner has given assurances that the government would be making demands in Brussels for a “positive identification” system. In the meantime, the “negative” marking scheme will apply at a national level. The label will give consumers the opportunity to specifically opt for GM-free food, said the Minister. The SPD parliamentary group also welcomed the initiative, although the FDP was more critical. “It will be a gross deception if citizens are persuaded by such a label that gene technology can be dispensed with entirely,” said FDP nutrition expert Christel Happach-Kazan.
