NanoPrecMed - Nanobioparticles for precision medicine

The main objective of the project is to lay the foundations for the formation of a new biotech/biopharma industry sector in the participating regions which will be essential to improve the innovative capacity and future economic development of the regions. The biotech/biopharma industry sector is highly under-represented. This is extraordinary considering two facts:

1. Biotech/biopharma industry sector is one of the highest added value industry sectors globally
2. All regions possess leading life science universities and research institutes

The implication of these two facts is that these universities and research institutes are not in any way properly organized and committed to innovation, spin-off company formation, and the creation/development of industry specific human capital. The participating regions cannot afford to be without a growing biotech/biopharma industry sector if these regions expect to grow in economy, health and general prosperity going forward.

Fortunately, the participating regions have a critical mass of university/research institute activities in the innovative field of nanobioparticles (NBPs). NBPs act as targeted carriers for drugs or other therapeutic (e.g. vaccines). Our consortium includes six universities and research institutions working in the NBP field within the four AT-CZ regions. These have orthogonal resources (know-how and infrastructure) for sharing (knowledge transfer, exchange of people) in the field of NBPs. We expect to achieve the following:

1. Establish a NanoPrecMed consortium for training students, young researchers, industrial scientists, future academic staff
2. Generate intellectual property to set up potentially new, regional biotech/biopharma SMEs
3. howcase collaborations between NanoPrecMed and SMEs to co-create new NBP-based advanced therapeutic and diagnostic products with global market prospects
i) mRNA-NBP-based vaccine against tick-borne encephalitis
ii) NBP for the RNA treatment of hepatitis B virus infections
iii) Surface modification of extracellular vesicles for selective uptake of cancer cells
4. Establish an association to promote NanoPrecMed actions/activities longer term

NanoPrecMed will kick-start the creation of a biotech/biopharma industry sector in the participating regions with global market prospects. Regional short-term benefits: economic boost in the biotech/biopharma industry sector; medium and longer-term: attract other medium to large biotech/biopharma industry sector players.

Innovation:
In creating the NanoPrecMed consortium, a key component of activity will be the training of industrial scientists through research collaborations. New academic-industrial partnerships will be formed with SMEs focused on the design and creation of advanced therapeutics and diagnostics for immediate commercial development. NanoPrecMed consortium members will also be empowered and enabled to promote the creation of their own intellectual property and the filing of patent applications, leading to the potential creation of their own biotech/biopharma spinout companies too. The consortium members will be linked directly with an interregional, emerging biotech/biopharma industry which is important for technology transfer, innovation and economic growth in these regions. A newly formed association will serve as a biotech- think tank in the regions.

Results and beneficiaries:
The stakeholders for our NanoPrecMed consortium project are consortium members, students, postdoctoral researchers, and early career investigators. In addition, other stakeholders will be spinout companies and existing SMEs who can be future employers. In addition, other stakeholders are regional and international investors.

Consortium members will develop closer relationships for education, training, sharing of key equipment resources, and empowerment of early career investigators to develop multidisciplinary research careers.

Through the training of industrial scientists and research collaborations, new academic-industrial partnerships will be formed with SMEs focused on the design and creation of therapeutics and diagnostics. NanoPrecMed consortium members will also be empowered: new intellectual property, patent applications; own biotech/biopharma companies. Job creation for trained students, postdoctoral researchers, absolvents of regional life science universities/research institutes, and financial and managerial support staff.

The creation of new spinout companies and support for existing SMEs will also stimulate investment in the participating regions from regional and international investors. Investors will encourage the creation of clinical research organizations (CROs) to partner with the emerging biotech/biopharma industry sector. CROs for cGMP manufacture, non-clinical ADME/toxicology studies, and even clinical trial management will be required to support this emerging biotech/biopharma industry sector.