Two years after an international collaborative agreement was signed with the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC – Boston, USA), BioWin, The Health Cluster of Wallonia (Belgium), is celebrating a new partnership between the Walloon biotech company, Delphi Genetics and the American company Avaxia, as part of the UP programme (Universal Partnerships Program Grant). Yet another success story for the cluster, which continues to build on its momentum and is delighted to announce the consolidation of its collaboration with the MLSC in 2015.
The latest brainchild of the MLSC, the UP programme (launched in 2014) fits in perfectly with Massachusetts’s strategy to promote, among other things, collaboration and interaction between American and international SMEs involved in Life Sciences to complete the final steps in bringing products to market. Since its involvement in the International Collaborative Industry Programme (ICIP) in 2013, BioWin has been part of this new initiative, thus offering Delphi Genetics the opportunity to consolidate its international position.
Out of six projects submitted within the context of the UP programme, only two have been selected so far, including the one put forward by Delphi Genetics and its partner, Avaxia. Based in Gosselies (Belgium), Delphi Genetics is a biotech company specialising in the development and production of biomolecules (antibodies, proteins and DNA). Avaxia is an SME based in Lexington (Massachusetts, USA), specialising in the development of therapeutic antibodies designed to treat inflammatory bowel conditions such as Crohn’s disease. Thanks to its proprietary technology (Staby®), which is used for the high-yield production of proteins and DNA, Delphi Genetics will help Avaxia step things up a gear and launch phases II and III of their clinical studies. It is worth pointing out that the proprietary technology developed by Delphi Genetics was initially a result of the DNAVac project, a BioWin Research and Development project, the aim of which was to develop and produce DNA vaccines without antibiotics.
“The special relationship and extensive interaction between the cluster and the MLSC have had a very positive impact on the project development. We met Avaxia in September 2014, the project was planned in December 2014 and approved at the beginning of 2015. It happened very quickly!” explains Cédric Szpirer, CEO of Delphi Genetics.
“The added-value of BioWin also lies in its understanding of the post-project technical development process. We set high expectations for Delphi Genetics to make sure they could get the most out of this opportunity. This paid off, as the project was selected and even garnered a special mention from the MLSC who has once again recognised Wallonia’s biotech excellence”, clarifies Sylvie Ponchaut, BioWin’s Managing Director.
BioWin has no intention of stopping there, and has already announced that Wallonia will be taking part in the third ICIP, which will begin in 2015, as a partner region.
Source: BioWin
