Guest lecture: Cell-based regenerative therapies: EV or not EV (Prof. Dirk Strunk, Cell Therapy Institute, Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg
27. Mai 2025 @ 11:00 - 12:00 CEST
Dear colleagues,
Prof. Dirk Strunk from the Cell Therapy Institute at the Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria, and Director R&D at the Austrian Red Cross Research, will give a guest lecture at Fraunhofer IZI. You are very welcome to join the event. He will speak about:
LeapUp GmbH (formerly biosaxony Management GmbH) empowers founders, startups, and SMEs in the life sciences to take significant steps towards innovation, market entry, commercialization, and growth.
Their mission is to support scientists, companies and startups in the field of life sciences to transform their innovative ideas into scalable business models. Through their projects and world-class services, they help to bridge the gap between idea and realization.
Their portfolio includes acceleration and development services for life science projects, regulatory support, training programs, and events through our in-house academy, as well as the provision of state-of-the-art co-working labs in Leipzig. They are actively expanding their international presence and service, including investor relations and funding opportunities.
Their focus areas include diagnostics, cell and gene therapy, radiopharmacy, smart medical devices, robotics and AI, digital health, and phage therapy.
hVIVO is a full-service early phase CRO offering end-to-end drug development services from preclinical consultancy through to Phase III clinical trials, including world leading end-to-end human challenge trials services. With decades of experience in rapidly delivering data for our global client base, our team brings together strategic insight and operational expertise to deliver a variety of clinical study types across multiple locations.
To support rapid study start-up and reliable delivery, our dedicated recruitment teams in Germany and the UK provide direct access to both healthy volunteers and patient populations. This is complemented by our integrated drug development consultancy as well as our infectious disease and immunology laboratories and biobanking services.
Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH
Saxony Trade & Invest Corporation (Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH, WFS) is a state-owned economic development agency of the Free State of Saxony whose mission is to strengthen the region’s business and research environment. With more than 30 years of experience, the organization seeks to promote Saxony’s economy and support its stakeholders.
WFS acts on behalf of the state government, with its supervisory board chaired by the Saxony State Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy and Climate Protection.
The agency works in three specialist domains:
Foreign Trade & Fairs: supporting Saxon companies in connecting with international partners—customers, suppliers, or investors.
Investor Services: assisting both domestic and foreign firms in establishing operations in Saxony or expanding existing ones.
Industry, Innovation & Marketing: helping entrepreneurs and researchers focused on future technologies to find partners, develop projects, and access resources; also responsible for globally promoting Saxony as a business location.
WFS offers a full suite of services: facilitating market entry, helping with company foundations or expansions, fostering networks between business and research, enabling cross-regional cooperation, and marketing the Saxony location internationally.
While based in Dresden, its remit extends across the entire state and beyond, aiming to support both local projects and international investment. The organization positions itself as a partner for companies, researchers, and investors with ideas, and offers tailored assistance for projects of all sizes.
At Twist Bioscience, they work in service of customers who are changing the world for the better. In fields such as medicine, agriculture and industrial chemicals, by using their synthetic DNA tools, their customers are developing ways to better lives and improve the sustainability of the planet. The faster their customers succeed, the better for all of us, and Twist Bioscience is uniquely positioned to help accelerate their efforts.
Their innovative silicon-based DNA Synthesis Platform provides precision at a scale that is otherwise unavailable to their customers. Their platform technologies overcome inefficiencies and enable cost-effective, rapid, precise, high-throughput synthesis, sequencing and therapeutics discovery, providing both the quality and quantity of the tools they need to most rapidly realize the opportunity ahead. For more information about their products and services, please visit www.twistbioscience.com.
The future of CGT Leiden
On April 24, therapy developers from across the Cell and Gene Therapy space will meet in Leiden to share tools, cases, and hard-won lessons. Instead of lecture-like sessions, you can expect sharp discussions, hands-on workshops, and practical insights to help you develop better therapies, faster.
Whether you’re a biotech founder, platform innovator, investor, or clinician, this is your chance to connect, learn, and move the field forward, together.
In CGT, success isn’t just about innovation. It’s about building the right company around it. What to expect:
Case studies from real CGT projects, with lessons you can apply
Breakouts for biotech, manufacturing, regulatory, and clinical tracks
Workshops designed to build practical skills, not just spark ideas
A partnering setting that encourages honest conversations and new partnerships
A full-day program, all in one location, minutes from Leiden Central
QIAGEN is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions to transform biological materials into valuable molecular insights. Their mission is to make improvements in life possible by enabling their customers to achieve outstanding success and breakthroughs in life sciences research, applied testing, pharma and molecular diagnostics. Further information can be found here.
FamiCord AG
FamiCord is Europe’s first and leading stem cell bank, trusted for decades and recognized for its strong clinical track record. We specialize in preserving perinatal cells and tissues and provide families across many countries with high‑quality, secure, and future‑oriented solutions. In Germany, Vita 34 in Leipzig has been FamiCord’s established market presence for 29 years. In addition to private customer services, FamiCord offers comprehensive services for business partners: We support third‑party companies with reliable and secure processing, testing, and long‑term storage of umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta tissue. With an extensive partner network across Europe, Asia, and Africa, we offer strong international coverage. We also provide specialized services for biotech companies and clinics and collaborate with academic institutions to advance regenerative medicine and biotechnology. Here Bramble Bio – a FamiCord company, supports pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, hospitals, and academic institutions in developing and manufacturing innovative cell therapies. Services include process development for efficient and safe production workflows and cGMP‑compliant manufacturing to meet the highest clinical quality and safety standards.
You can view FamiCord’s image film below or by clicking here.
Sino Biological – Driving Discovery, Delivering Life-Changing Biotech Innovations
About Sino Biological
Sino Biological is a global leader in producing high-quality recombinant proteins, antibodies, and cDNA clones for life sciences, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries. With 15+ years of experience, we provide integrated solutions from research and development to full-scale manufacturing to accelerate scientific discovery and drug development.
Our Mission
Advance life science research and improve human health by delivering superior research reagents and contract research organization (CRO) services.
Core Competencies
– Recombinant Protein & Antibody Production: Custom research reagents supporting academic, biotech, and pharma innovation.
– Pre-Clinical Production & CRO: Services supporting hundreds of monoclonal antibody drug candidates.
– Bioprocess Center (USA): GMP-compliant facility specializing in low endotoxin production, high purity proteins, protein interaction analysis, tag removal, buffer screening, and glycosylation studies.
Innovation & Technology
Cutting-edge R&D platforms combined with scalable manufacturing ensure high-throughput, efficient production. Quality control includes biochemical, enzymatic, cellular, molecular, virological, and immunological assays.
Strategic Acquisition
In 2024, acquired SignalChem Biotech Inc., expanding our enzyme portfolio with the world’s largest active kinase catalog and enhanced enzyme assay development services.
Our People & Facilities
– 900+ staff, including 230+ with advanced degrees
– 279,800 sq ft lab/office space
– 75,000 sq ft GMP manufacturing facility
– Global presence: Beijing HQ, subsidiaries in the US, Europe, Japan, and a worldwide distributor network
Clients
Serving academic institutions, biotech startups, and leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
Sino Biological – Driving Discovery, Delivering Life-Changing Biotech Innovations
Check out Sino Biological’s image film by watching the video below or by clicking here
BioVaria
BioVaria targets technology scouts, business developers and investors highlighting commercially attractive licensing opportunities and promising
start‑ups from across Europe. This unique event brings together Europe‘s leading tech transfer professionals, innovators from academia and start-ups with investors and representatives of
the global biotech and pharma industry.
• Scientists, technology transfer professionals, investors and industry scouts
• European technology transfer organizations presenting commercially
attractive licensable technologies and partnership opportunities
• Startup Pitch & Partner featuring some of Europe’s most promising
start‑ups
• Face-to-face discussions with investors and inventors.
BioVaria is Europe’s leading event for innovation in the life sciences. Organized by Ascenion and other European technology transfer companies, it brings together potential licensees and investors from the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries with scientists, founders and technology transfer experts from all over Europe. On April 27 & 28, 2026, first-class research institutions, universities and university hospitals will present around 70 selected, licensable life science technologies. This year again, projects in early stages of
development will also be presented, including projects from Ascenion’s Life Science Digital Hub, which is funded by GO-Bio initial.
The Startup Pitch & Partner programme at BioVaria has been a special highlight for years: start-ups selected by a jury are given the opportunity to present their projects to international and regional investors and win prize money. Interested start-ups can apply for Startup Pitch & Partner until February 15, 2026.
Register now for BioVaria 2026!
More information at www.biovaria.org
Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH
Saxony Trade & Invest Corporation (Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH, WFS) is a state-owned economic development agency of the Free State of Saxony whose mission is to strengthen the region’s business and research environment. With more than 30 years of experience, the organization seeks to promote Saxony’s economy and support its stakeholders.
WFS acts on behalf of the state government, with its supervisory board chaired by the Saxony State Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor, Energy and Climate Protection.
The agency works in three specialist domains:
Foreign Trade & Fairs: supporting Saxon companies in connecting with international partners—customers, suppliers, or investors.
Investor Services: assisting both domestic and foreign firms in establishing operations in Saxony or expanding existing ones.
Industry, Innovation & Marketing: helping entrepreneurs and researchers focused on future technologies to find partners, develop projects, and access resources; also responsible for globally promoting Saxony as a business location.
WFS offers a full suite of services: facilitating market entry, helping with company foundations or expansions, fostering networks between business and research, enabling cross-regional cooperation, and marketing the Saxony location internationally.
While based in Dresden, its remit extends across the entire state and beyond, aiming to support both local projects and international investment. The organization positions itself as a partner for companies, researchers, and investors with ideas, and offers tailored assistance for projects of all sizes.
As part of Germany’s Clusters4Future initiative, PROXIDRUGS is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space since October 2021. The cluster focuses on developing new treatments for diseases with high unmet medical needs by utilizing the new concept of targeted protein degradation. Proximity-inducing drugs can trigger the degradation of disease-relevant proteins in a highly specific manner by directing them towards the cellular recycling system. That will open up new therapeutic options in a broad spectrum of diseases. It is assumed that 80% of proteins that are so far deemed as undruggable may be targeted by this strategy.
PROXIDRUGS aims at improving this novel class of drugs in multiple ways: the strategy comprises the identification of suitable functional subunits for molecule engineering; the directed optimization of pharmacological properties; and the transfer to clinical phases. In line with this, the cluster interlinks currently 22 partners from academia and industry, covering the entire value chain from basic to translational research.
The National Network Office GCT Germany was established as part of the National Strategy for Gene and Cell-Based Therapies (GCT). The office is based at the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) and operates independently in accordance with the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Our mission is to build a national GCT community through independent information and networking, ensuring the inclusion of all stakeholder groups. Our stakeholders include representatives from science, industry, politics, and society, as well as authorities, foundations, and patient organizations.
We are consolidating and sharing knowledge: The GCT-Atlas serves as the central information platform and matchmaking hub, providing easy access to clinics, research networks and more. With GeneNovate, the first national entrepreneurship program in GCT, we provide the fundamentals of entrepreneurship, supporting researchers and physicians. Our growing community-based media portfolio includes the GCT newsletter, our LinkedIn channel and the upcoming media library.
biosaxony e.V. is the association of the biotechnology, medical technology and health economy sector in the region of Saxony. The members represent the various companies, research institutes and lobbyists working in biotechnology, medtech and the related areas of engineering and material sciences in Saxony. The cluster unites the different sectors of biotechnology and medical technology, identifies the needs of its members, and represents their interests at home and abroad.
biosaxony’s responsibilities include initiating projects between industry and research, pinpointing services and know-how, harnessing synergies, and highlighting regional expertise. Other elements of our cluster work include developing new ideas and strategies as well promoting sustainable technology transfer. The association’s office is in Dresden.
BioM has been the network organization of the biotechnology industry in Munich and Bavaria for over 25 years and operates as a non-profit organization on behalf of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs. BioM fosters a distinctive ecosystem in medical biotechnology, serving as a catalyst for innovation, growth and value creation. It interconnects stakeholders across Bavaria and identifies significant and sustainable trends.
In addition to providing tailored guidance for founders, we support selected Bavarian start-up teams from the life sciences and healthtech sectors with our incubator MAxL (Munich Accelerator Life Sciences & Medicine). MAxL offers high-end infrastructure, a structured incubation and coaching program as well as access to the extensive BioM network.
Moreover, BioM has been coordinating the m4 Award pre-seed competition in the field of biomedicine since 2011, which is funded by the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs with a total of 2.5 million euros. To date, BioM has supported more than 250 start-ups. Besides organizing prominent events and network meetings, BioM offers a diverse range of training courses specifically tailored to meet the needs of stakeholders within the Bavarian Biotech Community.
BioRN is the science and industry innovation cluster in the Rhine-Neckar region around Heidelberg, one of Germany’s strongest biotech and life science hubs. It is a non-profit network fostering health innovations and serving its members by creating a rich translational ecosystem as well as promoting, representing and connecting the regional innovation stakeholders.
The bioRN Life Science Cluster establishes initiatives to bridge the regional innovation stakeholders and to nurture and extend connections between members. It also fosters connections to other regions of innovation worldwide and stands for the promotion and visibility of the life science region at the national and international level.
The cluster acts as a neutral player, supporting cross-organizational programs and initiatives that advance the life science region as a whole. At the interface between academia and industry, bioRN provides translation support, especially by leveraging the unique combination of global pharma and leading academic institutions in the region.
LSX Leaders | London 2025 – SaxoCell at the Forefront of Life Sciences Innovation
LSX Leaders | London 2025 – SaxoCell at the Forefront of Life Sciences Innovation
Our transfer representative, Alexander Funkner, represented SaxoCell at the LSX Leaders Forum in London from April 28–30, 2025—one of Europe’s premier platforms for innovation, investment, and collaboration in the life sciences sector.
Under the motto “Accelerating European Life Sciences,” the forum brought together decision-makers, investors, and industry pioneers to explore emerging trends, pressing challenges, and the future of health innovation.
For SaxoCell, the conference provided valuable insights into:
Strategic development of advanced cell and gene therapies
Effective transfer models for research and start-ups
New impulses for international partnerships and investments
A special highlight was the CEO Forum Day on April 28, which offered an exclusive environment for high-level exchange—an ideal platform to advance SaxoCell’s vision for a sustainable innovation and transfer culture.
Alongside compelling panels and keynotes, the forum also offered a chance for joyful reunions: Alexander reconnected with familiar faces from Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen, leap up, and Apollo Health Ventures—a strong testament to Saxony’s dynamic presence and growing influence in the international life sciences arena.
SaxoCell Vor-Ort-Begehung
Am CRTD in Dresden war eine Expertenjury zu Gast, die unser Konzept zur Entwicklung innovativer Zell- und Gentherapien eingehend geprüft und bewertet hat.
Die Begutachtung durch das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung und den Projektträger Jülich ist ein entscheidender Schritt in der Weiterentwicklung von SaxoCell. Eine positive Bewertung wäre nicht nur eine Bestätigung der wissenschaftlichen Exzellenz und Innovationskraft unseres Clusters, sondern würde auch den Weg für die nächste Phase der Förderung und Umsetzung ebnen.
Unser Team, bestehend aus erfahrenen Wissenschaftler:innn, Nachwuchskräften, Ärzt:innen und Industriepartnern, hat mit großem Engagement und Leidenschaft dafür gearbeitet, unser Cluster zu repräsentieren. Wir hatten großartige Projektpitches! Unsere PIs standen den Gutachtern Rede und Antwort! Hervorragende Poster verdeutlichten die Ziele und Potentiale unserer Projekte!
Wir bedanken uns bei allen Beteiligten für ihre harte Arbeit und ihre Unterstützung und blicken mit Zuversicht und Optimismus nach vorn. Gemeinsam hoffen wir auf eine positive Bewertung, die uns einen weiteren Schritt in Richtung eines Zell- und Gentherapie Leuchtturms in Sachsen bringt.
