BioIndustry Initiative

USG-Sponsored Delegation Adds International Facet to the American Biological Safety Association’s Annual Meeting in Boston

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:38:50 +0000

U.S. Government (USG) agencies sponsored the participation of over forty leading international scientists in the American Biological Safety Association”s (ABSA) Annual Meeting in Boston, from 11 -18 October 2006. U.S. Government sponsors included: the Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP), the BioIndustry Initiative (BII), and the Bio-Chem Redirect (BCR), run out of the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation”s Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (ISN/CTR) of the U.S. Department of State, along with the Departments of Defense and Energy. The international delegation comprised of scientists from fifteen countries, including the Russian Federation, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Indonesia, Philippines, Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Pakistan and India. The key USG goal of increased global awareness of laboratory biosafety and biosecurity issues was achieved through this conference.

Highlights of the Meeting:

Scientists attended multiple pre-conference courses in the areas of biosafety and biosecurity, such as Fundamentals of Biosafety, Responding to Emergencies in Biological Laboratories, Overview of Laboratory Biosecurity Principles, BSL-3 Operations: From Program Development to Implementation, Advanced Disinfection, etc.
During the conference, the delegation benefited from oral and poster presentations from experts in the field, and held useful discussions with leading U.S. and international biosafety professionals. The Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) booth at the Exhibition served as a hub for the international delegation.
Delegates were introduced to novel technologies in laboratory biosafety and biosecurity through the Exhibition component of the conference.
Dr. Robert Hawley, the current President of ABSA, chaired a special session for the international delegation to introduce ABSA, promote international membership, and catalyze the formation of new international affiliates.
Members of the USG-sponsored international delegation were in agreement on the urgent need for greater awareness and promotion of laboratory biosafety and biosecurity practices, both in their home countries and worldwide.

ABSA Preconference training materials (For conference attendees only)

BII’s TEMPO program makes commercialization a reality for innovators

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:37:36 +0000

The Biotechnology Entrepreneurial Competition goal was to stimulate interaction between Russian investors and TEMPO member institutes engaged in developing innovative ideas in biotechnology and biomedicine. To accomplish this goal, TEMPO held a series of educational roundtables and training for the approximately 50 research teams participating. The competition received extensive press coverage throughout Russia, attracting reporters from pharmaceutical and medicine media outlets, news agencies, and television, and it raised awareness in the domestic investment community about the prospects of biotechnology.

On May 19, 2006, BII awarded two grants totaling $50,000 to the first and second place winners: Sergey Antonov from the Research Institute of Highly Pure Biopreparations, and Larisa Shichkina at SRC VB Vector. Biochimmash Institute of Applied Biochemistry and Machine Building used its business plan on taxol production developed under the competition to attract investment for phase one development from the Republic of Ideas firm. Biochimmash is now in the process of securing that investment.

As a result of the competition, TEMPO is considering establishing a partnership with the Moscow Municipal Government Center of Innovation and High-tech to provide TEMPO researchers alternate avenues for attracting domestic funding for project commercialization. Through such partnerships and through vehicles such as brokerage service agreements with member institutes, TEMPO seeks to continue assisting its member institutes to commercialize their technology.

Andy Semmel visits IPAC

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:36:31 +0000

On March 23,2006, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Andy Semmel and US Embassy representative Dan O’Grade visited the Institute of Physiologically Active Compounds (IPAC), Chernogolovka, Moscow region. The visit introduced Mr. Semmel and Mr. O’Grade to IPAC’s history of cooperation with the ISTC. Over the course of ten years and thirty projects, IPAC has made a number of scientific achievements due to its relationship with the ISTC.

Dr. Sergey Bachurin, Deputy Director of IPAC, described BII project #3283: “Identification, Addition and Realization of the Nascent Value of Novel Compounds as Drug Candidates Through Preclinical Safety and Efficacy Testing and technology Transfer”. IPAC recently united with 6 other chemistry institutes of the Russian Academy of Science to create a non-commercial partnership, “Orchemed,” to advance the drug development efforts of its members and also initiated the formation of the for-profit Collective Facilitation Center “TRUST” to provide GLP-compliant preclinical testing of small molecule drug candidates. BII project #3283 will develop a sustainable innovative facility that will enable these institutes to commercialize available intellectual property in the area of novel drug candidates.

The delegation also toured the institute laboratories and met with key researchers.

Dmitry Morozov featured in Nature Biotechnology

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:35:33 +0000

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Article lead-in

Forget everything you know about biotech venture creation-this is Russia! And Dmitry Morosov is one of a new breed of entrepreneurs ready to create a new type of Russian biotech.

AAALAC accreditation at the Biological Testing Laboratory

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:34:33 +0000

The Biological Testing Laboratory (BTL), Branch of Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry in Pushchino has been awarded AAALAC International accreditation. The management and staff, led by Dr. Arkadi N. Murashev, were commended for providing an exemplary facility for the care and use of laboratory animals. The laboratory presented high standards of animal care and use in the efforts to achieve the AAALAC international accreditation.

CERBRD opening the doors for new opportunities

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:33:31 +0000

The CERBRD staff took part in the International Exhibition Biotechnica 2005 in Hanover, Germany. Vera Dmitrieva gave a talk titled: “We Open Doors to New Opportunities for Doing Business in Russia.”

View the presentation

Novelos Therapeutics in Collaboration with Shriners Hospitals to Confirm Positive Data in Acute Radiation Injury

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:32:14 +0000

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CIMIT-Russia Avian Flu Team Honored: Edward M. Kennedy Award for Healthcare Innovation Daily Business News (MA)

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:30:50 +0000

At the CIMIT Annual Briefing held this week, John A. Parrish, MD, Director, announced the recipients of the Edward M. Kennedy Award for Healthcare Innovation. Senator Kennedy spoke to the audience of 150 via a taped message to congratulate the team and CIMIT for its work. The award went to the CIMIT Russia team that helped create an avian flu surveillance program. The team was lead by Michael V. Callahan, MD, CIMIT Biodefense Program Leader, Massachusetts General Hospital, as well as Jason Rao, PhD, BioIndustry Initiative (BII) Director, Department of State. Jeffrey A. Gelfand, MD, Director of CIMIT International, noted: Dr. Callahan’s team with scientists at the Vector Viral Research Institute in Siberia — by detecting avian flu in Siberian wildfowl — sounded the alarm that added to worldwide measures for control. He said that one of the goals of the BII is to counter the threat of bioterrorism and work with Soviet biological and chemical weapons scientists to develop, test, and produce new vaccines and drug therapies. Dr. Callahan added: “In addition to identifying the H5N1 avian flu virus in birds that migrate along these Siberian flyways, we are also looking for analogs, non-pathogenic cousins of the virus, that might serve as a vaccine candidate. Birds produce their own antibodies and indicators of previous exposure, an early warning radar for newly emerging strains of influenza.” Team Members Honored Other CIMIT team members honored in addition to Dr. Callahan, Dr. Rao, and Dr. Jeffrey Gelfand included Dan Blumenthal and Irene Lerman. CIMIT Kennedy Award for Healthcare Innovation The Edward M. Kennedy Award for Healthcare Innovation was first given in 2002. This award was named for Senator Kennedy due to his constant support of innovation in health care, including his interest in and tremendous support of CIMIT. Senator Kennedy has consistently demonstrated his passion and commitment to innovation and medical research that will change the course of health care in America and beyond. Other than physician research awards, this is the only award that CIMIT gives to recognize an outstanding team whose work in the previous year embodies the CIMIT mission of innovative collaboration. Previous recipients of the Kennedy Award have been the Optical Imaging team led by Drs. Brett Bouma and Gary Tearney in 2004; the CIMIT Simulation team led by Steven Dawson, MD, in 2003; and Operating Room of the Future team in 2002, led by David Rattner, MD.

BII Avian Flu Surveillance System in Russia Finds H5N1 in Siberian Birds

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:29:12 +0000

The avian influenza surveillance system which PTR’s BII team has been working to develop over the past 18 months yielded its second and more significant findings last week, when Russian scientists from the State Research Center for Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR) found a new strain of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in samples that were obtained from dying chickens and ducks in the Novosibirsk region of Siberia. Previously BII’s flu team at VECTOR had isolated a low pathogenic H5N1 strain which could potentially be used as a vaccine. The new findings have critical implications to the regional economy and to public health preparedness. The findings are significant for a number of reasons: 1) This is the first time that H5N1, the strain of avian influenza that the CDC and other public health experts fear will cause the next great flu pandemic, had been isolated and identified in the Former Soviet Union. 2) This is also the first time that H5N1 has been identified this far North and outside of a seven country region in Southeast Asia. 3) These findings reinforce both the timeliness of BII’s effort to create a novel “early warning system” for newly emerging strains of AI, and the prime location of this system along a major migratory bird pathway in south-central Siberia. Most importantly, this surveillance system is organized and managed by scientists at VECTOR. On August 4, 2005, Martha Wexler reported this story on NPR’s All Things Considered. The NPR story can be heard at NPR’s website.

OIE Veterinary Biologics Training and Follow-On Meetings

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:28:19 +0000

CRDF, in collaboration with the ISTC, organized the participation of 11 Russian and 5 Kazakh scientists in the OIE Veterinary Biologics Training, which took place in Ames, Iowa from 16-25 May 2005. The Training was co-sponsored by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS), Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB) and National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), the USDA Agricultural Research Services (ARS) National Animal Disease Center (NADC), and the Iowa State University (ISU) College of Veterinary Medicine. It consisted of three components: lecture series, hands-on lab work and facility tours. The first session, Procedures for Ensuring Vaccine Safety and Efficacy, reviewed the requirements and processes for licensing/registration and testing of veterinary biological products and reviewed the inspection and compliance process for production, release and post-marketing surveillance of veterinary biological products covered under the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act. The second session, Potency and Safety Testing and Diagnostic Test Kit Evaluation, reviewed the principles and procedures for laboratory testing of biologics and diagnostic test kits.

The delegation also had an opportunity to work in the Iowa State University (ISU) College of Veterinary Medicine laboratories in order to practice the principles presented during the lecture series. This component of the Training included an ELISA Workshop, Western Blot Laboratory and Demonstration, Poultry Virology Laboratory and Demonstration, Molecular Techniques, Bioinformatics and PCR Laboratory & Demonstration. The third component of the Training included tours of two biologics production facilities, Arco-Jewel and DowAgro Sciences, which is developing a novel plant-cell-produced vaccine production system for manufacture of veterinary biologics. This tour was of particular interest to the scientists who specialize in producing vaccines for a variety of poultry diseases including Newcastle Disease Virus and Avian Influenza.

Furthermore, CRDF coordinate various side meetings with U.S. specialists to give the delegation an opportunity to ask specific questions with their peers. Topics of poultry diseases, microplasma, and standardization for diagnostic kits, assays and pathomorphological studies were among those discussed. Several Russian participants inquired about the possibility of developing collaborative projects with the USDA and plan on sending proposals, through a CRDF Project Manager, for consideration.