Advancing Austrian life science at the heart of Europe

www.LifeScienceAustria.at

Contents

>LifeScienceinAustria AdvancinglifescienceattheheartofEurope 02

>Therapeutics Cancer:themajormedicalchallengeinEuropetoday 08 Infectiousdiseases:vaccinesandanti-infectives 11

>Medicaltechnology KeepingastepaheadwithAustriancomponents 14 Surveyingthedeviceinnovators 16

>OnestoWatchinAustria Thepioneersoftomorrow 21

>ProductionandPlatformTechnologies Better,faster,cheaper 24

>AdvancedAnalyticsandDiagnostics Thediagnosticvaluechain 27

>LISA CommittedtotheprosperityofAustrianlifesciences 30

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www.LifeScienceAustria.at

Voices about Austrian life sciencesProf. Josef Penninger, Director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) and founder of Apeiron Biologics AG:”Although the life science scene in Austria is small, it is un-derpinned with excellent resources that contribute towards its enormous development potential. Austria provides an en-vironment where one can be adventurous, not just as a sci-entist and entrepreneur but also as an investor. Where good ideas flourish, success will follow.“

Dr. Hans-Otto Maier, Senior Vice President CoE AIS from B. Braun Melsungen AG: ”Our long-standing and very successful collaboration with the Graz universities and research institutions in the fields of clinical application, medtech and sensor technologies have convinced B. Braun to establish a development site in Graz.“

Mag. Michael Farthofer, Director of AKAtech Produktions- und Handels GmbH: ”Through the opening up of the EU, Austria is now truly at the heart of Europe. A highly-trained workforce, excellent productivity and reasonable wage levels are all important factors supporting Austria as a premiere business location. In addition, government support for start-ups and company expansion, as well as an attractive funding environment, are important reasons for choosing Austria.“

DI Matthias Schmied, Manager of GE Healthcare Austria GmbH & Co OG: ”For a high-tech company such as GE with a long tradition in the medtech sector, the skills and loyalty of our employees are an important factor in competing on a global stage. In addition, because of GE‘s strong focus on research and de-velopment, the Austrian government‘s extensive direct and indirect funding options are crucial.“

Dr. Regina Hodits, Wellington Partners:”Over the past decade, Austria has established itself as a well-respected hub of the life science industry. What made Aust-ria an interesting place for me to invest are the close links between solid academic research and outstanding medical practice, access to highly skilled and dedicated scientists and managers, paired with an active start-up community, and last, but certainly not least, an extremely effective govern-ment support system for innovative companies. I will conti-nue to actively look for new investment opportunities here, and I am confident that we will see more and more innova-tions being translated into high value products stemming from Austria.“

Mag. Elgar Schnegg, MBA, CEO of Biocrates Life Sciences AG:”Austria and Tyrol create a proactive climate for life scien-ces: the FFG‘s funding and support for innovation and the entrepreneurial approach of the Austria Wirtschaftsservice GesmbH (aws) together contribute to an excellent environ-ment for innovative biotechnology companies.“

Dr. Wolfram Strobl, CEO of Fresenius Medical Care Adsorber Tec GmbH:”There is outstanding life science research and teaching at both the Danube University and the FH-IMC University of Applied Sciences as well as an excellent local infrastructure with attractive regional and national programmes and tre-mendous opportunities for cooperation at the Technopol Krems. This all combines to provide the correct business en-vironment needed for innovative companies like Fresenius Medical Care to pursue its R&D efforts.“

Life Sciences in AustriaAdvancing life science at the heart of Europe. The life science sector in Austria is renowned for its sustainable growth and a lively, creative and highly inno-vative approach that is rooted in its world class engineering and science. As a not-for-profit organisation, Life Science Austria (LISA) promotes Austria as a rich resource for biotechnology, medical technology and diagnostic compa-nies, including enabling technologies and related service providers. Austria is a key European life science location that is recognised internationally as a strong source of lead drug candidates, products, technologies and services.

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The life science industry in Austria is fully diversified with companies large and small as well as a number of multina-tional companies headquartered in or with facilities here – though it is small to medium-sized companies that predo-minate across a whole range of disciplines. The truly remar-kable factor in the Austrian life science scene is the degree of cooperation between producers, networks of suppliers and service providers all within a short distance, meaning that the results are truly Made in Austria!

Austria has over 210 life science companies employing ap-proximately 11,500 people. Over 90% of these are small and medium sized companies. Additionally, there are around 600 companies acting as suppliers to the industry for com-ponents and services meaning that in many cases the va-lue chain is entirely Austrian. In addition to well-known lar-ge multinationals including Baxter, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Greiner Bio-One, Ottobock, Roche and Sandoz, many of the other companies are themselves market leaders and are well known to global industry experts. For a small country with a

population of just over 8 million, that marks a very significant contribution to life science in Europe. It is also a key compo-nent of the Austrian economy and one that is valued and sup-ported by the national and regional governments.

This thriving environment of successful and innovative com-panies has put Austria firmly on the European life science map. The combination of global players with research facili-ties in Austria and young, dynamic start-ups in close coopera-tion with excellent universities creates an ideal environment for the development, growth and prosperity of the Austrian life science industry. The average Austrian biotechnology company is just 7 years old, yet the industry has reached a critical mass within a very short time period and has grown into a major economic force.

The life science industry in Austria can be categorised in vari-ous ways, but for the purposes of this brochure we will be co-vering the following four industry sectors which we believe reflect the full range of the Austrian life sciences:

03Life Sciences in Austria

Austria – the place to do business

In recent years, the strength of the growing life science sec-tor has been reflected in the increasing interest shown by international business in doing deals with companies in Aus-tria. And it is not just the proliferation of corporate deals that shows Austria in a good light, the country is also proving to be an attractive location for operations and significant in-ward investment for a number of multinational companies.

Since 1982, the American group Baxter has been running its biggest subsidiary outside the US and its most important re-search site worldwide in Austria, with over 4,000 employees. More than 900 scientists from home and abroad are current-ly working on the discovery of new drugs as well as the en-hancement of medications that are already on the market. Baxter’s biosciences division in Austria focuses on developing and manufacturing biotechnological and biopharmaceutical therapeutics of which 90 percent are being exported. The German prosthetics manufacturer Ottobock has also located a key facility in Austria, improving and restoring the lives of patients all over the world.

The globalised pharmaceutical industry including B. Braun, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Roche, and Sandoz has set up extensive production and research facilities in Austria. They are not alone. The following is a list of some of the more no-table businesses investing in Austria:

AB Enzymes Abbott Laboratories AstraZeneca AT&S austriamicrosystems B. Braun BASF Baxter Bayer Boehringer Ingelheim Capsugel Carl Zeiss DSM Eli Lilly Fette Pharma AG Fresenius GE Healthcare

GlaxoSmithKline Henkel Hoffmann-La Roche Infineon Johnson & Johnson Lonza Merck & Co. Novartis Novo Nordisk Pfizer Roche Sandoz Sanofi-Aventis Siemens Stölzle Südchemie

These investments come on top of a whole series of inter-national venture capital investments in Austrian life science companies. In 2010, funding of the Austrian biotech sector totalled around € 79 million from venture capitalists, pri-vate investors, grants, loans and other contributions. A further € 37 million was invested in Austrian medical tech-nology companies.

So why does Austria have such a great reputation for life science investment? The New York-based Reputation Ins-titute has conducted a study that shows Austria is ranked ninth out of 50 countries in terms of trust, reputation, ad-miration and positive image. Also, the Mercer Study 2011 ranked Vienna as the city with the highest standard of li-ving in the world. Austria’s extensive infrastructure and its enviable location at the geographic heart of Europe are also significant reasons. Add in additional factors such as the ex-cellence of the Austrian workforce, the renowned quality of its education system and the top-tier status of its research institutions, and it is easy to see how many companies find Austria a compelling location for doing business.

Infrastructure

Great infrastructure is a key driver of the life science indus-try in Austria. Across Austria, a succession of science parks, incubators and tech transfer initiatives has ensured the growth of the indigenous industry as well as attracting a plethora of established multinational concerns. This is an ongoing process with a constant stream of new initiatives and investments being added to the existing ones.

Vienna has the longest standing network of state-of-the-art technology hubs. Both the city and the state of Austria are in the process of establishing a € 52 million cutting-edge shared core facility located at the renowned Campus Vienna Biocenter. Other recent developments include the establishment of a € 10 million Vienna Institute of BioTech-nology Equipment at LifeScience Vienna Muthgasse.

The city of Krems in Lower Austria is the location of the world-class Krems Bio Science Park, a recent development with 48,000 m2 of space for tailor-made facilities for bio-tech manufacturing and research.

> Therapeutics

> Medical Technology

> Production and Platform Technologies

> Advanced Analytics and Diagnostics

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Graz in Styria has also established an enviable series of state and regionally funded developments in support of the Styri-an life science industries. In 2010, it constructed the Medical Science City which incorporates the groundbreaking ZWT Centre for Medical Technology Transfer.

Austria’s world class research base

Austrian medical universities focus on state-of-the-art R&D for new therapeutic substances with more than 55,000 peo-ple involved in medical research. The Medical University of Graz is one of three Austrian Medical Universities with a si-gnificant research impact. The university focuses on four international research areas (Cardiovascular, Cancer, Mole-cular Bases of Lipid Associated Diseases, Neuroscience) and a Cross-Sectional Topic „Sustainable Health Research“. The Innsbruck Medical University focuses on molecular biosci-ences, neurosciences, cancer, molecular imaging and sports medicine. Innsbruck Medical University also hosts several internationally renowned projects including the „Austrian Proteomic Platform“ and „Oncotyrol“ which both attract scientists from all over the world. The Medical University of Vienna is strong in interdisciplinary and translational re-search as well as in clinical programmes covering multiple disciplines including allergology and immunology, oncology, neuroscience and vascular medicine.

Besides the medical universities, there are also renowned academic bodies that significantly contribute to life sciences research in Austria and that have generated many success-ful life science spin-offs. BOKU, for instance, is the main uni-versity in the country for natural resources and life sciences, while the Graz and Vienna Universities of Technology play an important role in life science research and in the training of skilled engineers.

The University of Graz focuses on research and education in the molecular biosciences, specifically in the areas of enzymo-logy and physiology, while the Veterinary University in Vienna deals mainly with the field of veterinary medicine and is also increasingly exploring avenues related to human medicine. Their main research objectives include the fast detection of epidemic diseases and the development of pre-emptive, di-rect measures to prevent epidemics and provide healthy food.

The Universities of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschulen) loca-ted in every centre of population across Austria are further engines of research and a valuable source for life science rec-ruiters looking for highly skilled technicians, laboratory staff and future industry business professionals.

Alongside the universities, the Austrian Academy of Sciences (AAS) is the leading organisation promoting non-university based academic research institutions in Austria. The AAS‘s life science research portfolio is conducted in institutions in-cluding the Research Centre for Molecular Medicine (CeMM), the Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI), the Institute for Biomedical Aging Research (IBA) and the Ins-titute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA). It is also worth no-ting the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Aus-tria), a PhD granting institution located in the Vienna Woods and one of the principle locations of research in the natural sciences including bioscience and the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Austria‘s largest non-university research institute with a research focus on grand societal challenges.

The Max F. Perutz Laboratories (MFPL) are part of a joint re-search and training centre affiliated with the University and Medical University of Vienna, where 530 scientists pursue discovery research and offer education in the area of mole-cular biology.

Research at the Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) spans a wide range of topics, broadly organised into four themes: life at the molecular and cellular level, information processing

© Riegler Riewe Architekten

Life Sciences in Austria

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and storage in neural circuits, developmental mechanisms of organisms and diseases, and interdisciplinary approaches that combine ideas and methods from other fields to answer biological questions. The common goal in all of these areas is to elucidate the mechanisms and principles that underlie complex biological processes.

The Christian Doppler Forschungsgesellschaft (CDG) and the Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft (LBG) were set up to foster cooperation between different partners in science and in-dustry. For seven years, CDG had based its research facilities, the Christian Doppler (CD) Laboratories, at universities or ex-ternal research institutions where highly qualified scientists work closely together with industrial partners to find inno-vative solutions for scientific challenges in industrial applica-tions. The research institutes of the LBG deal with questions related to medicine, humanities, social sciences and cultural sciences and are characterised by their cooperation with ins-titutional partner organisations. The LBG is financed through both public and private resources and assures the high qua-lity of its research through regular international evaluations.

From bench to boardroom

Arguably, much of the recent investment success would not have been possible without a government that backs inno-vation and supports outstanding academic research. The re-sulting cutting-edge research at Austrian universities is the source of technology transfer to the many start-up compa-nies proliferating in the Austrian life science scene. The Aust-rian government is committed to this burgeoning sector and is helping to foster a business environment that allows these young spin-off companies to thrive. With R&D investment in 2011 at an all-time high of 2.79% of GDP, Austria already in-vests far more into R&D than the EU average which was 2.01% in 2009 (Innovation Union Competitiveness Report 2011). The government‘s new strategy for research, development and innovation aims even higher: to make Austria an innovation leader within the European Union and to raise the share of R&D investment to 3.76% of GDP by 2020. There is also a very supportive and attractive tax regime, an R&D cash premium of 10% and a maximum corporate income tax of 25%.

Sources of finance

The most innovative ideas in life sciences only make a diffe-rence once they‘ve survived the journey from the laboratory bench to commercial launch. However, that journey requi-

res careful nurturing in a supportive funding environment. Austria has developed a wide range of national and regional funding schemes to back new companies embarking on this journey towards business success. Focusing on start-up ideas in biotechnology and medical devices, austria wirtschafts-service, the Austrian government promotional bank, provides financial support through two custom-designed funding pro-grammes: PreSeed LISA and LISA Seedfinancing.

PreSeed LISA provides funding for the critical phase before a life science company is actually set up. Costs relating to the implementation of the science and the development of a business plan for a project can be funded with non-refunda-ble awards of up to € 200,000.

Setting-up an innovative, internationally competitive high-tech company needs significant know-how, courage and capital. LISA Seedfinancing from austria wirtschafts-service supports this start-up phase by providing up to € 1 million, combined with business advice. This Seedfinan-cing is then refunded to the austria wirtschaftsservice at the point a company is making a profit or is sold. Importantly, in contrast to bank or other more traditional loans, there is no requirement for customary securities. However to qualify for this funding a company must be partly and suitably funded through private capital. Other austria wirtschaftsservice ini-tiatives to support life sciences include guarantees and loans.

These two powerful finance streams are complemented by financing vehicles from other Austrian agencies, including the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) which supports basic re-search, and the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) which manages applied research funding with an annual budget of € 430 billion from which about € 70 billion is spent on life sciences projects. As part of this remit, the FFG is also responsible for organising the Centre‘s programmes which are among the most successful technology policy initiatives

Region Regionalclusterorganisation

Missionstatement Regionalgovernmentfunding

Lower Austria

Styria

ecoplus

Human.technology Styria

ecoplus connects companies and markets, science and business, research and appli-cation, ideas and opportu-nities. We are there for you. ecoplus has pioneered the development and funding of „Technopols“ as centres for technology and business:

> Technopol Krems for medical biotechnology

> Technopol Tulln for agro- biotechnology and environ- mental biotechnology

> Technopol Wiener Neustadt for modern industrial technologies

Human.technology Styria is a membership organi-sation with world-leading reputations in biobanking and biomarker technologies, process engineering for pharmaceutical and bio-technology companies and advanced biomedical sensor technologies.

In Lower Austria the following organisations provide research grants or support for company funding:

> Accent – initial financial support for founders

> NÖBEG – supporting early stage financing and company gowth

> Tecnet Equity – providing venture capital

Steirische Wirtschaftsförde-rung (SFG) is an agency owned by the Styrian government, at-tracting businesses to relocate, expand and advise on access to grants and financing.

A country of many parts

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in Austria. These programmes are internationally recognised as models of best practice and provide support to over 1,500 researchers from science and industry, working together on jointly defined areas of research at more than 40 centres.

The success of these funding initiatives in recent years has in turn resulted in the development and launch of the CO-MET (Competence Centres for Excellent Technologies) pro-gramme in 2006 which provides special support for those research activities which operate both at the cutting-edge of technology and also promise a high international profile. COMET has a budget (from the Austrian state and regions as well as industry) of € 1.4 billion to invest between 2006 and 2019 with the aim of systematically leveraging content-

related synergies to obtain a global competitive advantage. Another successful programme run by the FFG is AplusB. It supports innovative, technology-oriented spin-offs from the academic sector. By founding so-called AplusB centres, the programme provides professional support for scientists du-ring the difficult process of turning a good idea into a viable business. This involves counselling and assistance during the actual start-up phase as well as firmly establishing entrepre-neurship in academic theory and practice. At the moment, eight AplusB centres have been established in which quali-fied start-ups are currently being counselled.

In addition to the financial sources outlined above, there is also a wide range of regional funding available.

Region by region, the life science indus-try is spread across Austria from the ca-pital Vienna to the powerhouses of Sty-ria, Tyrol and Upper and Lower Austria. Each region has its own special culture

and particular strengths that are re-flected in the industries located there. Organised through regional life science clusters, LISA represents companies in the therapeutic, medical technology

and diagnostic sectors as well as pro-viders of enabling technologies and re-lated service companies located in the following regions:

07Life Sciences in Austria

There are also a number of national umbrella organisations in support of the Austrian life sciences industry. The Aust-rian Biotech Industry‘s (ABI) goal is to give both the public and decision makers an understanding of the biotechnology industry‘s potential and needs. Austromed represents the interests of companies that are active in the development, production, processing and trade of medical devices in Aust-ria. FOPI is the association of research-based pharmaceutical companies based in Austria. FOPI strives to make the benefits of innovative medicines easily accessible for each affected patient as well as for the health care sector as a whole.

LISA’s commitment

Life Science Austria (LISA) is committed to the development, growth and prosperity of the Austrian life science indust-ries as a leading component of the Austrian economy, and is confident Austria will continue to see significant growth. On the international front, LISA also works towards Austria becoming a country known worldwide for the excellence of its life science sector. LISA is run by austria wirtschaftsservice (aws) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth. More details about LISA can be found on the last page of this brochure. We hope to have captured your atten-tion for the rest of this brochure where you can read many success stories demonstrating how much Austria punches above its weight!

Region Regionalclusterorganisation

Missionstatement Regionalgovernmentfunding

Tyrol Life Sciences Cluster Tirol Life Sciences in Tyrol – strong in personalised cancer me-dicine, medical device deve-lopment and pharmaceutical industry

Tyrol offers seven funding programmes for R&D projects worth up to € 900K – for example, the following pro-grammes receive funding:

> feasability studies,

> translational research, and

> k-Regio (a regional programme for competence centres).

Upper Austria Health Technology Cluster The Health Technology Cluster of Upper Austria is an inter-sectoral network aiming to increase innovation capacity and international competitive-ness of companies in the health technology sector, including their suppliers, relevant re-search as well as healthcare facilities. Due to the Upper Austrian strength in the field of medical technology, the main focus is on ultrasound techno-logy, analytics & diagnostics, electronics, medical enginee-ring as well as equipment and frame construction.

> Innovative Upper Austria 2010 plus – € 50 million available for life sciences

> Grants and loans from the Upper Austria Research Challenge

Vienna LISAvienna In Vienna, Austria‘s biggest life science location, LISA-vienna (Life Science Austria Vienna) provides information and advice for potential start-ups and new arrivals, as well as for life science businesses in general. The five core ac-tivities of LISAvienna include consulting, marketing, qualifi-cation, networking, and the compilation of life science related strategic studies.

In Vienna, several agencies supplement federal funding:

> ZIT – The Technology Agency of the City of Vienna

> Vienna Science and Technology Fund (WWTF)

> Vienna Business Agency

> INiTS – the university business incubator

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As there are many different kinds of cancer affecting a wide ran-ge of biological mechanisms and organs, the field needs multi-disciplinary teams working together to tackle it. Be it innovative immunotherapy, novel molecular targets or radiation therapy, researchers and oncologists throughout Austria are working to develop and commercialise diagnostics and treatments.

Primary research: the frontiers of oncology

At the core of Austrian cancer research are multidisciplinary research networks bringing industry, healthcare and prima-ry research together. It is these networks that have arguably helped Austria lead Europe in the fight against cancer. For instance, the Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna (CCC) established by the General Hospital, the Medical University of Vienna seeks to discover mechanisms leading to cancer development and progression with the goal of improving the prevention, diagnosis and therapy of malignant disea-ses, reducing morbidity and mortality from cancer. Another

example is the Austrian Breast & Colorectal Cancer Study Group (ABCSG), an important Austrian organisation that per-forms internationally successful clinical trials in breast and colon cancer. A radical treatment initiative for breast cancer patients with small tumours and non-affected lymph nodes in ABSCG hospitals resulted in a remarkable 80% breast pre-servation. This is three times better than the similar statistic for Austria 25 years ago and even exceeds preservation rates seen in the USA. There are currently 23,000 women participa-ting in ABCSG studies which is an astonishing number consi-dering a small country like Austria.

There are several pioneering research institutes in Austria that combine basic medical research and industrial partner-ship. One of them is the Institute of Molecular Biotechno-logy (IMBA), a basic research institute of the Austrian Aca-demy of Sciences. There, an international team of scientists conducts primary research to study molecular mechanisms of biological processes and to address questions in modern life sciences and biomedicine. The aim is to understand the

Cancer survival rates are higher in Austria than in many other countries in Eu-rope. This is a tribute to the Austrian medical profession but also to a long list of pioneering businesses supplying services, treatments and innovative techno-logies. Austria is at the forefront in the fight against cancer in Europe and plays a leading part in the worldwide campaign with several pioneering initiatives.

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elementary mechanisms of health and disease. To reach this goal a wide array of model organisms as well as advanced technologies in cell biology, structural biology, biochemistry, genomics and genetics are used.

The CeMM Research Centre for Molecular Medicine is a flag-ship research institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences which is pursuing a new medical focus. Driven by medical needs, CeMM integrates basic research and clinical expertise to pursue innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches focused on cancer, inflammation and immune disorders. The goal of CeMM is to assist in preparing the predictive, preven-tive and personalised medicine of the future. The Children‘s Cancer Research Institute (CCRI) is nationally and internatio-nally renowned for its multi-disciplinary approach to decoding pathogenesis mechanisms and for improving diagnosis, prog-nosis and treatment of cancers in children and adolescents.

In addition, Boehringer Ingelheim is pioneering innovati-ve approaches to cancer therapy in Austria alongside its research powerhouse, the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) and industrial biotech partners such as f-star. These collaborations support Boehringer Ingelheim‘s team of 240 scientists in Vienna, enabling the company to be a key player in cancer research. The IMP, in particular, is a world-renowned research facility generating high impact peer-reviewed research and attracting top scientists to focus on cellular growth regulation and the complex biological pro-cesses underlying disease. Boehringer Ingelheim is also one of the leading companies for contract development and GMP production of biopharmaceuticals. Additionally, Boehringer Ingelheim‘s clinical research for Central and Eastern Europe, Israel, Turkey and South Africa is coordinated from Austria.

Diagnosing and screening for cancer

As with all cancers, early screening and diagnosis are vital for selecting an optimal treatment regime. Really accurate diagnostic tests that can pinpoint the disease in its very ear-liest stages can be critical to a positive outcome. Add to that companion diagnostics that can help detect patients who are likely to benefit from a treatment and it is easy to see that cutting-edge diagnostic and screening technologies for com-mon cancers can therefore really save lives! Austria has long been an engine of innovation in cancer diagnostics.

Finding a way to tell which patients will benefit from a treat-ment and which will not, i.e. „personalised medicine“, is an im-

portant goal worldwide and a key driver behind the research of a consortium of scientists at Oncotyrol. This Centre for Per-sonalised Medicine is using cutting-edge research to provide answers as to why cancer treatments work with some pati-ents but not others. The efforts of the consortium are being further strengthened through its collaboration with the new-ly established Austrian Drug Screening Institute (ASDI) where expertise is applied to both basic and translational research, with the aim of tailoring therapies to treat tumour patients.

For example, the department for Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at the FH-IMC University of Applied Science Krems is very well recognised in the identification of predic-tive biomarkers and personalised medicine, carrying out sta-te-of-the-art research in 3-dimensional organotypic tumour modelling, cell-based assays, high throughput screening and biomarker identification. The Department for Health Sciences and Biomedicine at the Danube University Krems is working in Health Service and Management. Furthermore it is working in clinical medicine with a special focus on internal medicine and regenerative medicine including orthopaedics, sports medicine and complementary medicine.

New treatment approaches

In the last 50 years, cancer therapy has advanced conside-rably, but there is still much work to be done in order to find treatments that can improve quality of life and outcomes with minimal side effects. The following examples span a whole series of disciplines and detail where Austrian doctors, scientists and businesses have been leading the way in the fight against cancer.

TherapeuticsChallenge Cancer

The Biobank Graz comprises populati-on-based and disease-focused collec-tions of biological material, covering a huge variety of diseases. It is one of the world‘s largest biobanks, containing more than 5 million samples from about 1.5 million patients. Its unique value co-mes from its collection of unselected pathological samples and clinical data from the entire Styrian population of

the last 30 years, representing all detec-ted diseases at their natural frequency of occurrence, such as common meta-bolic disorders like diabetes as well as cancer and non-cancer diseases from all organs and all age groups. Tumour material is available for further research and biomarker development, enabling rapid scientific progress in the fight against cancer. The Biobank Graz is led

by Prof. Huppertz and takes a leading position in the pan-European network called „Biobanking and Biomolecu-lar Resource Research Infrastructure“ (BBMRI). This project aims to build a coordinated, large scale European infra-structure of biomedically relevant, qua-lity-assessed collected samples which can be linked to related clinical and epi-demiological information.

Biobank Graz

Vaccines and immunotherapeutic approaches are an impor-tant means to combat cancer and to stop the spread of the disease within the body. Apeiron Biologics is an Austrian company developing innovative immunotherapeutics, sig-ning, amongst others, an agreement with Merck KGaA on the rights to develop and commercialise a novel biological treatment for neuroblastoma and other cancers (currently in phase III trial).

Both Activartis Biotech, a spin-off from the CCRI, and CELL-MED Research with its spin-out Life Research Technologies, are specialists in tumour-immunotherapy and are develo-ping therapeutic cancer vaccines for unmet cancer needs. The approach is based on the use of antigen-presenting IL-12 dendritic cells which help the immune system to recognise and destroy tumour cells. Activartis, a subsidiary of AOP Orphan, is a specialist in cancer immune therapy. The com-pany has developed a proprietary cancer vaccine technology, Trivax, patented in 2002. The technology utilises antigen-presenting IL-12 secreting dendritic cells which instruct the immune system to recognise and destroy tumour cells. Ac-tivartis‘ Trivax technology is currently part of a randomised clinical phase II efficacy trial with about 90 metastatic brain cancer patients. CELLMED Research, founded in 2006, is an Austrian life science company focused on research and de-velopment of cellular therapies, in particular on the manu-facturing and clinical application of cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of solid tumours. A clinical study in Phase I/IIa on the safety of PROCURE® for the treatment of ovarian cancer is under way.

While vaccines and other immunotherapeutic methods are important, there need to be treatment options for patients with more advanced stages of the disease. Chemotherapy and anti-cancer drugs will therefore continue to play an im-portant and integral role in many cancer treatment regimes. New or modified anti-cancer molecules with improved po-tency and efficacy as well as reduced side effects and toxicity are being discovered and developed by companies like Tube Pharmaceuticals who are cultivating powerful anti-cancer drugs called cytolysins. This new class of natural substan-ces has demonstrated outstanding potency against dividing cells, including cancer cells in initial proof-of-concept studies by conjugations towards small molecule, polymers, peptides, proteins and antibodies.

MedAustron is one of the most advanced centres for ion beam therapy and research in Europe and is based in Wie-ner Neustadt. The irradiation therapy will be performed with carbon ions or protons. The centre is currently under cons-truction and technical test operating will start in 2013 with the first treatments carried out by 2015. In the full operational phase up to 1,400 patients per year will benefit from this in-novative treatment option.

Overall, Austria offers both world class primary cancer re-search and dynamic therapeutic as well as diagnostic innova-tion and development. Considering the high quality of Austri-an hospitals, it is perhaps unsurprising that Austria is leading Europe in the battle against cancer.

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Challenging the global threat of influenza

Influenza is a highly contagious viral disease. According to the World Health Organisation, 15% of the world‘s population suffers from a seasonal influenza infection each year, leading to 250,000 to 500,000 deaths per year. At least five Austrian companies including AVIR Greenhills Biotechnology, Baxter, Intercell, Marinomed Biotechnologie and Savira Pharmaceuti-cals are developing innovative ways to combat this debilitating viral infection and to prepare for possible future pandemics.

AVIR Green Hills Biotechnology AG specialises in virology, de-veloping unique therapies against influenza and other viral infectious diseases, and cancer. Its main product deltaFLU is a live attenuated replication-defective influenza virus vaccine that is delivered by a nasal spray rather than by the traditio-

nal intramuscular injection. The fact that AVIR uses live at-tenuated viruses and a cell-culture based production method enables faster and more efficient production of new vaccine strains. In contrast to common inactivated vaccines current-ly used worldwide, this approach has the potential to induce cross-protective immunity with significantly higher protec-tion rates. With its reverse genetics virus generation method as well as production on Vero cells, AVIR is able to produce vaccines against seasonal and pandemic influenza strains such as H5N1 or H1N1 more quickly than using traditional me-thods which rely on an egg based manufacturing process.

Another world leader in the all-important area of develop-ment of new influenza vaccines is found within the Austrian operations of the global pharmaceutical company Baxter. For influenza, Baxter, like AVIR, does not use eggs to produce its vaccines. Instead, it uses a unique Vero cell technology plat-

Therapeutics Leading the fight against global pandemics and local infections

Infectious diseases are a substantial health threat and a leading cause of death worldwide. Hospital-acquired in-fections with multi-drug resistant microbes have become increasingly common, with about 9 million cases world-wide and a mortality rate of around 4.5%, creating a risk for patients and a burden on healthcare systems. A num-ber of highly innovative Austrian companies are transfor-ming the world of antibiotic therapy or working on novel vaccines and therapeutics, including those that deal with the threat of pandemic flu and other infectious diseases.

TherapeuticsGlobal pandemics and local infections

form which is one of the most advanced cell culture systems employed for the large-scale production of both seasonal and pandemic influenza vaccines. This approach also benefits from being faster and more flexible than traditional egg-based me-thods. Baxter‘s influenza activities build on a strong historical foundation. With the acquisition of Immuno AG in 1997, Bax-ter acquired long-standing, first class research know-how that laid the foundation for its global success in the vaccine area.

Another vaccine developer, Intercell – the first, and until now only, Biotech company to IPO in Austria – is working on a new approach against pandemic influenza. It involves the use of Intercell‘s adjuvant patch (Vaccine Enhancement Patch) con-taining LT in combination with GSK‘s H5N1 pandemic antigen. The VEP has the potential to enhance the immune response of existing injected pandemic influenza vaccines. Intercell is also active in the fight against Tuberculosis. A combination of the Statens Serum Institute‘s novel Tuberculosis subunit vaccine candidate and Intercell‘s proprietary IC31® adjuvant entered a Phase II clinical trial in January 2012.

It is not just vaccines that matter in the fight against influen-za. Broad spectrum antiviral therapeutics can also play a part, and Austria has two companies with breakthroughs in thisarea. Marinomed Biotechnologie already has an anti-viral na-sal spray against the common cold on the market. This cold therapy is unique in having an active ingredient, called Carra-gelose® which has clinically proven antiviral activity against common cold. In fact, Marinomed has discovered that this polymer derived from red seaweed is an effective inhibitor of around 200 respiratory viruses including Influenza A infec-tions. Novel structure-based influenza therapeutics are being developed by Savira pharmaceuticals. Among its pipeline of potential products are fully rationally designed polymera-se inhibitors targeting the unique influenza cap snatching mechanism. Savira signed a license agreement with Roche which could trigger milestone payments up to € 240 million.

Therapeutic vaccines

On the basis of the company‘s own patent positions, AFFiRiS develops tailor-made peptide-based vaccines for Alzheimer‘s disease, atherosclerosis, Parkinson‘s disease, hypertension, di-abetes and several other conditions with unmet medical need and attractive market sizes. Alzheimer‘s is the current lead indication. For the Alzheimer‘s vaccine programme, a license and option agreement with GlaxoSmithKline was closed in October 2008, triggering an upfront payment of € 22.5 milli-on. The contract envisages (milestone-dependent) payments of up to €430 million. A first milestone payment of € 10 mil-lion was made in October 2009 followed by € 3.5 million as announced recently. AFFiRiS currently employs 85 highly qua-lified staff at the Campus Vienna Biocenter in Vienna, Austria.

Bug busters

With the development of penicillin, many people believed that the worldwide fight against bacterial infections was over. How wrong they were! Even in the early years, the first signs of antibiotic resistance were emerging. But the pharmaceu-tical industry looked the other way rather than develop new classes of antibiotics to challenge the development of resis-tance. Today we are confronted with the fact that antibiotic resistant pathogenic bacteria are emerging everywhere with no new therapeutic tools at hand. Nabriva Therapeutics is one of few biopharmaceutical companies developing a new class of antibiotics called pleuromutilins, specifically to address se-rious infections in humans caused by antibiotic resistant pa-thogens. The pleuromutilins interfere with bacterial protein synthesis by interacting with the 23S rRNA of the 50S bacteri-al ribosome subunit. This constitutes a novel mode of action that shows no cross-resistance with other classes of anti-biotics. Recent clinical Phase II data for Nabriva‘s lead pleuro-mutilin, BC-3781, have demonstrated proof of concept for the treatment of serious skin infections and bacterial pneumonia. Recently Forest Laboratories signed a collaboration agree-ment for BC-3781 amounting to USD 25 million.

Another pioneering Austrian company is taking a different approach to traditional antibiotics. Arsanis Biosciences is developing cocktails of highly potent human monoclonal antibodies which are involved in targeting multiple microbial antigens. The company‘s major focus is on life-threatening infections caused by antibiotic resistant pathogens, or which are associated with high mortality. Intercell has a vaccine in clinical trials against Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is re-sponsible for as much as 10% of hospital-acquired bacterial

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GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has signed li-censing deals with three Austrian bio-techs (Apeiron Biologics, Intercell and AFFiRiS) with potential revenue of up to € 783.6 million, of which € 70 million has been paid up front. About fifteen such deals are done every year and most re-cently GSK bought the exclusivity rights for an Apeiron Biologics project, current-ly undergoing clinical evaluation for the treatment of the acute respiratory distress

syndrome. GSK‘s strategic alliance with In-tercell is for the company‘s patch against pandemic flu (phase II). The biggest licen-sing-deal, for € 430 million, was with AF-FiRiS for vaccines against Alzheimer‘s di-sease. Further vaccines against Parkinson‘s disease, arteriosclerosis and hypertension are currently under development. Another big pharma player in Austria is Boehringer Ingelheim. A deal with potential € 1.26 bil-lion for f-star is the highest value license

agreement for an Austrian biotech com-pany. Boehringer Ingelheim is backing f-star‘s new antibody-derived therapeutic products, concentrating on seven target programmes, each worth up to € 180 mil-lion. In September 2011 f-star also signed a deal with Merck Serono to develop antibo-dies for inflammatory disease. Boehringer Ingelheim has also licensed the rights to commercialise Marinomed‘s nasal spray against common cold.

Big Pharma is actively participating in Austria

infections. It is undergoing a Phase II/III trial which, if suc-cessful, could lead to another valuable weapon in the fight against killer infections in the hospital setting.

Finally, natural substances, particularly those sourced from a marine environment, are an increasingly popular source of products with real utility as antibacterial or antiviral thera-peutics. SeaLife Pharma® is an innovative marine biotechno-logy company focusing on the discovery and development of new bio-active compounds. Their research is based on the chemical diversity of unexplored marine microbes and broad experience in the anti-infective area at all relevant levels from basic research to clinical development. At the moment SeaLife is pre-clinically developing its first lead group of 16 novel compounds filed in two patents against nosocomial bacterial infections. With other promising compounds in the pipeline, SeaLife will become a reliable partner for big phar-ma in the field of novel drug discovery and development.

Regenerative medicine

One consequence of severe bacterial infections can be dama-ged tissue in the form of wounds, ulcers or necrotic lesions around muscle or bone. Repairing that damage is one of the challenges of modern medicine and Austria has a few compa-nies that stand out in this field.

Tissue Med Biosciences (TMB) develops novel therapies for regenerative medicine based on human recombinant prote-ins. A unique human dendritic cell line established by TMB serves as platform for all developments. The company is focused on the development of its lead product, a biologic (TMBP-3) for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer. Other com-

pounds target musculoskeletal or cardiovascular diseases.

Cartilage damaged by injury or infection can lead to cripp-ling joint problems that until recently, could only be reme-died through synthetic joint replacement. However, there are regenerative approaches in development. Arthro Kinetics researches, develops, manufactures and markets biological implants in the field of regenerative medicine for the treat-ment of the human musculoskeletal system. The company‘s products to regenerate articular cartilage are CaReS – a pa-tented collagen type I matrix colonised with cells of the pa-tient – and CaReS-One Step – a cell-free, CE-marked implant based on the same collagen matrix as CareS.

Baxter is one of the world leaders in Biosurgery and pio-neers regenerative medicine through the use of stem cells in life-threatening chronic diseases. Building on more than 30 years of experience with Tissucol/TISSEEL fibrin sealant, interdisciplinary approaches have led to the development of innovative therapies with higher safety and efficacy profiles and improved ease-of-use characteristics. Novel biomaterials for haemostasis, orthopaedics, sealing, adhesion prevention, and tissue regeneration form a strong pipeline of products.

The Vienna-based AlgOss Biotechnologies was founded at the end of 2002 and since then has been focusing on the research, development and production of medical devices using marine red algae. The company is the first and only ma-nufacturer of bioactive, completely absorbable bone forming materials of plant origin that can be used in regenerative me-dicine. The products are inorganic calcium phosphate bioce-ramics in granular form that have a specific interconnecting porous microstructure.

TherapeuticsGlobal pandemics and local infections

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sible the natural gait. A milestone in the fitting of amputees, it allows individuals to walk naturally and even to participa-te in active sports like rollerblading, cycling or cross-country skiing. The latest innovation in lower limb prosthetics is „Ge-nium®“, the next generation prosthesis based on the expe-rience with the C-Leg® that provides even more functions and higher performance. Both prostheses are manufactured at the Ottobock branch in Vienna. As high precision devices with state-of-the-art microprocessors, they demand a multi-tude of precise components manufactured using carbon, sili-cone, high-alloy steels, high-tensile aluminium and titanium as well as specialised coatings and finishes. Such complexity requires access to and availability from first rate suppliers. Of the several hundred worldwide suppliers, that Ottobock has come to trust and rely on, over 50% are located within Aust-ria. The size, location, infrastructure and excellent transport networks within Austria also contribute significantly towards the speed with which Ottobock can receive key components from all its suppliers.

The hydraulic system is an essential component of C-Leg® and Genium which directly affects the function of the pros-thetic leg. The relatively small scale of the individual compo-nents must meet a high level of dimensional accuracy, sha-pe and position tolerances and surface requirements. The individual parts for this system are supplied by the Austrian companies Wild, MKE and Anton Paar ShapeTec. These out-standing manufacturers are able to perform delicate machi-ning operations for even the smallest components. Burr-free machining of high-precision components is vital for ensuring a trouble-free function. Circuit boards used for the electronic components in Ottobock‘s prostheses are produced by the Austrian company PIU-Printex.

Medical Technology Keeping a step ahead with Austrian components

Ottobock – an Austrian success story

Austria is one of the most important Ottobock locations with 480 employees, of whom a third are working in R&D. This site was responsible for the development of the C-Leg®, a micro-processor-controlled prosthesis, allowing users to perform near-perfect leg movements that resemble as closely as pos-

Ottobock, the world leader in prosthetics development and manufacture, has a net-work of sales and services of-fices in 44 countries around the world. Their mission is to restore an individual‘s quality of life through of high-tech devices that re-establish people’s mobility.

© Ottobock

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Medical TechnologyAustrian components

Another revolutionary new product, the TMR prosthetic arm, was developed at Ottobock‘s Austrian subsidiary in co-operation with both the Medical University of Vienna and Vienna General Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Eu-rope and a leader in the field of neuro-muscular reconstruc-tion. This novel prosthesis represents an enormous advance in prosthetics as it can be specifically controlled by those nerves which were originally responsible for controlling arm and hand movement. Even though the natural arm no lon-ger exists, the user can move the prosthesis according to his intent by evoking arm and hand movement patterns still

present in his memory. Prof. Dr. Manfred Frey and Prof. Dr. Oskar Aszmann (Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Sur-gery) performed the complex nerve transfer surgery for the first time outside the USA where the technique was pionee-red. This surgery creates the biological basis for the control of the TMR prosthetic arm by transferring the remaining arm nerves into the muscles of the chest. The TMR prosthesis enables the user to make more natural movements because the joints can be controlled intuitively and simultaneously as opposed to the one-at-a-time movements associated with standard prostheses.

MED-EL is a leading Austrian medical device company deve-loping hearing implant systems utilising its ground-breaking innovations and leading technology. Since hiring its first em-ployees in 1990 the company has experienced rapid growth and currently employs more than 1000 people in 28 offices in Europe, Asia, America and Australia – over 650 of them in the global headquarters in Innsbruck. MED-EL has launched more than ten ground-breaking product innovations that conside-rably improved the quality of life for patients with hearing loss. Innovation has been the name of the game from the start for this pioneering device producer. Some of the remarkable pro-ducts developed by MED-EL include:

> 1991 the first Behind-the-Ear speech processor > 1996 the thinnest Cochlea implant. > 2003 the first middle ear implant for slight to severe sensorineural hearing loss > 2009 middle ear implant system especially indicated for children> 2012 the world`s smallest and lightest audio processor

This strong and consistent focus on research and development has ensured that MED-EL currently holds a growing portfolio of about 800 patent documents. The constant stream of ideas and innovation enables MED-EL to expand its position in this dynamic market, consolidating its position as a world leader.

MED-EL – another Austrian success story

© Med-EL

The global ultrasound market is dominated by the Austri-an affiliate of GE Healthcare but also features a number of smaller Austrian companies, including suppliers that contri-bute to advancements in this field. With a focus on medical diagnostics, diagnostic visualisation and clinical IT systems, GE Healthcare Austria has around 250 employees. Originally founded in 1947 as Kretz Technik AG and acquired by GE Me-dical Systems in 2001, GE Healthcare has become one of the leading companies in this sector. GE Healthcare Austria has not achieved this position alone but rather through an inte-grated network of collaborating companies across Austria and beyond.

GE Healthcare Austria has pioneered 3D/4D gynaecologi-cal ultrasound devices. The manufacturing plant produces around 5000 ultrasound devices annually including GE‘s

ultrasound lead product, the Voluson® E8 which is manu-factured entirely in Austria for worldwide distribution. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus with 3D/4D technology is ex-clusively developed and manufactured by GE. The Voluson® E8 offers unprecedented image quality and image analysis, allowing for early and more accurate diagnosis. In order to develop such a ground-breaking new technology and bring it to market, even the big players in the industry are depen-dent on components and service. GE is no different in that respect, and in the case of Voluson® E8 they cooperate with some highly innovative and reliable Austrian businesses.

The easy availability of suppliers in Austria has served GE well. For example, the specially-adapted power supplies for Voluson® and other GE ultrasound technologies are supplied by Becom Electronic. This enterprising company founded in

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Medical Technology Imaging: a clearer view for better healthImaging: a clearer view for better healthMedical imaging has come a long way since X-ray tomography was pioneered in 1895. Today there are an increasing number of ways to gain detailed in-sights into pathophysiological proces-ses and diseased organs and Austria is contributing significantly by being at the very forefront of this research. Spe-cifically, Austrian scientists and indus-tries are leading the way in new deve-lopments for ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These are linked to IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic image management solutions, and state-of-the-art systems for capturing and processing images in hospitals and healthcare facilities.

© Werner Leutner

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Medical Technology Imaging

1984 is a leading Austrian contract manufacturer of bespo-ke electronic and electromechanical assemblies and devices. Similarly, Lenzing Technik, the engineering division of the Lenzing Group, is one of the principle suppliers of electronic components to GE Healthcare Austria. Annually, Lenzing pro-cesses around 50 million components in various designs and lot sizes. S.I.E. System Industrie Electronic is the main sup-plier of computer hardware for the operation of the units. Founded in 1994, S.I.E. has built a substantial reputation for supplying quality systems from customer-specific modules to turnkey devices.

Integrating all the components into viable units, two part-ners of GE come in to play: Allied Panels and Contec. Allied-Panels works with GE on system integration and high-level assembly of components and complete medical devices. In order to achieve efficient production, their collaboration be-gan in the early design process. Contec brings its expertise and extensive manufacturing know-how to bear on the deve-lopment and production process for the Voluson® E8 as well as assembly and test runs.

Finally, Akatech has been supplying 3D/4D ultrasonic probes to GE since 2001 either as components or as complete sys-tems such as the Voluson® Dock Cart which accommodates the Voluson® E8 mobile ultrasound device. These Akatech ultrasonic probes provide an especially clear visualisation which allows a more accurate diagnosis of complex obstetric and gynaecological examinations. The Voluson® Dock Cart also involves an isolating transformer, important for patient safety, and CD R/R or printing options for users. All in all, it took a remarkable coming together of suppliers within Aust-ria to produce a market-leading technology with GE.

Another internationally acclaimed imaging group has left its footprint in Austria. The Vienna affiliate of Agfa Health-Care with nearly 200 employees has a strong focus on de-veloping software for medical imaging (PACS = Picture Ar-chiving and Communication Systems) for the global market. Agfa‘s leading PACS product line IMPAX is being deployed

daily in more than 3,000 hospitals and diagnostic imaging centres worldwide. Another crucial focus of Agfa Health-Care Austria is the development of a full-scale hospital and clinical information system (HIS/CIS) branded as ORBIS. Agfa HealthCare‘s ORBIS suite is the by far leading HIS/CIS solution in the German speaking region and has been rolled out in other European countries like France, Belgium and UK. More than 950 hospitals, psychiatric and rehab clinics with nearly 500,000 users rely on ORBIS every day. Apart from R&D activities, Agfa HealthCare Austria consists of a sales and services organisation with a responsibility for more than 200 customers. In addition to the aforementioned companies, the AIT Aus-trian Institute of Technology also provides groundbreaking research services, e.g. in the area of molecular imaging. With the only microPET in Austria, its Health and Environment De-partment offers the unique opportunity to image small ani-mal models of human diseases. Data can be obtained non-in-vasively, repeatedly and quantitatively from the same animal. Current applications include a diverse field comprising meta-bolism and substrate utilisation in various vital organs such as the heart and brain, neurotransmitters, receptors and transporter proteins as well as in elucidating tumour biology (e.g. angiogenesis, hypoxia and proliferation). In recent research efforts, microPET has been applied to a wide area ranging from basic insights into normal physiology and disease processes to drug de-velopment and de-velopment of new radiotracers.

© GE-Healthcare Austria GmbH&Co OG

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Medical Technology The diversity of Austriandevice innovators

Recent advances in IT and materials have enabled the me-dical technology industry to develop new products that can dramatically improve patients‘ lives. The medical technology sector has been growing rapidly in the last 25 years and Aust-ria has been at the forefront of this revolution.

The Austrian Centre for Medical Innovation and Technology (ACMIT) commenced operations as a Comet K1 competence centre in April 2010 and is active in fundamental and applica-tion-oriented research in the field of medical technology. As a K1 centre, the consortium will involve more than 40 national and international partners from science and industry to plan and carry out its collaborative research projects. Research at

the centre includes minimally invasive procedures, medical ro-botics for needle-based interventions and restraint, integrated sensor technology and workflow, interfaces and simulations.

The following case studies focus on a small selection of the companies producing truly groundbreaking medical techno-logies in Austria:

Surgical instruments

Since it was set up 150 years ago, Carl Reiner has dedicated itself to the construction and development of state-of-the-art surgical instruments and equipment. Starting with the

© S-Cape® GmbH | St. Elisabeth Krankenhaus Leipzig

Medical devices and related technologies have always been a strong part of the life science industries in Austria. From large international device companies, individual businesses with a single device and multiple companies sup-plying parts and know-how, Austrian indus-try embraces every stage in the value chain.

manufacture of tonsil compressors based on Dr. Haslinger‘s model, the company‘s product range reached a high point with the innovative Twinstream respirator. Carl Reiner re-cently took the plunge into the global market with the first microprocessor-controlled unit for jet ventilation. This special ventilation technique was researched by Carl Reiner in coope-ration with the Vienna General Hospital and other partners. The special feature of this innovative procedure is that it ena-bles patients to be ventilated without a separate air tube. The space gained as a result is particularly important during operations on the lung or trachea when surgeon and anaest-hetist have to share access to the patient.

Jeder is a dental technology company in Vienna. Their prop-rietary Jeder®-System offers a minimally invasive way to do a sinus lift. A sinus lift is surgery that adds bone to the upper jaw in the area of the back teeth. A sinus lift is done when there is not enough bone in the upper jaw for dental implants to be placed. The conventional procedure for a sinus lift is very invasive and subjects the patient to great stress as a re-sult of substantial swelling, discolouration, and possibly pain. With the Jeder®-System however, it is possible to perform a sinus lift in a minimally invasive way by using high hydraulic pressure. During clinical studies, the technology has proven to be safe and effective and is currently being marketed.

Dialysis

Fresenius Medical Care Adsorber Tec (former Biotec Systems Krems) was founded as spin-off from Danube University Krems in 1999. After acquisition by Fresenius Medical Care, the site at the Technopol Krems was upgraded to a compe-tence centre for manufacturing and development of adsor-bents in the field of medical devices serving products for the treatment of liver failure, autoimmune disorders and severe hypercholesterolemia. The company has a special expertise in the development and production of adsorbents for ext-racorporeal blood purification. The systems are optimised in chemical nature, structure and surface constitution to at-tract specific toxins without affecting physiological solutes. Comparable to dialysis, the adsorbents are used to purify the patient‘s blood outside the body.

The Vienna-based Zytoprotec was founded in February 2007 and is a biotech company that specialises in cell protection and cell repair. The company‘s most advanced drug candidate PD-protec™ has successfully completed Phase I/II of clinical development to improve the survival of patients undergoing

peritoneal dialysis (PD), an effective treatment option for pa-tients suffering from end-stage renal disease or kidney failu-re. However, PD fluids currently damage the patients‘ perito-neum over time, limiting the time patients can survive on this treatment. PD-protec™ is designed to protect peritoneal cells from the degeneration caused by current PD fluids.

Robotics

tyromotion has become one of the world‘s leading suppliers of innovative, pioneering, robotics-supported rehabilitation devices sector. tyromotion is entirely home-grown and has developed associated products: the Amadeo® finger rehabili-tation system, the Pablo® System hand-arm-shoulder rehabi-litation system and the Timo® therapy plate. They guarantee targeted, holistic and successful training of upper extremi-ties and the whole body. The company also collaborates with other businesses around the world and won the prestigious Econovius award from the Austrian Economic Chamber of Trade, Commerce and Industry.

The independent and highly-specialised medical device ma-nufacturer iSYS Medizintechnik develops innovative robotic solutions for micro-invasive interventions in interventional radiology and interventional oncology. iSYS‘ core product,

Medical TechnologyDiversity of Austrian device innovators

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Medical Technology Diversity of Austrian device innovators

the iSYS 1, is the most advanced needle guidance platform for interventional procedures due to its compact design and high efficiency, thereby ensuring safety for both, the physici-an and patient.

Medical monitoring

g.tec medical engineering is another pioneering company advancing Austria‘s prowess in medical technologies. All hardware and software development is done in-house by a team of researchers, engineers and developers working on the same goal: EEG, ECG, EOG, EMG or even ECoG with the highest possible signal quality and a comfortable and fast montage of the electrodes. The first commercially available BCI system was developed by g.tec in 1999 and now this sys-tem is sold in more than 60 countries worldwide.

Cardiology

AFreeze uses cryotechnology for the treatment of cardiac ar-rhythmia. The company‘s technology is a device that shock-freezes tissue in the left atrium via a catheter, thereby elimi-

nating all three possible mechanisms of arterial fibrillation. In addition to collaborations with Innsbruck Medical University, UMIT (The Health and Life Sciences University in Tyrol) and industrial partners, AFreeze has a growing patent portfolio and is constantly refining its expertise in cryoablation thera-py of the heart.

EMCOOLS Medical Cooling Systems develops and markets novel non-invasive cooling devices to benefit neurologic out-comes after ischaemic events such as myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiac arrest. In worldwide pre-hospital and in-hos-pital settings, EMCOOLS products deliver a perfect synergy of a unique ease of use and a best-in-class product performance.

Miracor Medical Systems is commercialising a new techno-logy for improving outcomes for heart attack patients. Using an approach called Pressure-Controlled Intermittent Coro-nary Sinus Occlusion (PICSO), the method seeks to impro-ve blood flow in the heart tissue and improve overall heart function after a severe heart attack. More than 3 million patients are treated for restricted coronary blood flow every year. Of these, more than 350,000 patients have poor heart tissue blood flow (microcirculation) even after successful balloon angioplasty or stent placement. Miracor is dedica-ted to help these patients to a better recovery following a heart attack.

The above selection of companies gives a small flavour of the diversity of the Austrian medical technology industries. The scope of this publication means we cannot cover all the interesting and dynamic companies in Austria‘s burgeoning medical technology sector. But suffice it to say that Austria is easily one of Europe‘s leading sources of innovative medical technologies across the full breadth of applications.

It‘s not just the device producers that make the Austrian industry so strong. There are a whole range of suppliers, service companies and engineering ex-perts who contribute in a collaborative way to the success of the industry. For example, M&R Automation is a pioneer in high technology automated solutions

for production lines and part of the re-markable aggregation of enterprising engineering companies in Austria. Foun-ded in 1989 and currently with a staff of over 200, the emphasis is on technically high-value, cost-efficient solutions for a number of different industry sectors including medical technology. It was

this world-recognised expertise that led, in June 2011, to a key deal with Ro-che Diagnostics (Rotkreuz, CH) worth € 4.5 million. Under the terms of this deal, M&R Automation will provide Ro-che Diagnostics with high-tech produc-tion lines for various medical devices that Roche is developing.

A value chain of medtech suppliers all within Austria

APEPTICO is an innovative biotech company that develops new peptide-based drugs for the therapeutic and pro-phylactic treatment of severe and chronic diseases. The company‘s mission is to translate structural ele-ments of well-characterised proteins and biophar-maceuticals into pre-clinically and clinically validated peptides. All APEPTICO‘s products address highly profitable and growing markets.

Ergospectis an innovative medical device company specialised

in the development and production of MRI-compa-

tible ergometers for the examination of different

muscle groups and the musculoskeletal system. With

advanced MRI techniques, pathological alteration

masked and therefore underdiagnosed during rest

can be examined during stress or physical exercise.

The medical fields of applications are: angiography,

cardiology, neurology, orthopaedics, sports medici-

ne, vascular surgery or pharmaceutical compatibility

examinations.

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Ones to watch in Austria The pioneers of tomorrow

AMiSTec – antimicrobial surface

technology develops additives and composite materials pro-

viding germ-free surfaces. This novel technology

is based on the concept of the natural acidic layer

of the human skin. Several years of research have

produced a system of slightly acid surfaces against

germs. In terms of technical and economical aspects,

AMiSTec is several steps ahead compared to existing

systems (e.g. nano silver, copper, antibiotics, disinfec-

tants, biocides). It paves the way for the antimicrobi-

al endowment of several surface types and in many

applications. With an excellent cost/benefit ratio,

this system has the potential to revolutionise the

hygiene industry.

Bionorica Researchfounded in March 2005 as a subsidiary of Bionorica

SE, is a unique high-tech laboratory for phytoana-

lytics. The company‘s aim is to promote the research

and development of herbal drugs in traditional and

new indications for Bionorica. Bionorica is coopera-

ting with 500 universities and hospitals all over the

world to demonstrate the effectiveness, quality and

potential side effects of herbal medicines with inter-

nationally recognised pharmacological and clinical

studies.

CNSystemsis market leader in the field of non-invasive, continuous haemodynamic optimisation. They provide state-of-the art technology for syncope assessment and pacemaker optimisation in cardiology and internal medicine as well as in the research area. Their continuous, non-invasive blood pressure monitoring solutions including goal-direc-ted fluid management also significantly support current clinical routines in anaesthesia and perioperative care.

Austria has witnessed an extraordina-ry growth in the number of quality new companies coming on to the scene. Below is a small selection of the ones to watch.

Ones to watch in AustriaThe pioneers of tomorrow

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Ones to watch in AustriaThe pioneers of tomorrow

Hookipa Biotechis a start-up biotech company founded in Vienna in summer 2011. The company‘s mission is to develop in-novative vaccines for the prevention and treatment of various diseases, based on its proprietary VaxwaveTM technology. The technology presents a novel vaccine platform based on non-replicative viral vectors. It has been validated in different disease models and has become recognised as one of the most promising new strategies for next generation vaccines as it stimula-tes both long lasting and potent cellular and humoral immune responses. In October 2011 Hookipa raised € 7 million from internationally renowned venture capital investors. The company currently focuses on the deve-lopment of its lead vaccine candidate HB101 and plans to further industrialise the VaxwaveTM technology and build a robust pre-clinical product pipeline.

innovacell Biotechnologie AG is engaged in the clinical development and commer-cialisation of autologous (patients‘ own), minimally invasive, potentially curative („once-in-a-life-time“) cell therapies to re-establish functionality of sphinc-ter muscle in patients with stress urinary inconti-nence or faecal incontinence. Each product compri-ses an autologous myoblast cell suspension that is implanted by means of specifically designed, propri-etary and CE-marked injectors.

Microinnova launched the Flow Miniplant as a tool for develop-ment and small scale production in pharmaceutical and fine chemical companies – resulting in signifi-cant time and cost savings for clients. The engineers at Microinnova have constructed manufacturing equipment in continuous flow mode for companies like Novartis, Roche, SigmaAldrich and Sandoz. A cur-rent collaboration including Evonik-Degussa and the IMM Mainz are aiming to design the chemical plant of the future.

Labdiais a non-profit SME under the umbrella of the St. Anna

Cancer Research Organisation offering improved and no-

vel diagnostic methods with a focus on haemato-oncolo-

gy and infections. The company‘s current range of diag-

nostic techniques comprises a variety of molecular tests

including particularly qualitative and quantitative PCR as-

says, classical cytogenetics, FISH-analyses, MLPA-testing,

FACS-analysis and other related methodologies. Labdia is

a spin-off from the St. Anna CCRI, offering improved and

novel diagnostic methods with a focus on haematology,

oncology and infections.

MySugrhas developed a smart logbook that uses game-mecha-nics to keep people with diabetes motivated to take better care of themselves. The award winning start-up company found a creative way to connect health with social ga-ming. The app mySugr is still in alpha testing but is sche-duled to launch in 2012.

SCIOTEC Diagnostic Technologiesis a privately-owned independent company. Founded in 2004, SCIOTEC has since become one of Europe‘s players in the life sciences. Its focus in development and produc-tion is on the diagnosis and therapeutic support of food intolerances.

ProtAffinis developing more effective biopharmaceuticals using its unique understanding of the nature of protein-glycan interactions. The company‘s Cell-Jammer® discovery platform provides with an ad-ditional tool to down regulate the glycan-binding protein targets that may be difficult to address with monoclonal antibodies and small molecules.

PDC Biotechis a biotechnology company developing novel com-

pounds for the treatment of pre-term labour and

primary dysmenorrhoea, two areas of significant

unmet medical need. Both conditions are associa-

ted with excessive uterine contractility mediated

by prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α). The company‘s core

technology is a unique, proprietary family of prosta-

glandin F2α receptor (FP receptor) antagonists.

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Vascopsdevelops and markets innovative software solutions.

Their imaging products use patient-specific compu-

ter simulations to support the vascular physician‘s

decision making. The company‘s patented and pro-

ven technology allows rapid screening and detection

of patients that are at high risk for Aortic Abdomen

Aneurysm rupture. This is a life threatening event

which is among the top ten causes of death in in-

dustrialised countries. An award winning company,

VASCOP‘s software product is named A4clinics™.

Themis Bioscienceis a start-up biotechnology company developing vaccines to prevent infectious diseases. Themis‘ core technology, Themaxyn™ – a novel, patent-protected, innovative vaccine platform based on a novel viral vector – will be used to create novel vaccines. The company‘s first targets are the vaccines against the emerging dengue and chikungunya viruses, with the clear potential to expand to further indications.

Ugichemdevelops new proprietary gene silencing thera-peutics, the so-called Ugimers, which overcome all shortcomings of established gene silencing tech-nologies such as antisense oligonucleotides and siRNAs. In contrast to the latter, Ugimers are not de-rived from natural nucleic acids, but are exclusively designed towards function. As a result, Ugimers are able to target cells currently inaccessible to standard gene silencing technologies or even defined cellular compartments without the need for additional deli-very tools. Ugichem‘s mission is to establish Ugimers as a new class of top-grade medicines and further extend its Ugimer gene silencing technology into a therapeutic product platform dedicated to indica-tions based on altered gene expression.

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With an established and highly integrated industry, offering products and services underpinning production processes, Austria is in a strong position to compete in the world mar-ketplace for globalised life sciences.

To reinforce this already strong position, Austria recently founded two world-class research centres as an engine for enterprise: the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (ACIB) and the Research Centre Pharmaceutical Engineering (RCPE). The ACIB, with locations in Vienna, Graz and Inns-bruck, focuses on coordinating the applied biotechnological research of seven Austrian universities and around 30 inter-national companies. The Research Centre Pharmaceutical Engineering (RCPE) is an interdisciplinary research institute in the area of pharmaceutical process and product develop-ment located in Graz. The RCPE focuses on the development and production of pharmaceuticals using efficient, science-

based methods, as well as their manufacturing processes.

These research centres reflect the pioneering spirit of compa-nies across Austria active in pharmaceutical production. The many innovative technologies make processes more efficient, less costly and increases functionality, giving Austria the edge on the global stage. It is notable that while other countries have outsourced mainly to Asia, Austria is still self-sufficient. One of the biggest domestic producers is Sandoz, a market leader in generics and biosimilars. The company is renow-ned for its world-leading production of antibiotics, including being the only large scale provider of penicillin in the western hemisphere. One billion patients per year benefit from Sandoz drugs to treat diseases like tuberculosis or bronchitis.

SANOCHEMIA Pharmazeutika is a specialty pharmaceuticals company with its own production facilities and outstanding

Production and Platform Technologies Better, faster, cheaperAustria has a wide variety of companies providing enabling technologies across the whole value chain of production processes. These range from Good Ma-nufacturing Practice (GMP) know-how for setting up pharmaceutical plants to companies producing plasma, special enzymes and other biological subst-rates and even stem cell products for the repair of bones, cartilage or muscu-lar tissue. Close cooperation between universities, research centres and industry as well as highly trained and experienced experts ensure the highest quality.

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Production and Platform Technologies Better, faster, cheaper

levels of developmental expertise. The company is firmly es-tablished in the indication areas of neurodegeneration, pain, oncology and clinical diagnostics – all of which are characte-rised by high therapeutic demands and urgent need for inno-vative drugs to improve patient quality of life.

Serving the pharmaceutical value chain

With established drug developers comes a need for outside support from suppliers, service providers and platforms. Austria has met the challenge with a plethora of busines-ses and related service providers such as suppliers of clean rooms, preclinical research facilities, reagents, prion testing, essential basic materials including glassware right up to GMP plants and GCP quality assurance. There is enough diversity in the Austrian industry to build supplier networks that are ne-ver more than one flight hour apart and can truly be labelled „Made in Austria“. The following are just some of the really dynamic enabling technology companies supporting the whole value chain of pharmaceutical production in Austria.

A key requirement from global regulators is that drug deve-lopers comply with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in their production facilities. One of the oldest and best known companies supporting the construction and development of such facilities is Vogelbusch, founded in 1921. A worldwide provider of innovative solutions for the biotechnology in-dustry, Vogelbusch plans and builds plants for the biophar-maceutical industry for clients such as Baxter or Lonza, as well as bioprocess plants for sugar, starch and food proces-sors. The companies of the VTU Group have several years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. VTU Technology is a leading contract research and development company providing services for the fast-track generation of high per-formance, industrial protein production strains and proces-ses. VTU Engineering is an expert in the construction of phar-maceutical plants. VTU uses its technical know-how across a wide variety of areas such as API synthesis, fermentation with cells, blood plasma fractioning, lyophilisation or treat-ment of exhaust air.

The GMP manufacture of biological materials has to be con-ducted in such a way that no contaminants are introduced and the highest standards of biosafety are maintained. Vi-ruses, prions and unwanted bacteria all pose risks when manufacturing protein or cell-based therapies. Mycosafe and ViruSure both specialise in testing for contaminants, allowing quality assurance of the highest standard. Myco-

safe was founded in 2003 as one of the first businesses in Europe specialising in GMP-compliant quality control testing for the detection of mycoplasma contaminations. Since then the company has built up a vast expertise in the area of my-coplasma biosafety of cell cultures, virus stocks and related biopharmaceutical products and vaccines. ViruSure is a spe-cialist in virus and prion safety testing of biopharmaceutical products at GMP and GLP standards. This applies both to che-cking and keeping all required resources in the pipeline clean of contaminations and also removing potential infectious agents by an effective clearance strategy. In addition to cell line characterisation, ViruSure is offering cell banking as well as tumourigenicity and oncogenicity testing of cell lines.

Another specialist in the removal of prion and viral contami-nation is HÄMOSAN offering services in transfer and perfor-mance of purification protocols and validation experiments. In addition, the company has focused on practical training in clean rooms for both the biotech and hospital fields and of-fers support in quality issues (ISO 9001, 13485, GxP).

Evercyte focuses on the acceleration and cost reduction of drug discovery and development by introducing the concept of pharmacocellomics™. The company develops, manufactu-res and commercialises various single cell lines or panels of immortalised human cell strains for drug screening purposes. The high quality of Evercyte‘s products is secured by a pro-found scientific expertise in the usage of proprietary cell cul-ture media for the growth of innovative cells with in-depth documentation.

Other companies that deserve a mention include CAS Clean-Air-Service AG, a leading provider of services in the field of

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clean room measurement systems, Vidavis for electronic documentation and Ortner Reinraumtechnik for the deve-lopment of biopharmaceutical clean rooms. All of these com-panies and many more provide the infrastructure to support industrial production today and in the future.

For those companies looking to outsource production, Aust-ria has its own home-grown Contract Manufacturing Orga-nisations (CMOs) as well. Biomay, for example, is certified for GMP manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals such as re-combinant proteins, plasmid DNA, allergens and antibody fragments which are produced in E. coli or other microbial expression systems. In the field of plasmid DNA manufac-turing, Biomay offers CMO services which are based on Boehringer Ingelheim‘s validated pDNA production tech-nology. Another important player is Polymun which has just expanded operations with a brand new research and production site in Klosterneuburg near Vienna. Polymun is developing and manufacturing a whole range of biophar-maceuticals for its clients including GSK and Baxter as well as liposomal formulations for a constantly increasing num-ber of customers in Europe and North America. A family-

owned business since 1923, Riviera has developed from a one-man show into a sophisticated manufacturing firm. Production, bottling, raw material storage and wash rooms are tailored to integrate needs in a clean room functionali-ty and offer exceptional hygiene requirements according to the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). EUCODIS Biosci-ence, on the other hand, is an application-driven, enzyme-engineering company with customers in the pharmaceu-tical, biotechnology, diagnostics and other industries. The company manufactures and markets over 50 well-characte-rised enzymes worldwide with a renowned customer port-folio, including Sandoz.

At the very end of the pharmaceutical value chain, when products are ready to be positioned for the market, are com-panies such as ABF Pharmaceutical Services or the Assign Group. ABF is a GMP accredited specialist in labelling, pa-cking, storage and distribution of Investigational Medicinal Products as well as a provider of central lab services. Clinical trial management Phase I to IV, medical writing, data ma-nagement and IMP handling are handled by Assign and its subsidiaries in Germany, Hungary, Poland and Chile.

© One-A Engineering Austria GmbH

Austria has always excelled in the de-velopment of pioneering integrated collaborations with several organisa-tions coming together to deliver an outcome that is greater than the sum of their parts. One good example of this came when a recent collaboration was formed to develop a revolutionary miniature capillary reactor for the de-velopment of nanoparticles for use in

targeted drug delivery. This really is a cutting-edge development that should transform the development of many new products. Nanomedicine is seen to be the way forward in drug delivery, helping to increase the bioavailability of pharmaceutical products and ma-king them more effective. In this way, the technology should eventually help enhance the effectiveness of a whole

range of therapeutic products that, des-pite having effective active ingredients, currently have a poor delivery profile. The partners in this endeavour were the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences of the Karl-Franzens-University Graz, RCPE, one-A Engineering Austria, and Prager Elektronik. Each partner brought to the table a particular element of the wider project in a truly synergistic way.

Collaborating for innovation

Advanced Analytics and Diagnostics The diagnostic value chain

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As has already been noted earlier in this publication, the de-velopment of accurate diagnostic tests can save lives in fin-ding otherwise undetected illnesses early enough to make a difference.

Biomarkers

Biocrates Life Sciences has established itself as a leading company in the field of diagnostic biomarker research. The company identifies and quantifies endogenous metabolites in body fluids and tissue samples and further develops them into useful biomarkers. So far, a pipeline of metabolic biomar-kers for cancer but also for diabetes and kidney diseases has

been set up. Biocrates‘ experience in biomarker discovery has resulted in the development of the first mass-spectrometry-based metabolomics kits, AbsoluteIDQ® p150 Kit and Abso-luteIDQ® p180 Kit. The kit pipeline is being extended by ad-ditional research kits. Beside its own biomarker pipeline the company is supporting other research organisations in the development of their biomarker panels.

The key to the discovery of new disease biomarkers is the careful gathering and studying of biological materials deri-ved from patients with known medical conditions. Austria has been at the forefront of this „biobanking“ in Europe. For example, the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Biospecimen

The key to effective therapeutic interventions is often through early di-agnosis, and this has been greatly advanced in recent years through innovations in molecular diagnostics and personalised medicine. Aus-tria has been at the forefront of these developments, from the dis-covery of biomarkers through to the manufacture of equipment for IVD diagnostics and the actual handling of specimens for analysis.

Advanced Analytics and Diagnostics

The diagnostic value chain

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Research and Bio-banking Technolo-gies at the Medical University of Graz is working in collabo-ration with QIAGEN on new approaches and technologies in biobanking and bio-specimen research. Particularly, the collaboration fo-cuses on providing solutions to exploit the opportunities of next generati-on sequencing and metabolomics in the context of mo-lecular pathology.

The technologies developed and knowledge generated will also provide the rationale for a series of new diagnostics and therapeutic approaches.

Of particular note is the COMET-funded project BioPersMed – biomarkers for personalised medicine – at the Medical Uni-versity of Graz which is now in its second year. Researchers and the Biobank at the university are working in conjunction with industry focusing on finding biomarkers in common me-tabolic diseases such as cardiovascular, metabolic, bone and liver diseases. Among others, early results in paediatric type I diabetes have shown some very interesting data comparing immune response to vitamin D from healthy volunteers and children with type I diabetes. This has significant implications for targeted soft interventional treatments in children.

The diagnostic value chain

Once a biomarker has been identified, there are other techno-logies and services that have to be applied to make them into products with laboratory or clinical utility. Austria has many companies supporting the analytical process and providing tech-nologies to support every stage of the diagnostic value chain.

One of Austria‘s oldest and best known life science compa-nies is Greiner Bio-One, a world-market leader in the field of biotechnology, diagnostics and pharmaceuticals with a distribution network in more than 100 countries and about 1,700 employees. Greiner Bio-One is a global player in plas-

tics and laboratory supplies with special products for blood, urine and specimen collection. These products are important in pre-analytics where the collection, labelling, transport and storage of blood, urine or saliva forms the first part of the value chain in the diagnostic process.

Greiner Bio-One has been working in collaboration with the software-programming company Servolabs and the Elisa-bethinen Hospital in Linz to develop a dedicated tracking system to ensure the security of individual blood samples throughout the pre-analytical process. The tracking system is able to securely capture and process patient and specimen data in combination with bar-coded VACUETTE® sampling tubes. The result saves time and money through a reduced need for cumbersome paperwork and a consequent reduc-tion in errors and greater safety through a more efficient and fault free communication between labs and hospital units.

Another part of the value chain where Austria has a pivotal role to play is in the development of innovative diagnostic chip design. Lambda, a subsidiary of Greiner Bio-One, offers DNA-chip technology with a focus on detection and diagno-sis of bacteria and viruses. As well as the production of ready-to-use-kits, Lambda also has interests in developing its chips for use in food diagnostics and quality control products for the pharmaceutical industry.

Anagnostics is also a pioneer in the field of innovative dia-gnostic chip design with its proprietary hybcell technology for use in multiplex clinical and medical research diagnostics. The aim is to provide solutions for unmet needs especially in the fields of drugs or abuse screening, severe infections and diagnostics in the field of oncology. The hyborg analysis sys-tem that the technology is based on is a fully integrated and automated microarray based DNA and protein assay.

VBC Genomics Bioscience Research was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of the University of Vienna and as part of the Vien-na Biocenter. The company‘s core activities used to consist of five synergetic research areas of life science and diagnostics, genomic services, proteomics, biochip-technology and bio-informatics. After an acquisition by Phadia, the company was renamed to Phadia Austria and VBC Genomics‘ inno-vative biochip technology was combined with cutting-edge research in molecular allergology. Their proprietary product ImmunoCAP ISAC® is the most advanced in vitro diagnostic test for the measurement of specific IgE antibodies to aller-gen components. The Phadia group was recently acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific.

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Advanced Analytics and Diagnostics The diagnostic value chain

TissueGnostics is an EN ISO 13485:2003 certified Austrian medtech company with branch offices in Romania and USA, focused on high-end medical image analysis of tissue, cell and blood samples. TissueGnostics is on the cutting edge of science and technology. The company provides a new gene-ration of analysis tools for research and medical diagnosis and is the first manufacturer to offer a quantitative analysis of tissue sections and cell cultures by automated microscopy and state-of-the-art image analysis (including machine-lear-ning techniques). The company has a strong network within the industry and academia as well as strong Intellectual Pro-perty Rights covered by worldwide patents.

VASEMA is an innovative high-tech medical device company that develops and manufactures precision instruments for the detection and diagnosis of skin diseases. The earlier chan-ges in the skin can be detected, the better the chances are for the patient‘s recovery. The company is a certified manufac-turer of high-quality products based on its patented nano-sensor technology which stands for reliability, security and speed. VASEMA is characterised by outstanding innovation, top quality, direct customer relationships and strong perso-nal commitment.

Right down the value chain, Austria is innovating in diag-nostics and it is the interplay and business cooperation bet-ween these companies and some of the leading global diag-nostic companies that gives Austria such a pivotal position in this industry.

Molecular diagnosticsAn accurate and clear diagnosis forms the basis for the state-of-the art treat-ment of disease, and advanced molecu-lar diagnostics can give a clear window onto biomarkers and disease processes that enable accurate decisions to be made by the doctor. Austrian companies are producing world-leading analytical devices. In fact, in the near future special medical devices developed in Austria will even be used for the first human explo-rations of the planet Mars.

The German pharmaceutical company B. Braun is a pioneer in molecular diag-nostics and recently opened a develop-ment office in order to test a new gluco-se sensor. The optical glucose sensor is intended to reduce morbidity and mor-

tality in intensive care units and shorten ICU lengths of stay. The strict blood glu-cose monitoring enabled by the sensor in combination with an insulin treatment protocol makes this possible. High blood glucose is not just limited to people with a history of diabetes. Hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance are in fact very common in critically ill patients.

Another company pushing the bound-aries in this field is Ionimed, a medical device company with expertise in the detection and quantification of trace amounts of volatile organic compounds. Due to this specific knowledge, Ionimed has constructed analytical instruments based on the technique of proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometry

(PTR-MS) as well as the respective gas calibration equipment. This know-how is desired by the pharmaceutical industry for real time monitoring of fermentation processes.

Lexogen is developing a set of com-plementary technologies that present a breakthrough in the level of detail that RNA expression can be profiled. Lexogen‘s proprietary SQUARE techno-logy presents a unique, hypothesis-free approach to reduce the complexity of the transcriptome and empowers Next Generation Sequencing technologies to sequence and quantify all splice variants in which genes are expressed. Lexogen‘s SQUARE technology will provide unpre-cedented insight in molecular pathways.

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Life Science Austria (LISA) promotes the Austrian life science sector on the international stage and is the first point of call for enquiries relating to it. Austrian life science is renowned for its sustainable growth, taking a lively, creative and highly innovative approach rooted in world class engineering and science. Organised through the regional life science clusters, LISA represents companies in the therapeutic, medical tech-nology and diagnostic sectors as well as providers of enab-ling technologies and related service companies located in the following regions:

Lower Austria (ecoplus) Styria (Human.technology Styria) Tyrol (Life Sciences Cluster Tirol) Upper Austria (Health Technology Cluster) Vienna (LISAvienna)

LISA is committed to the development, growth and prospe-rity of the Austrian life science industries as a leading com-ponent of the Austrian economy. On the international front, LISA also works towards Austria becoming known worldwide for the excellence of its life science sector.

In the home market, LISA is a resource for all life science com-panies within and all companies wishing to relocate to Aust-ria. We see our role in helping companies make connections locally and further afield. We also play a big part in helping new companies get started through our PreSeed and Seedfi-nancing funding programmes. Every two years, we run a life science business plan competition BOB Best of Biotech as our way of fostering a culture of excellence.

For more information, please visit: www.lifescienceaustria.atOr contact LISA directly:T: +43 1 501 75 510E-Mail: lisa@awsg.at

LISA: Committed to the prosperity of Austrian life sciences

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Contact to regional clusters:

ecoplus/Technopol programme Magnesitstraße 1A-3500 Krems T +43 2732 874 70 230Email: technopol-krems@ecoplus.atwww.ecoplus.at

Gesundheits-Cluster/Health Technology Cluster Hafenstraße 47-51A-4020 LinzT +43 732 798 105 156Email: gesundheits-cluster@clusterland.atwww.gesundheits-cluster.at

Human.technology Styria Reininghausstraße 13A-8020 GrazT +43 316 587 016Email: office@human.technology.atwww.human.technology.at

LISAviennaUngargasse 37 A-1030 ViennaT +43 1 501 75 358Email: office@LISAvienna.atwww.LISAvienna.at

Standortagentur Tirol/Cluster Life Sciences TirolIng.-Etzel-Straße 17 6020 InnsbruckT +43 512 576 26 248Email: petra.stoeckl@standort-tirol.atwww.standort-tirol.at/ls

© Standortagentur Tirol

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LISA is run by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (AWS) on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economy, Family and Youth.

The author reserves the right not to be responsible for the topicality, correctness, completeness or quality of the information provided. Liability claims regarding damage caused by the use of any information provided, including any kind of information which is incomplete or incorrect, will therefore be rejected. A PDF version of this brochure is available at www.lifescienceaustria.at

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