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NEWSLETTER
December, 2017
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EDITORIAL |
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Happy 20th for Genopole
2018 marks a special milestone for Genopole : We are turning 20 !
That calls for celebration, and to mark this anniversary we will be organizing a series of special events in 2018.
I have only taken my tenure as CEO in February 2017, and can obviously not claim any credit for Genopole's achievements so far, but the biocluster ought to be proud of its metrics.
As our prefix indicates, Genopole is focusing on genomics-driven R&D and genomics-derived innovation, and has become a reference in Europe. Looking back on the last two decades, the progress in life sciences is mind boggling, with a whirlwind of discoveries and significant developments.
In 1998, expressions like proteomics, microbiomics, metabolomics,transcriptomics, induced pluripotent stem cells, nanotechnology, big data, AI, personalized medicine - to name a few - didn't mean much in practical terms.
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Today, those technologies and topics are marking a true paradigmatic shift in how we see the future of medicine, as well as in what biotechnology means for environmental, chemical, and ag-food applications. As you will read below, Genopole is closing 2017 with a very happy development, as Illumina is opening its first commercial and customer training center in France, on our premises.
Genopole’s major 20th birthday celebration will be a one-day conference in the autumn of 2018 on the convergence of technologies as applied to life sciences. We are currently working on this event and the program committee welcomes all suggestions.
More immediately, and more to the point on these last days of 2017, I want on behalf of all our staff at Genopole to wish our readers a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018.
Jean-Marc Grognet, CEO
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WHAT'S NEW AT GENOPOLE |
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Genopole Young Biotech Award 2017
The latest edition of the Genopole Young Biotech Award was held on December 7.
The five companies still in the race pitched their projects in front of a jury composed of venture capitalists, industry representatives, entrepreneurs and Genopole.
The results were announced at a ceremony gathering all the sponsors of the Award as well as actors of Parisian innovation ecosystem. After an inspiring talk on the 4th industrial revolution and the importance of biotech and cleantech in this revolution, Jean-Marc Grognet proclaimed True Spirit as the winner of this year’s edition.
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This company is developing a portable device for wine analysis. The award comes with a €100,000 prize, including €30,000 in cash, 6 months of free rent in the biocluster, integration in our Booster program as well as various studies covering market, legal, IP, pitch, and communication aspects.
Given the high-quality of the nominees’ projects, the jury also decided to award two special prizes : one to the company “Les nouveaux affineurs” that is making gourmet vegan cheese and one to Oikos Sphere that is providing a local and innovative fertilization solution to farmers. Genopole would like to thank its sponsors including Chimex, a L’Oréal subsidiary who has accompanied us throughout the process.
We are looking forward to what these 3 laureates will do in 2018 once they settle in the Genopole ecosystem.
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NEWS FROM THE BIOCLUSTER COMPANIES |
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First Batch Delivered to L’Oréal by Global Bioenergies
Global Bioenergies announced delivery of a first batch of sustainable cosmetic ingredients to L’Oréal.
It was produced as part of the ISOPROD project, supported by the French State’s Investments for the Future Program.
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EVENTS |
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Annual Technology Platform Day at Genopole
Genopole held its 5th annual “Technology Platform Day” (TPD) on October 17 at which gathered over 150 participants. TPD is a special day in Genopole’s calendar as it features personnel from its own R&D infrastructures and technology platforms, but also includes representatives from important regional research institutes.
Franck Lethimonnier, Director of the Health MOTI (Multi-Organisations Thematic Institute) of AVIESAN, provided the keynote address on the development of France’s personalized medicine program (called Plan France Médecine Génomique 2025, or FMG-2025). |
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AVIESAN is the Alliance pour les sciences de la vie et de la santé, or Alliance for the Health and Life Sciences, which is the national association of all the large public health research organizations in France. AVIESAN is the promoter and manager of FMG-2025. Its Reference, Innovation, Expertise, Training and Transfer Center (or CREFIX) will soon open at Genopole’ National Research Center on Human Genomics under the leadership of Dr. Jean-François Deleuze.
TPD speakers also included Dr Amine Chellali who presented Université d’Évry/Paris-Saclay’s virtual surgical simulation laboratory for training surgeons to work under stressful conditions.
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Genopole at the International Economic Forum of the Americas
Genopole and CEO Jean-Marc Grognet were invited to participate in the International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA), that held its first event in Paris on the premises of the OECD, on December 7-8. |
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This is the first time that the IEFA holds a conference outside North Americas, and besides the World Strategic Forum in Miami held in April this year, the Conference of Montreal in June, and the Toronto Global Forum in October. The Paris program covered a range of topics from the global economy, the development of artificial intelligence, technological innovation, ecological transition, Europe’s future, and economic development in the French-speaking world.
A number of key global decision-makers spoke at the Conference de Paris, including representatives from the Bank of France, Sanofi, ENGIE, Allianz Capital Partners, BNP Paribas, L’Oréal, UNESCO, Suez, and Total.
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REAL ESTATE |
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Illumina Opens First Commercial and Customer Training Center in France
Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) announced on November 29, 2017 the opening of its Solutions Center on the Genopole Campus in Évry, near Paris.The leading-edge customer training center will offer demonstrations, instruction, and education in the latest genomics technologies from Illumina for up to 1,000 scientists a year, providing direct links to Illumina’s global network of facilities and in-house experts. |
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The center will also accommodate Illumina’s first commercial office on the European continent to provide support in the development of skills for the expanding genomics industry in France. |
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NETWORKING |
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Come and Meet Genopole Enterprises at Biotech Showcase 2018
Genopole Enterprises will be present at the 10th Annual Conference of Biotech Showcase on January 08-10, 2018 in San Francisco. Come and meet our International Project Manager, Laurent Pépin, to learn more about the Genopole Biocluster and opportunities to develop your business in the Paris area.
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This event provides private and public biotechnology and life sciences companies with an opportunity to present to, and meet with, investors and pharmaceutical executives in one place during the course of one of the industry’s largest annual healthcare investor conferences (JP Morgan).
Investors and biopharmaceutical executives from around the world gather in San Francisco during this bellwether week which sets the tone for the coming year. |
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UPCOMING |
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Le Génie des Gènes – Soon in English Version
As mentioned by our CEO in the Editorial, Genopole will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018. On this occasion, Genopole has worked on the publication of “Le génie de gènes”.
The book (in French) speaks of the general context at the time of the creation of Genopole, achievements over the years by research scientists and entrepreneurs on the site, along with a review on significant advancements in fundamental genomics and applications in healthcare and environment.
The book will also be released in its English version during this special anniversary year.
We’ll keep you posted in its publication date.
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AND ALSO |
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Telethon : A Remarkable Display of Solidarity Against Rare Diseases
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This year, the Telethon, a French 30-hour live TV show, watched by more than 13 million people, reached the result of €75.6 million of pledges.
This popular annual event, organized since 1987 by the AFM-Telethon association aims at collecting funds to develop innovative treatments to cure genetic, rare and disabling illness.
Learn more about the AFM-Telethon Association |
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