BioTech trends in Bavaria

Interdisciplinarity and high research intensity are typical for the BioTech industry. Therefore, it is not surprising that companies and start-ups with a link to public and private research institutions thrive particularly well. The five Bavarian BioTech Hubs Munich, Straubing, Regensburg, Würzburg and the Nuremberg metropolitan region are therefore among the leading locations in the industry in Germany. The clusters there provide excellent conditions in terms of sharing knowledge and technology transfer, as well as good access to the employment market, specialist suppliers and last but not least sales markets.

Important trends and topics at the Bavarian BioTech Hubs
 

1. Personalised medicine

The Munich region, under the leadership of BioM participated successfully in the “Federal Government’s Top Cluster Competition" with the "m4 - Personalised Medicine and Targeted Therapies” concept. It has taken a pioneering role with this issue since then. For example, one of the most comprehensive European programmes for personalized medicine in recent years has been implemented with 60 projects and a total volume of more than EUR 80 million.  Biomarker-based therapeutic development and diagnostics that can identify such biomarkers are therefore the standard and basis for a product pipeline that is unprecedented in Germany. The m4 Award has also launched a competition that roots out ideas from science and hospitals that are ready for inception and supports them financially and with the necessary expertise too.

2. Digitising medicine

The digitisation of medicine is an important prerequisite to fully exploit the potential of personalised medicine. Research data from medical centres and research institutes must be integrated into the big data analysis in order to gain new insights, a topic that BioM is constantly promoting in Munich and Bavaria. At the end of October 2018, BioM was commissioned to coordinate the “DigiMed Bayern” project. DigiMed Bayern should contribute to the development of personalised medicine in the field of cardiovascular diseases. The Bavarian Ministry of Health is funding the medical digitisation project with EUR 20 million over 5 years. The flagship project as part of the BAYERN DIGITAL programme focuses on the widespread disease of atherosclerosis, which is the most common fatal disease in Germany. The scientific director of the project is the German Heart Centre Munich (DHM).  The project exploits existing clinical and epidemiological data and adds comprehensive molecular characterisation to them, using so-called "omics technologies" genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics in particular. Good collaboration has also been established with the Zentrum für Digitalisierung Bayern (ZD.B) and the integrated "Digital Health / Medicine" platform, which works closely with the Cluster Medical Valley in the European Metropolitan Region of Nuremberg in turn."

3. Immunotherapy

Bavaria also has outstanding expertise in the field of immunotherapy / immuno-oncology. This research and treatment approach aims to activate and use the individual immune system of patients with diseases requiring special medical treatment. Immunotherapy can not only be used to treat cancer, but also promises a permanent cure for the first time. A whole series of companies has developed in Bavaria in the last few years, which have aroused great investor interest. BioM has set up the ImmPact Bavaria business network to pool the expertise of these companies and network with scientifically strong centres throughout Bavaria. Other local initiatives in this field, e.g. the Regensburg Centre for Interventional Immunology or research groups from the University of Würzburg and Erlangen-Nuremberg are important players in this field.

More information about BioTech and Life Sciences can also be found on our industry page.