L’héritage d’Henrietta Lacks

Many developments in biology and biotechnology have relied on the HeLa cell line, originally derived in 1951 from a Black cancer patient without her knowledge. This origin became generally known at the turn of the century, and the patient’s descendants have sought and obtained some recognition and some control but little compensation. They have now retained two famous attorneys to sue a biotech firm for very extensive damages, with more legal action planned against other companies. This may have important repercussions for the biotech industry, and raises complex issues regarding ownership of biological material and compensation to patients from whom these materials have been obtained.

Towards Digitalization in Bio-Manufacturing Operations: A Survey on Application of Big Data and Digital Twin Concepts in Denmark

Digitalization in the form of Big Data and Digital Twin inspired applications are hot topics in today's bio-manufacturing organizations. As a result, many organizations are diverting resources (personnel and equipment) to these applications. In this manuscript, a targeted survey was conducted amongst individuals from the Danish biotech industry to understand the current state and perceived future obstacles in implementing digitalization concepts in biotech production processes. The survey consisted of 13 questions related to the current level of application of 1) Big Data analytics and 2) Digital Twins, as well as obstacles to expanding these applications. Overall, 33 individuals responded to the survey, a group spanning from bio-chemical to biopharmaceutical production. Over 73% of the respondents indicated that their organization has an enterprise-wide level plan for digitalization, it can be concluded that the digitalization drive in the Danish biotech industry is well underway. However, only 30% of the respondents reported a well-established business case for the digitalization applications in their organization. This is a strong indication that the value proposition for digitalization applications is somewhat ambiguous. Further, it was reported that digital twin applications (58%) were more widely used than Big Data analytic tools (37%). On top of the lack of a business case, organizational readiness was identified as a critical hurdle that needs to be overcome for both Digital Twin and Big Data applications. Infrastructure was another key hurdle for implementation, with only 6% of the respondents stating that their production processes were 100% covered by advanced process analytical technologies.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health – Founding A National Biomedical “Innovation Ecosystem”

With its unique system of intramural and extramural research programs, funding for academic and corporate product development, along with its supporting foundations, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a vibrant public “innovation ecosystem” that has changed not only the face of healthcare, but has also led to the creation of the biotech industry in the U.S. Whether your interest in the overall healthcare environment is scientific, medical, educational or commercial, there is something here for you.

Trends of the German biotech market

Over the past few years, biotechnology has become one of the most promising sectors of the economy. The biotech industry has been a vital instrument in developing and supplying COVID-19 vaccines in record time. The article discusses global trends in technology development in this area. The major players in the global biotechnology market have been identified, and the positions of Germany have been determined. The authors defined a crucial role of the biotech sector in German innovation and discuss the main trends in the growth of the German biotechnology market with a volume forecast of biotechnology output in Germany for 2020–2023.