BioWorld International Correspondent

DUBLIN, Ireland - EI Bio, the biotechnology commercialization arm of the economic development agency Enterprise Ireland, kicked off an industry-led R&D program by funding two consortia that will develop generic technologies for the biodiagnostics and biopharmaceutical manufacturing sectors, respectively.

The "BioIndustry-led" research program comprises a cooperative research effort on the part of multiple academic institutions, working on problems identified by a panel of industry representatives.

"Both of these projects are going to tackle broad needs within the industry," EI Bio director Paul Roben told BioWorld International. The projects are funded by EI Bio, and the resulting intellectual property will belong to it and the participating institutions, rather than the companies.

"They don't have any cash on the table, which means they don't have pre-emptive rights," Roben said. The companies will, however, have first view of the developing technologies through their participation in an industrial advisory board that will monitor progress. Those involved include Elan Corp. plc, of Dublin; Wyeth, of Madison, N.J.; Biotrin International Ltd., Deerac Fluidics Ltd. and Omega Research Ltd., all of Dublin; Cork-based Luxcel BioSciences Ltd.; and Naas-based Enfer Scientific Ltd.

Dublin City University (DCU) is leading a consortium that aims to develop within 18 months a prototype platform for delivery of immunodiagnostic assays in point-of-care settings.

"We're taking a range of technologies that are available in the Irish academic system and combining them in a single generic platform," Tony Killard of DCU told BioWorld International. That includes antibody production and immunoassay development at the National University of Ireland, Galway; microfluidics technology at the University of Limerick; "high-brightness" nano-particulate labels, developed at DCU; metalloporphyrin labeling technology developed at University College Cork (UCC); and fabrication capabilities at the Tyndall Institute at UCC. A Tyndall spinout, Cork-based SensL Technologies Ltd., also is supplying optical detection capabilities, while Omic AB, of Uppsala, Sweden, is supplying additional fluidics technology.

University College Dublin (UCD) is leading the biopharmaceutical manufacturing project, which aims to integrate and automate sampling technologies for use in animal cell culture systems. It has been informed by the FDA's Process and Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative, the aim of which is to improve understanding and control of the manufacturing process. The aim, UCD's Brian Glennon told BioWorld International, is to establish in-line and at-line sampling technologies as routine techniques in biopharmaceutical manufacturing environments. "They're [currently] regarded as exceptional and unusual," he said. The other participants include UL, UCC, the Tyndall Institute and DCU.

A major aim of the overall initiative, Roben said, is to foster collaboration between industry and universities. Ireland has in recent years substantially increased spending on university research. EI Bio now is looking at opening up commercialization pathways for some of that research. Outputs from the current projects will be available for licensing. Start-ups would represent another potential route, Roben said.

Funding for the first two projects is relatively modest. Each is receiving around €1 million (US$1.3 million). But EI Bio already is planning a much larger initiative based around functional food research, which will involve Ireland's four largest dairy processors. That will receive around €10 million funding spread over five years, he said.