OpenTrons: Open-Source Rapid Prototyping for Biology

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Accelerating research with open, affordable, & easy-to-use lab robots. We empower people to innovate with biotech.

OT.One

This is the OT.One liquid handling robot, the core of OpenTrons' rapid-prototyping platform for biotech. Shown below with a standard single channel micropipette:

This video shows some of the upgrades available to the OT.One -- the OT.MagWash station for magnetic micro-bead washes, a multi-channel micropipette, and on-board camera (see below for details on the Starter Kit and Pro Upgrade).

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Accelerate your research! 

Biologists today spend too much time moving around tiny amounts of liquid by hand. Micropipetting is a repetitive, error-prone, time consuming task, and it is slowing down research.

Pipetting got you down?

The OT.One does pipetting for you so you can focus on moving your project forward. Lower your error rate, free up your time, accelerate your research.

Let OpenTrons take care of the pipetting for you!

Testimonial from a cancer researcher.

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Synbio Starter Kit! 

Not a scientist? No problem! Our Synbio Starter Kit can get you up and running with synthetic biology!

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Together with Synbiota, we put together a kit that lets you run the "hello world" of synthetic biology -- assemble a DNA design from modular genetic blocks, and boot it up in a bacteria to make it glow red under a blacklight!

The Synbiota kit includes four Genomikon DNA Blocks: 

• an Anchor, 
• a Linker,
•  a red florescent protein gene copied from pink choral, and 
• a Cap that completes the plasmid. 

The kit also includes a standard p200 micropipette, and the OT.MagWash DNA assembly station (video above). You can assemble the DNA either by hand or with an OT.One!

OT.One Backer Options

OT.One backers have three options, the Standard Kit, the Getting Started Kit (add +$100 to the backer level), and the Pro Upgrade (add +$500 to the backer level). 

Standard Kit

Robotics:

• Raspberry Pi on board with wifi, BLE. 
• OpenTrons open-source NodeJS software bundle. 
• Industrial grade aluminum chassis. 
• Measures 2ft x 2ft x 2ft, approx. 60lbs. 
• 100 micron XYZ accuracy with the Smoothieboard Open Hardware 5x stepper motor controller. 

Workbench:

• 15 SPE well-plate capacity. 
• 100% aluminum for easy sterilization. 
• Quick-snap mounting system. 

Liquid Handling:

• Single motor mount for standard hand micropipette, single- or multi- channel. 
• Microliter accuracy, every time.

Getting Started Kit - add $100 to an OT.One

Synbiota "Hello World" 

• Run the "hello world" of synthetic biology -- assemble a DNA design, and boot it up into a bacteria to see it glow!
• Four-part Genomikon block DNA kit, Anchor, Linker, red flouecient protein gene copied from a pink choral, and a cap to complete the plasmid. 
• Lab-safe, non-toxic strain of e. coli, to transform and make glow!
• All the reagents and labware you need for the protocol. 

Standard p200 Micropipette

• Pre-fitted with OpenTrons hardware for easy and precise mounting to the OT.One.

OT.MagWash Station

• Automate magnetic micro-bead wash steps for Genomikon DNA assembly. 

Pro Upgrade - add $500 to an OT.One

Dual Pipette Mount:

• Attach a second standard micropipette, single- or multi- channel. 
• Run protocols requiring two different micropipettes in the same job. 

8-Channel Micropipette

• Eight transfers at a time for high-throughput and multiplexed protocols. 
• Pre-fitted with OpenTrons anchor hardware for easy and precise mounting to the OT.One. 

On-Board Camera

• Open for your development! 
• Future applications include job monitoring, auto positioning, colony picking, process confirmation, etc. 

Mix.Bio

• Mix.Bio is the first ever community for the peer-to-peer development of open-source automated biology protocols.

Design, share, and run protocols on Mix.Bio!

This is a video tour of Mix.Bio.

Mix.Bio lets you easily design protocols in the browser. Drag and drop tools, commands, and locations to put together OpenTrons jobs, then share them with your peers. Or, search through protocols others made and download one to run yourself! 

OpenTrons is full Open-Source! 

We stand on the shoulders of giants -- thanks especially to the Smoothieware team for such an awesome motor controller!

Full Open-Source -- Hardware, Software, Science

Friends and Partners

Risks and challenges

Learn about accountability on Kickstarter

Manufacturing is always a challenge, but it is one we are prepared for. We spent the summer in Shenzhen, China, where we solidified a network of suppliers and manufacturers that we know will deliver quality, affordable robots starting in April 2015.

We also avoided parts in the OT.One that require difficult, time-intensive custom tools and molds to make. That makes manufacturing much less complicated, and is one of the main reasons we are so confident we can start shipping to early-bird backers in April.

Also, we are part of Haxlr8r, a hardware accelerator in Shenzhen, and are working with Seeed Studio, the open-hardware facilitator, for manufacturing. Both Hax and Seeed have tons of experience delivering on Kickstarter campaigns, and we are excited to be a part of their awesome network!

Manufacturing is never easy, but we are as prepared as possible to deliver quality robots starting in April!

ORIGINAL: KickStarter

by OpenTrons

Synthetic biology - what should we be vibrating about?: Drew Endy at TEDxStanford

Drew Endy is an associate professor of bioengineering and member of the faculty of the Center for International Security and Cooperation. Drew Endy helped start the newest engineering major, bioengineering, at both the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford. His research teams pioneered the redesign of genomes and invented the transcriptor, a simple DNA element that allows living cells to implement Boolean logic. In 2013, President Barack Obama recognized Endy for his work with the BioBricks Foundation to bootstrap a free-touse language for programming life. He has been working with designers, social scientists and others to transcend the industrialization of nature, recently co-authoring Synthetic Aesthetics (MIT Press, 2014).

ORIGINAL: TEDxStanford
Jun 5, 2014

Colombia: Minsalud ya firmó el decreto sobre medicamentos biotecnológicos

Si el Presidente lo suscribe, contenido de la controvertida norma se daría a conocer este miércoles.

Foto: Archivo / el tiempo

Biotecnológicos son aquellos que resultan de la manipulación de organismos vivos (células, bacterias y tejidos).

El ministro de Salud, Alejandro Gaviria, le aseguró a EL TIEMPO que el decreto de regulación de medicamentos biotecnológicos ya tiene su firma y está a la espera de la del presidente Juan Manuel Santos para ser expedido. Si supera este requisito, el contenido de la controvertida norma se daría a conocer este miércoles. (Lea también: Estados Unidos, preocupado por biotecnológicos, camiones y etanol)

El texto es fruto de varios años de debate y cinco borradores que han sido debatidos ampliamente por las partes interesadas; pese a eso, las multinacionales farmacéuticas siguen inconformes con algunos puntos, fundamentalmente con la llamada ‘ruta abreviada’.

Para entenderlo hay que decir que los biotecnológicos son aquellos que resultan de la manipulación de organismos vivos (células, bacterias y tejidos), mediante tecnologías muy avanzadas, y que se usan para tratar enfermedades como cáncer, artritis y otros males degenerativos. (Lea también: Proponen que bloqueo a genéricos sea delito de lesa humanidad).

Se trata de fármacos innovadores y costosos, cuyo mercado durante el primer semestre del 2014 representó el 20 por ciento del gasto farmacéutico nacional, aun cuando solo representan el 1 por ciento de todos los registros de fármacos vigentes en Colombia.

Quienes los crean aseguran que por sus características (derivados de organismos vivos) es imposible obtener medicamentos exactamente iguales, razón por la cual no podrían copiarse, sino obtener, a lo sumo, biosimilares.

Al no ser idénticos a los de la referencia, los biosimilares deben demostrar, con estudios clínicos comparativos, que tienen perfiles parecidos –en eficacia, potencia y seguridad– a los innovadores. Y esos no son procedimientos sencillos.

Para todos los biotecnológicos, el Ministerio de Salud propone en el decreto tres vías de registro: 

• la del innovador, que debe presentar evidencia clínica completa sobre sus beneficios, eficacia y seguridad; 
• la de los medicamentos altamente parecidos al fármaco de la referencia, cuyos fabricantes deben probar su biosimilitud, y 
• la ‘ruta abreviada’.

Esta ruta permite caracterizar moléculas al punto que se puede decir si una es similar a la otra mediante un proceso técnico, sin tener que hacer estudios clínicos en humanos. Se parte del hecho de que la molécula ya está estudiada.

Las multinacionales son contrarias a esta vía, porque consideran que por ella pueden colarse fármacos que no ofrecen la misma eficacia y seguridad. En el extremo opuesto están quienes aseguran que este argumento solo busca mantener el monopolio sobre los biotecnológicos y los precios altos.

Las dudas sobre la ‘ruta abreviada’ o ‘tercera vía’, y otros aspectos del decreto, fueron resaltadas por la Administración de Medicamentos y Alimentos de Estados Unidos (FDA), en una carta al Ministerio de Salud a la cual respondió Alejandro Gaviria, con otra misiva, dirigida a Margaret A. Hamburg, comisionada de la FDA.

En ella, el Ministro aclara las dudas de la agencia reguladora de ese país y acepta hacer algunos ajustes. No obstante, hace énfasis en que la ‘ruta abreviada’ responde a procesos que se ajustan al rigor técnico científico –de manera que evitan cualquier riesgo para la población– y en que, en términos generales, el decreto coincide con las perspectivas que sobre el tema tiene la propia FDA.

ORIGINAL: El Tiempo

Por: SALUD

14 de septiembre de 2014

Venter's New Goal: World's Largest Sequencing Operation

Dr. Venter is founder, chairman, and CEO of the J. Craig Venter Institute. [Industrial Biotechnology]


J. Craig Venter, Ph.D. and two co-founders today launched a genomics and cell therapy-based diagnostic and therapeutic company that he vowed will assemble the world’s largest human gene sequencing operation, using $70 million in Series A financing.

Human Longevity Inc. (HLI) says it will compile the most comprehensive and complete human genotype, microbiome, and phenotype database – with plans to sequence up to 40,000 human genomes per year, then quickly scape up to 100,000 human genomes per year. HLI will sequence a variety of people, both healthy and ill, from children to centenarians.

Both the sequencing operations and the new company’s efforts to help develop cell-based therapeutics are aimed at addressing aging-related diseases.

HLI will initially focus its clinical sequencing efforts on cancer, and will look to identify therapeutic solutions for cancer as well as other aging-related diseases, such as diabetes and obesity, heart and liver diseases, and dementia.

“HLI is going to change the way medicine is practiced by helping to shift to a more preventive, genomic-based medicine model which we believe will lower healthcare costs,” D. Venter said in a statement. “Our goal is not necessarily lengthening life, but extending a healthier, high performing, more productive life span.”

HLI will operate from labs in San Diego, and has already purchased two Illumina HiSeq X Ten Sequencing Systems, with the option to acquire three additional systems.

The HiSeq X Ten is a set of ten ultra-high-throughput sequencers, purpose-built for large-scale human whole-genome sequencing.

Dr. Venter is the founder and CEO of Synthetic Genomics, as well as founder, chairman, and CEO of the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). HLI said it is establishing a collaboration and research services agreement with JCVI covering proteomics, infectious disease diagnostics, and the human microbiome, with the new company agreeing to license intellectual property from the institute.

JCVI is one of three partners with which HLI has established strategic collaborations; the others are Metabolon and University of California, San Diego.

HLI and UCSD have agreed to develop protocols and procedures to enable whole genome, microbiome and tumor sequencing and analysis of consenting UC San Diego research patients. Collaboration has begun by the company with the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. HLI said it will seek to extend this type of agreement and program with UC San Diego to other clinical centers worldwide.

Joining the biotech research pioneer and entrepreneur as co-founders of HLI are Robert Hariri, M.D., Ph.D., and Peter H. Diamandis, M.D.

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About Human Longevity, Inc.

Human Longevity Inc. (HLI) is a genomics and cell therapy-based diagnostic and therapeutic company. Using advances in genomic sequencing, the human microbiome, proteomics, informatics, computing, and cell therapy technologies, HLI is building the world’s most comprehensive database on human genotypes and phenotypes to tackle the diseases associated with aging-related human biological decline. HLI I also leading the development of cell-based therapeutics to address age-related decline in endogenous stem cell function. HLI is concentrating on cancer, diabetes and obesity, heart and liver diseases, and dementia.

The market for healthy human longevity is enormous. Globally, total healthcare expenses run over $7 trillion, with nearly half of these funds being spent in the senior (65+) years of a person’s life to help keep them alive longer. Using the combined power of HLI’s core areas of expertise – genomics, informatics, and stem cell therapies, HLI is going to change the way medicine is practiced by furthering the shift to a preventive, genomic-based medicine model.

HLI revenue streams will be derived from database licensing to pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic organizations, sequencing, and development of advanced diagnostics and therapeutics.

Funding

HLI has secured $70 million in its initial round of funding. Our investors are a diverse group of individuals and companies who share our common goal and passion of changing healthcare, tackling the diseases of aging, and extending the healthy human lifespan.

Founders

• J. Craig Venter, PhD
• Robert Hariri, MD, PhD
• Peter H. Diamandis, MD

ORIGINAL: Genetic Engineering News

Mar 4, 2014

Can lab-grown meat solve China’s food safety and shortage problems?

This might be cleaner in a lab. Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon

China’s problems with food safety—as well as worries about the food supply meeting its population’s needs—have prompted a number of solutions, including 

• creating a new regulatory body and 
• investing millions in biotechnology. 
• Another, more novel approach is on the horizon: synthetically made meat.

Earlier this month, Asia’s wealthiest man, Li Ka-Shing, announced that he had led at $23 million investment round in a Silicon Valley startup that makes plant-based egg substitutes and eggless mayonnaise. The company, Hampton Creek, is getting ready to expand into Asia. “Everyone wants a clean and sustainable world,” Li said at the time.

As we’ve pointed out, worry about the world’s meat consumption is one reason why research and business ventures related to synthetic food, like last year’s first lab-grown burger made with cow cells, and meat substitutes have started to take off. In China, where meat consumption is already double that of America’s and still growing even as available arable land shrinks, synthetically made food could be even more relevant. According to Hampton Creek CEO Josh Tetrick, China already consumes 30% of the world’s eggs.

Food safety is another reason why synthetic food could benefit China. The country’s agriculture and food supply chains are difficult to regulate, stretching across 200 million small farms and almost half a million food processing companies, with few financial resources to maintain safety standards. Lab-cultivated meat and eggs like Hampton Creek’s could also help protect against viruses like avian flu that have cropped up because of close human contact with live poultry in cities. China’s on-and-off food scandals have eroded consumer trust and hit firms hoping to cater to them, like Yum Brands, whose KFC chain is still struggling to win back Chinese eaters after reports of excessive antibiotics.

The UK and the Chinese government have launched synthetic biology research exchanges and Chinese biotech firm BGI now runs the world’s largest pig cloning center. It may not be that long before we see Chinese lab-grown pork.

ORIGINAL: Quarz

By Lily Kuo @lilkuo 

February 26, 2014

En Colombia se pide hacer investigación del primer mundo con recursos del tercero: Lucía Atehortúa

ORIGINAL: RCN Radio

Por: Nocturna RCN

La científica colombiana Lucía Atehortúa habló en entrevista en Nocturna RCN. Atehortúa cuestionó las políticas gubernamentales para la ciencia, la tecnología, la minería y la protección del medio ambiente. La investigadora y científica colombiana de la Universidad de Antioquia, Lucía Atehortúa, habló en Nocturna RCN. Sus estudios se han destacado en la producción biotecnológica de alimentos, productos energéticos y naturales, con miras a mitigar el cambio climático global.

“La biodiversidad en la fuente de investigación para nuestro país, por eso es tan importante para nuestro país, porque tenemos una gran biodiversidad que desconocemos, que no sabemos aprovecharla sosteniblemente”, afirmó Atehortúa.

La científica, es de los pocos cerebros colombianos que no se han fugado al exterior, y en cambio se ha convertido en un gran aporte para futuros genios, sin embargo resaltó que antes de fortalecer la ciencia en Colombia, hay que atender las necesidades básicas. “Primero tenemos que pensar en el país, cómo es que hoy un niño se muere de hambre en un país rico en biodiversidad”, dijo.

Para Atehortúa, es necesario trabajar en tres puntos para avanzar en investigación, y 

• el primero de ellos es cambiar la legislación para poner al servicio de los investigadores el potencial de biodiversidad que tiene Colombia; 
• otra acción es contar con recursos económicos para poder desarrollar ciencia y tecnología; 
• por último priorizar necesidades en salud, seguridad alimentaria y medio ambiente.

“De nada nos sirven cuatro genios internacionales en un país que se muere de hambre”, concluyó Atehortúa.

Diseñan envases comestibles usando biopolímero

Empaques comestibles

El material fue desarrollado por el Instituto de Biotecnología (IBUN) de la Universidad Nacional.

Foto: Universidad Nacional

Recubrir frutas, encapsular aderezos o fabricar láminas podrían ser los nuevos usos como empaque comestible del BiLac, biopolímero desarrollado en el Instituto de Biotecnología (IBUN) de la U.N.

Un equipo multidisciplinar conformado por estudiantes de pregrado y posgrado de Diseño Industrial, Dietética y Psicología ha venido trabajando durante el último año en el proyecto “Diseño de empaques comestibles, impulsados por un avance tecnológico en el desarrollo de biopolímeros”.

“Dadas las características y las posibilidades del biopolímero, este encapsulado se dispondría sobre los alimentos como un aderezo. Por ejemplo, el cliente llega a la barra de ensaladas y compra un kit de aderezos. Según las condiciones de humedad y temperatura el biopolímero se degrada y empieza a esparcirse sobre el alimento”, explica Germán Silva, director del proyecto.

La búsqueda de nuevos usos del BiLac, un biopolímero derivado de sacarosa con propiedades de biodegradación y biocompatibilidad –físicamente parecido al almidón de yuca– obtenido en 1999 en el IBUN, ha permitido también trabajarlo como ingrediente en alimentos debido a su funcionalidad como fibra soluble demostrada en ensayos biológicos y clínicos.

BiLac también ha sido probado como recubrimiento comestible en frutas, donde se pudo observar notables propiedades de barrera, es decir, con cualidades para resistir fenómenos de permeabilidad y absorción que pueden ocasionar el intercambio de gases, vapores y radiaciones en sistemas de empaque o en el propio entorno.

Según el profesor Silva, “tales propiedades han permitido catalogarlo como un material alternativo que representa un avance tecnológico con potencial de inserción en el mercado”.

Dentro de las etapas de estudio, los investigadores identificaron dinámicas de consumo en algunos lugares como supermercados, plazas y restaurantes y cualidades de productos y empaques innovadores.

Uno de los lugares visitados fue el restaurante “El Cielo”, líderes en el diseño e innovación sobre alimentos en Colombia.

“El objetivo de la visita fue, principalmente, poder observar cómo se llevan a cabo los procesos en la cocina y fuera de ella, consultar a los expertos acerca de la experiencia en el diseño de alimentos y hacer parte de la experiencia asociada al producto”, comenta el investigador.

Asimismo, se confrontó la postura conceptual sobre “empaques comestibles” que se propone en la investigación, con el punto de vista de un experto en el tema de alimentos y empaques.

Un sector en crecimiento

Dentro de la investigación realizada en el marco del proyecto se encontró que durante la primera mitad de la presente década, la industria alimentaria representó un valor de $1,5 trillones de dólares, destacando el comercio en países como Estados Unidos y Japón.

En la actualidad, el crecimiento del sector alimentos sigue siendo considerable y simultáneamente se ha presentado un aumento en el desarrollo de nuevos productos y avances importantes en el tema de la conservación de las características de los alimentos durante los procesos de

• almacenamiento, 
• transporte y 
• comercialización, 

principalmente en materia del de packaging y embalaje.
Silva comenta que las tendencias en los hábitos alimentarios han ejercido también un efecto determinante sobre las áreas de innovación tecnológica y, especialmente, en la producción de alimentos que conserven al máximo las características de un producto fresco.

Por esta razón, el incremento en la demanda de nuevos empaques, que generen las mismas prestaciones que los actuales de origen petroquímico y reduzcan los impactos negativos generados sobre los ecosistemas es una prioridad en el tema ambiental y en el diseño de producto.

Entre las alternativas sostenibles para el desarrollo de packaging se encuentra la implementación de avances tecnológicos en el campo de materiales y procesos, y específicamente se reconoce el aporte de los grupos de investigación en el tema de envases y recubrimientos comestibles a partir de biopolímeros.

En este sentido, “el diseño industrial se viene consolidando como un facilitador en la transferencia de tecnología”, comenta Silva.

Superadas las pruebas de laboratorio en las que se demostró la viabilidad desde una perspectiva productiva de estas tres iniciativas, el grupo de investigación continuará ahora con el ajuste de algunos detalles para emprender etapas de desarrollo con la mirada puesta en las empresas que podrían estar interesadas en producir este tipo de empaques.

ORIGINAL: El Espectador

Por: Agencia de Noticias de la U. Nacional

20 Ene 2014

Opinion: Science Counterculture. On taking DIYbio to the next level

FLICKR, ADONOFRIO

Open-source software paved the way for a new, community-driven development model by providing a product that was free to use and modify. This in turn fostered a business culture that was driven by support-services. That open-source principles could also herald a new era in biology was demonstrated by the successful completion of the publicly funded Human Genome Project more than a decade ago. Today, that same open, community-driven mindset continues to drive much research in the life sciences.

Soon after the human genome sequence was published, biohackers and do-it-yourself biology (DIYbio) groups came onto the scene. Among the first to demonstrate the feasibility of garage biology was Meredith Patterson, who created glow-in-the-dark yogurt by transfecting green fluorescent protein DNA into Lactobacillus. Rob Carlson, who in 2005 was among the first to spot this new development and start his own garage lab, opined in The Scientist in 2011 that garage innovation would be as important for technological advancements in biology as it was in IT. Since then, some biohackers have organized themselves into low-cost, community-based labs providing both lab space and training. However, unleashing their true technological potential will call for greater networking between these groups and borrowing concepts from business incubator models and the open-source hardware movement.

DIYbio groups—such as BioCurious, CounterCulture Labs, Genspace, Bioartlab, and Biogarage—have sprung up in many cities across North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. While many have demonstrated that simple experiments like isolating DNA or creating recombinant microbes are easily replicated outside the traditional lab, more promising, low-cost, open-source tools are also being developed. These include Biocurious’s bioprinter, OpenFuge, and the Kickstarter-backed OpenPCR. Of these, the latter two are already available, and at a fraction of the cost of the cheapest commercial models.

To grow, the DIYbio community must have access to inexpensive lab equipment and consumables. A number of companies, which include Open Biotechnology, IORodeo, and Chai Biotechnologies, are offering open-source products ranging from mammalian cell lines, electrophoresis kits, and power packs to thermal cyclers for PCR. While this list is by no means exhaustive, partnering with these and other similar startups could satisfy DIYbio’s thirst for machines and reagents, and help create innovative technologies.

And then there are the open-source hardware companies, such as SparkFun, Adafruit Industries, and MakerBot, as well as initiatives like RepRap, which are well positioned to serve the DIYbio community. SparkFun and Adafruit manufacture hardware components for DIY projects, such as Arduino microcontroller boards, printed circuit boards, and other accessories. MakerBot produces the Replicator 2 series of 3-D printers and RepRap is a community-based initiative for building self-replicating 3-D printers. Writing in Science, Michigan Technological University’s Joshua Pearce noted that Arduino-controlled research equipment fabricated on 3-D printers could soon become a reality. Members of Joseph DeRisi’s lab at the University of California, San Francisco, have already taken the first steps by 3-D printing lab consumables and equipment such gel electrophoresis combs, gel trays, and rotors for bench-top centrifuges.

While the ability of DIYbio to drive technological innovation is fairly obvious, its ability to spur basic research innovation is less clear. For this to happen, equipment and operating costs must be brought down. Technological innovation may well fuel research advances in the long run, but for now, DIYbio groups could focus on community outreach programs and targeting high school and university participation. Community labs that are up and running could invite students to volunteer. They could expand community outreach online by posting videos or providing links to educational sites. Networking among DIYbio groups to develop shared goals and invest in shared equipment could be one way out of the resource crunch. Another would be to borrow from the business incubator model by asking for a small percentage of equity in exchange for assistance in developing a successful product and bringing it to market.

Countercultural movements are evidence of a society’s diversity and vitality. Many of the biggest advances in science have come from people outside or on the fringes of the science establishment. The emerging DIYbio community could become the incubator that nurtures the next generation’s technologies and public scientists. For this to happen, DIY biologists will need to band together to gain the critical mass necessary to support the open-source development of biological techniques, equipment, and experimental methods.

ORIGINAL: The Scientist
By Usha Nair
December 9, 2013 

Usha Nair is a research associate in the department of biology at the University of Saskatchewan, where her research focuses on the structure determination of proteins associated with bacterial virulence.

The BIOLATAM 2013 program:

PROGRAM

BIOLATAM 2013 will feature a program of conferences addressing the following topics:

Conferences, December 9th

“VENTURE CAPITAL SEMINAR”

Monday, December 9th – 9h00-15h00

Room 1

• Success stories in public-private funding
• Opportunities for cross participation between Europe, USA and LATAM
• How to attract private wealth & business angels to the biotech industry

Chairwoman:

• Cristina Garmendia, Former Spanish Minister of Science and Innovation (Spain)

Part 1 (9h00-10h30): Public policies to support biotech Venture Capital

Moderator:

• MatTeo Grazzi, Specialist in the Competitiveness and Innovation Division, Inter-American Development Bank, (USA-DC)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Catalina Ortiz, General Manager, INNPULSA COLOMBIA (Colombia)
• Elisa Robles, General Director, CDTI (Spanish Center for the Development of Industrial Technology)- Innvierte Program (Spain). "Venture Capital Initiatives for Technology Companies"
• Consuelo Valverde, Founder, SV LATAM FUND (USA-CA)
• Felipe Camposano, General Partner, AUSTRAL CAPITAL & President, ASEMBIO - Chilean Association of Biotechnology Companies (Chile) "What we need to build a Biotech Industry in Latin America"

Part 2 (10h30-12h00): Biotech Venture Capital: the experience of international investors

Moderator:

• Joël Jean-Mairet, Managing Partners, YSIOS CAPITAL PARTNERS (Spain)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Gilles Nobercourt , Partner, EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD (France)
• Sander Slootweg, Managing Partner, FORBION CAPITAL PARTNERS (Netherlands)
• Arun R. Jayadev, Principal, WELLINGTON PARTNERS (United Kingdom)

Part 3 (13h30-15h00): What investors seek in the latinamerican biotechnology

Moderator:

• Ángel Santos, Director of Business Development, CRB INVERBÍO SGECR (Spain)

Confirmed Speakers:

• João Paulo Poiares Baptista, Managing Director, BURRILL BRASIL GESTÃO DE RECURSOS S.A. (Brazil)
• Santiago de Torres, President, INVEREADY BIOTECH II SCR (Spain). "Venture capital as a lever of growth for biotech companies. Risks and strengths"
• Susanna Mesa, Senior Associate, THE TROUT GROUP LLC (USA-NY). "What makes biotechnology companies attractive to US investors"

 “BIOSIMILARS”

Monday, December 9th – 10h30-12h00

Room 2

• Regulatory environment
• Experiences in manufacturing
• Situation and outlook in Latin America

Moderator

• Katherine Garzón, Manager, BIOTECHNOVA SAS (Colombia)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Oriol Argemi, Responsible of Business Development, GRIFOLS ENGINEERING S.A. (Spain). "Design of Protein Manufacturing Plant"
• Erick Sabido Ruiz, Biotechnology Division Manager, SARTORIUS DE MÉXICO S.A. (Mexico). "Efficient and Flexible Facilities for the production of Vaccines and mAb's"
• Sundar Ramanan, R&D Policy AMGEN INC (USA-CA). "Realizing the Full Potential of Biosimilars"
• Edita Mistiniene, Scientific Director, 3P BIOPHARMACEUTICALS S.L. (Spain)

“PERSONALIZED MEDICINE BASED ON BIOMARKERS AGAINST CANCER”

Monday, December 9th – 13h30-15h00

Room 2

• Assessment of the results of the study "Cancer Control Planning in Latin America and the Caribbean" published by Lancet Oncology
• Population screening strategies
• Early & Cost effective diagnostic & pronostic systems

Moderator:

• Juan Carlos Alvarez, Social Policies Department Adviser, Spanish Government Presidency Cabinet (Spain)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Gabriela Cezar, Senior Director and Head, External R&D Innovation, Brazil, Latin America & South Africa, PFIZER (Brazil). "A key role for Latin America in global Precision Medicine R&D"
• Patricio Manque, Dean of the Faculty of Sciences& Director of the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics, Universidad Mayor (Chile). "miRNAs as biomarkers for disease"
• María del Carmen Álvarez-Buylla Roces, Liaison and Institutional Development Manager, INMEGEN-Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica (Mexico)
• Augusto G. Silva, R & D Director, ALTHIA HEALTH (Spain). "New Predictor Models Under Personalized Medicine Scope"

“TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE BIOECONOMY FOR LATIN AMERICA”

Monday, December 9th – 15h00-16h30

Room 2

• Bioeconomy Strategy of the European Union: Opportunities for Latin America in the framework of Horizon 2020. What is there for Latin America?
• Market trends in Biofuels
• Bioplastics: Opportunities in a growing market 

Moderator:

•  Carlos Eduardo Calmanovici, President, ANPEI - Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento das Empresas Innovadoras (Brazil)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Javier Velasco, CEO, NEOL BIOSOLUTIONS S.A. (Spain)
• Roberto Horcajada, Project Dept. Sub-Director & International Projects Manager, INKEMIA IUCT GROUP S.A. (Spain). "Renewable feedstocks, one of the bases of industrial biotechnology for biorefineries, biofuels and high added value products"
• Aleck Santamaría de la Cruz, General Manager, BIOENERGY S.A. (Colombia). "Biofuels: an alternative in the transport sector"
• Antonio José Vallespir, Executive Vice President - Institutional Affairs Europe, ABENGOA BIOENERGY (Spain)

“ADVANCED THERAPIES”

Monday, December 9th – 15h00-16h30

Room 2

• The role of organ donation and transplantation systems in the light of the challenge presented by regenerative medicine
• Map of scientific excellence in Latin America
• Opportunities in the field of private health providers

 Moderator:

• Bernardo Camacho, Scientific Director, Distrital Health Secretariat of Bogotá (Colombia)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Gabriel Márquez, Technologies Manager, GENETRIX S.L. (Spain). "Regenerative Strategies for Myocardial Regeneration"
• José Terencio, COO, GRI-CEL (Spain). "Recent Advances in Gene Therapy"
• Matías Vial Valdés, General Manager, CELLS FOR CELLS S.A. (Chile)

“AGROBIOTECHNOLOGY”

Monday, December 9th – 16h30-18h00

Room 1

• Situation in Europe & in the U.S.A
• Is there room for Biotech SMEs?
• Crops of interest in Latin America

 Moderator

• Albert Sasson, President, BIOEUROLATINA (France)

 Confirmed Speakers:

• Marianela García-Siverio, Business Development Executive, CIGB - Cuban Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Cuba). "Agribiotechnology in Cuba. Practical experience at CIGB."
• Alexander Grobman, President, ETHANO PERU LLC (Peru)
• Adriana Gutiérrez, Secretary for Science, Technology & Innovation, Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation of the Cundinamarca Governance (Colombia)
• Carlos Simancas, District Secretary for Economic Development, Bogota Economic Development Secretariat (Colombia) 

"BIOBASED MEDICAL DEVICES"

Monday, December 9th – 16h30–18h30

Room 2

• Biomedical innovation and entrepreneurship
• Future of medical devices based on biotechnology
• In vitro diagnostics for infectious diseases

Moderator

• Hugo Fernando Villegas, President for Latam Area, COVIDIEN (USA -MA)

Confirmed Speakers

Diagnostics:

• Juan Carlos Briceño, Director, Biomedical Engineering Department of Los Andes University (Colombia). "Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Biomedical Engineering at Uniandes"
• Walter García, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Biotechnology Research, LABORATORIOS SILANES SA de CV (Mexico). "Molecular Diagnosis and Pharmacogenomics in Mexico"
• Maria Tuominen, Key Account Manager, International Sales, BIOHIT HEALTHCARE (Finland). "GastroPanel test for the primary diagnostics of stomach health"
• Eduardo Giacomazzi, Deputy Coordinator, COMITÊ DA CADEIA PRODUTIVA DE BIOTECNOLOGIA - COMBIO at FIESP (Brazil). "Brazilian LIfe Science and Medical Devices Map. Convergency and Challenges for the future." 

Medical Technologies:

• Xavier Abad Lloret, Product Manager, BTI BIOTECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE (Spain). "Regenerative and personalized medicine: therapeutic solutions"
• Mauricio Orozco-Levi, Head of Pneumology Service, FUNDACIÓN CARDIOVASCULAR DE COLOMBIA (Colombia). "Two New Medical Devices for Respiratory Therapy of Adults and Pediatric Patients: Oxygen Fraction Control (Controlizer) and Airflow Vibration (BURTER)"
• Mauricio Alberto Lizarazo, General Manager, OSTEOPHOENIX (Spain). "Design and production of customized osteosynthesis devices and reconstructive medicine. Future or history?"

Conferences, December 10th   

“BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR COSMETICS”

Tuesday, December 10th – 8h00-9h30

Room 1

• Strategies for finding new natural extracts
• In vitro assay technologies
• Nanotech Solutions 

Moderator:

• Jaime Mauricio Concha, Managing Director, ANDI, National Business Association of Colombia (Colombia)
  

Confirmed Speakers:

• Carlos Moro, Presidente, ABROBIOTEC S.L. (Matarromera Group) (Spain)
• Alba Lucía Valenzuela, Head of Efficacy & Safety in Vitro Laboratory, BELCORP (Colombia)
• Oscar Expósito, CSO, PHYTURE BIOTECH S.L. (Spain). "Plant Stem Cell Technology: an eco -sustainable tool for obtaining a new generation of plant extracts with high added value for its application in dermocosmetics"

 "NEGLECTED DISEASES"

Tuesday, December 10th – 8h00-9h30

Room 2

• Treatment of neglected diseases: an opportunity for biotech companies
• Excellence research in the field of neglected diseases
• Main challenges and advances in research and innovation in this area

Moderator:

• Elkin Osorio, Promotion & Prevention Manager, COLOMBIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL PROTECTION (Colombia)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Isabel Amat, RUTI Vaccine Co-Inventor, ARCHIVEL FARMA S.L. (Spain)
• Walter García, Medical Director, INSTITUTO BIOCLON (Mexico). "Anascorp, the successful development of an antivenom for the treatment of an orphan disease"
• Silvio Wandalsen, Technical Director, BIOCLIN (Brazil)
• Sofía Duque Beltrá, Parasitology Group Coordinator, Branch of Scientific and Technological Research, Direction of Public Health Research, COLOMBIAN MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL PROTECTION (Colombia). "Onchocerciasis Elimination in Colombia"
• Águeda Cabello, General Manager of Health Surveillance, Paraguay's Ministry of Public Health and Social Wellbeing (Paraguay)

"LATIN DIASPORA: SUCCESSFUL LATINAMERICAN BIOENTREPRENEURS AROUND THE WORLD"

Tuesday, December 10th – 9h30-11h00

Room 1

Moderator:

• Joseph Fernández, CEO, ACTIVE MOTIF (USA -CA)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Willy A. Valdivia-Granda, Founder & CEO, ORION INTEGRATED BIOSCIENCES INC (USA -NJ). "Developing an Innovation Environment to Integrate Diagnostics, Prophylactics and Therapeutics"
• Carlos Encinas, CFO & VP for Business Development, AMERSTEM INC (USA-CA)
• Julio Castro, CEO, PALO BIOFARMA S.L. (Spain). "Coffee and Caffeine: Opportunities for the development of new medicines"
• Esteban Pombo Villar, COO, OXFORD BIOTHERAPEUTICS LTD (United Kingdom)

“FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY, THE BIG BET”

Tuesday, December 10th – 9h30-11h00

Room 2

• Tools for quality control and traceability
• Latest developments in fermentation & probiotics
• Functional ingredients and nutrigenomics

Moderator:

• Sandra Rodríguez, Technology Intelligence Manager, CLARKE, MODET & Co (Spain)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Daniel Ramón, Consejero Delegado, BIOPOLIS S.L. (Spain)
• Gianfranco Grompone , Director Científico, DANONE RESEARCH (France). "New models for probiotic screening: a synergic study case between Europe and Latin America"
• Pablo Ortiz, Market Strategy Manager, OWL METABOLOMICS (Spain)
• Bernadette Klotz, General Manager,  ALPINA CORPORATIVO (Colombia)
• Surendra Surejdeo-Maharaj, Plant Pathologist, COCOA RESEARCH CENTRE (Trinidad and Tobago). "Understanding the Potential of Cocoa Through Innovation and Commercialization"

“BIOPROSPECTING AND BIODIVERSITY”

Tuesday, December 10th – 13h30-15h00

Room 1

• Regulatory Status
• Opportunities in marine and terrestrial prospection
• Success stories in the sustainable management of biodiversity

 Moderator:

• Óscar Manuel Cobar Pinto, Dean of the Faculty of Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (Guatemala)

 Confirmed Speakers:

• María Mercedes Zambrano, Scientific Director, Corporación CORPOGEN (Colombia)
• Laura Charry, Business Development for South America, MAGELLAN BIOSCIENCE GROUP INC (USA-FL). "Development of sustainable technologies through marine microorganisms"
• Olga Genilloud, Scientific Director, FUNDACIÓN MEDINA (Spain). "Prospection and valorization of microbial biodiversity at Fundacion MEDINA"
• Jorge Huete-Pérez, President, NICARAGUAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES (Nicaragua)

“THE IMPACT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN ANIMAL HEALTH AND AQUACULTURE”

Tuesday, December 10th – 13h30-15h00

Room 2

• New vaccines
• Diagnostic Systems
• Genomic technology applied to the sector
• New sources of supply

 Moderator:

• Belén Barreiro, Marketing Manager, IMMUNOLOGY AND APPLIED GENETICS S.A. - INGENASA (Spain)

 Confirmed Speakers:

• Pedro Bustamante–Gallardo, IBPG LTDA (Biotechnology & Genomic Platform) (Chile)
• Alfredo Sánchez, Sales Manager, VECOL S.A. (Colombia)
• Mirko Zimic Head Bioinformatics Group, FARVET S.A.C. (Peru).). "New technologies for the development of safer and more efficient avian vaccines"
• Geraldine Mlynarz, Gerente, ACTIVAQ S.A. (Chile)

  “GOOD MARKET ACCESS PRACTICES IN LATAM”

Tuesday, December 10th – 13h30-15h00

Room 1

• The regulatory diversity in LATAM
• The critical role of distributors
• Success stories

Moderator:

• Christian López-Silva, Head of Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences, Baker & McKenzie (Mexico)

 Confirmed Speakers:

• Antonio Vila-Coro, Head of Business Development, VIVOTECNIA RESEARCH S.L. (Spain). "GLP Drug Development as a requirement to access EU and USA markets"
• Mario Alanis Garza, International Affairs Manager, COFEPRIS- Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (Mexico)
• Claudia Patricia Vaca, Adviser, Colombian Ministry of Health and Social Protection (Colombia)
• Henrique Kruger Frizzo, Attorney at Law, TRENCH, ROSSI E WATANABE ADVOGADOS (Brazil). "Brazilian Market and the Government as a Relevant Stakeholder".

"BIOENTREPRENEURIAL COLOMBIA"

Tuesday, December 10th – 14h00-16h00

Room 2

The Main Character in Biolatam, Know 8 from the hottest Biotech Companies in Colombia

Moderator:

• Carlos Estévez, Biohacker, LABORATORIO DE INVESTIGACIÓN EN SISTEMAS INTELIGENTES BIOLISI (Colombia)

 Speakers:

• Jorge Soto, CEO, KERADERM (Colombia)
• Jorge Mario Giraldo, CEO, INBIOTECH (Colombia) o Germán Castaño, CEO, SOLAR CIENCIA AGRÍCOLA (Colombia)
• Camila Lecaros, GP- Investor, NAZCA VENTURES (Colombia)
• Patricia del Portillo, Executive Director, Corporación CORPOGEN (Colombia)
• Gloria Niño, CEO, SATECH (Colombia)
• Susana Fiorentino, CEO, PHAIRILAB (Colombia)
• Xavier Fargetton, CEO, ARCANATURA (Colombia)

“BIOTECH CLUSTER POLICIES IN LATIN AMERICA”

Tuesday, December 10th – 15h30-17h30

Room 1

• The role of industry associations
• Bioparks & Bioincubators
• International networks

Chairwoman:

• Elisa Robles, General Manager, CDTI-Spanish Center for the Development of Industrial Technology (Spain)

Moderator:

• Cristina Rechy, Section of Competitiveness, Innovation and Technology, OAS-Organization of American States (USA-DC)

Confirmed Speakers:

• Gabriela Couto, Founder & Director, MARKETPLAZA COSTA RICA (Costa Rica). "LatinAmerican Biotech: our potential in the world´s biotech industry"
• Vanessa Silva da Silva, Executive Coordinator, AMBIOTEC, Associação Mineira de Empresas de Biotecnologia e Ciéncias da Vida (Brazil)
• Nuno Arantes-Oliveira, President, P-BIO (Associaçao Portuguesa de Bioindústria) (Portugal). "Clustering in Portugal: finding critical mass in a small country"
• Victor Fuentes Tassara, Regional Manager, CORFO - Chilean Economic Development Agency (Chile)
• Óscar Manuel Cobar Pinto, Dean of the Faculty of Chemical & Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (Guatemala)
• Cecilia Pérez, Sectorial Coordinator, URUGUAY XXI (Uruguay). "Biotechnology Sectorial Council- Uruguayan Experience"
• Lisa Melton, News editor, Nature Biotechnology (United Kingdom)
• Jorge Andrés Muñoz Guerrero, Adviser, Sustainable Rural Developmente Directorate, National Planning Department (DNP) (Colombia)

The BIOLATAM 2013 program:

MONDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2013
TIME		CONFERENCES		PARTNERING
		Room 1	Room 2
7:00 AM	7:30 AM	DOOR OPENING & REGISTRATION
7:30 AM	8:00 AM
8:00 AM	8:30 AM	BIOLATAM 2013 OPENING CEREMONY
8:30 AM	9:00 AM
9:00 AM	9:30 AM	VENTURE CAPITAL SEMINAR Part 1: Public policies to support biotech Venture Capital		ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
9:30 AM	10:00 AM
10:00 AM	10:30 AM
10:30 AM	11:00 AM	VENTURE CAPITAL SEMINAR Part 2: Biotech Venture Capital, the experience of international investors	BIOSIMILARS
11:00 AM	11:30 AM
11:30 AM	12:00 PM
12:00 PM	12:30 PM	LUNCH (will not be provided by the event)
12:30 PM	1:00 PM
1:00 PM	1:30 PM
1:30 PM	2:00 PM	VENTURE CAPITAL SEMINAR Part 3: What investors seek in the latinamerican biotechnology	PERSONALIZED MEDICINE BASED ON BIOMARKERS AGAINST CANCER
2:00 PM	2:30 PM
2:30 PM	3:00 PM
3:00 PM	3:30 PM	TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE BIOECONOMY FOR LATIN AMERICA	ADVANCED THERAPIES
3:30 PM	4:00 PM
4:00 PM	4:30 PM
4:30 PM	5:00 PM	AGROBIOTECHNOLOGY	BIOBASED MEDICAL DEVICES
5:00 PM	5:30 PM
5:30 PM	6:00 PM
6:00 PM	6:30 PM

TUESDAY, 10 DECEMBER 2013
TIME		CONFERENCES		PARTNERING
		Room 1	Room 2
7:30 AM	8:00 AM	DOOR OPENING & REGISTRATION
8:00 AM	8:30 AM	BIOTECHNOLOGY FOR COSMETICS	NEGLECTED DISEASES	ONE-TO-ONE MEETINGS
8:30 AM	9:00 AM
9:00 AM	9:30 AM
9:30 AM	10:00 AM	LATIN DIASPORA: SUCCESSFUL LATINAMERICAN BIOENTREPRENEURS AROUND THE WORLD	FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY, THE BIG BET
10:00 AM	10:30 AM
10:30 AM	11:00 AM
11:00 AM	11:30 AM	BIOPROSPECTING AND BIODIVERSITY	THE IMPACT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN ANIMAL HEALTH AND AQUACULTURE
11:30 AM	12:00 PM
12:00 PM	12:30 PM
12:30 PM	1:00 PM	LUNCH (will not be provided by the event)
1:00 PM	1:30 PM
1:30 PM	2:00 PM
2:00 PM	2:30 PM	GOOD MARKET ACCESS PRACTICES IN LATAM	BIOENTREPENEURIAL IN COLOMBIA
2:30 PM	3:00 PM
3:00 PM	3:30 PM
3:30 PM	4:00 PM	BIOTECH CLUSTER POLICIES IN LATIN AMERICA
4:00 PM	4:30 PM
4:30 PM	5:00 PM
5:00 PM	5:30 PM
5:30 PM	6:00 PM

 

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ORIGINAL: BioLatAm 2013