UPPSALA, Sweden, June 17, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Uppsala Bioregion:
The city of Uppsala in Sweden is one of the most highly concentrated centres of biotechnology innovation in the world. Carl Linnaeus, the 'Father of Taxonomy', was the initial groundbreaker in the 1700s and the heritage is well maintained by two universities, more than 50 corporations and nearly 7000 people making new contributions to science, everyday.
At BIO 2003 in Washington Uppsala will attend under the motto "We will provide decisive answers to relevant problems through promising research projects that may become components of future products and corporations" presenting a list of scientific breakthroughs that will lead the way to new methods for protein detection, polymers to design living materials, molecular medicine for clinical purposes, non-viral gene delivery systems and new platforms for vaccine development.
Although biotechnology is a relatively new science, Uppsala, home to the oldest university in Scandinavia, has a long tradition for making medical discoveries that have positively impacted on healthcare worldwide. The city has also nurtured several multinational companies, including Pharmacia, that have successfully capitalised on research emanating from the region. Today this experience for transferring scientific knowledge onto a commercial footing is being continued into the biotech era: Drs Johansson, Bennich and Wide's discovery of IgE led to the development of in vitro allergy diagnostics, which today accounts for 75% of the world market. Ongoing development of new vaccines aims to eliminate the Ige molecule and prevent allergic reactions; Professor Jerker Porath's discovery of the gel filtration medium created Sephadex, still a world-leading product critical to the advancement of life science; The function of hyaluronan was studied by Professor Torvard Laurent, which paved the way for the development of hyaluronan products in Uppsala, e.g. for ophthalmic surgery and innovative biotechnical medical implants; Professor Ulf Lindahl's discovery of the structure and its importance for the function of heparin, which has led to important clinical and pharmacological applications.
Earlier this summer the city of Uppsala was recognised for its pioneering work in the development of the global biotechnology sector when it was appointed winner in a national competition held by VINNOVA -- the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems. The prestigious award reflects the work that Uppsala has done in stimulating economic growth by developing its biomedical research base and commercial innovation climate. Winning a valuable SEK10 million to be paid annually for up to 10 years, Uppsala beat off the competition by what the judges described as, "creating for itself a unique global position in biotechnology methods, models and systems which have driven forward pharmaceutical, diagnostic and medical technologies." It was also noted that the city now has all of the biotech components in place to be a world leader within this potentially billion-dollar sector -- a feature that bodes well for future prosperity.
For more information concerning biotech in Uppsala, you may contact: Madeleine Neil, Project Manager Uppsala Bio Phone +(011) 46 18 50 29 86 Cellular +(011) 46 708 292 954 e-mail: madeleine.neil@uppsala.chamber.se Ingrid Anderbjork, Senior Advisor Invest in Uppsala Phone +(011) 46 18 727 12 24 Cellular +(011) 46 730 488 977 e-mail: ingrid.anderbjork@uppsala.se or Bengt Rinde, Senior Advisor Invest in Uppsala Phone +(011) 46 18 727 23 71 Cellular +(011) 46 08 248 636 e-mail: bengt.rinde@uppsala.se
For those attending the BIO 2003 Convention, Invest in Uppsala will be located at the Swedish Pavilion booth, # 835.