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NEOTEC programme awards the first two loans for biotechnology projects to two companies located in the Barcelona Science Park

July 19, 2002

The companies Advancell and Oryzon genomics, located in the Parc Cient'­fic de Barcelona (PCB)(Barcelona Science Park), are the first Spanish biotechnological companies to receive loans from the NEOTEC programme to carry out R+D projects.

Advancell will use this loan to prepare and validate new in vitro cell models for the development of innovative drugs while Oryzon genomics, which is included in the Bioincubator Programme of the CIDEM-PCB, opened on 5th July, will invest this financial assistance in the most modern genomic research equipment, especially in the field of genetic chip production. With the objective to improve cell cultures and develop a new generation of drugs, Oryzon will also carry out an R+D project aimed to isolate genes of interest to industry.

The NEOTEC programme (New Technological Companies), an initiative promoted by the Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnol'³gico Industrial (CDTI) (Centre for Industrial and Technological Development), which depends on the Ministry of Science and Technology, aims to promote business technology projects and to support their conversion into professional and viable entities with growth prospects.

The loans awarded amount to 300,000EUR per company, which is the maximum granted, and under the terms of the award the companies must repay the loan once they break into profits.

Advanced In Vitro Cell Technologies is a new biotech company which arose from a spin-off in the setting of the Barcelona Science Park and is promoted by scientists from the University of Barcelona and Hospital La Fe in Valencia. Advancell develops and provides research services and products which are based on innovative in vitro cell models. It also provides screening platforms for new compounds for angiogenesis, wound healing, skin biology, metabolism and hepatic toxicity.
Advancell, which is supported by the Fundaci'³ Bosch i Gimpera (Bosch i Gimpera Foundation), the Centre d'Informaci'³ i Desenvolupament Empresarial (CIDEM)(Centre for Information and Business Development) and the risk capital entity BCNempre'n, has established an extensive network of strategic collaborations which allow great flexibility in "a la carte" research in initial phases of preclinical studies. Advancell aims to search for in vitro models which reduce the need for laboratory animals.

Oryzon genomics, which arose from the University of Barcelona and the CSIC, is the first genomics company in Spain to be awarded a NEOTEC loan. Oryzon is a recently founded company devoted to functional genomics whose business strategy is based on gene discovery. The field of genomics is a recent addition to the Biotechnology sector and involves intensive research into the genes of a particular organism. The research that this company undertakes has applications in new crops, especially cereals, and also in biotechnological procedures to produce new drugs and products of interest to the industrial sector.

Oryzon, which is supported by the Fundaci'³ Bosch i Gimpera, the CIDEM and the Ministry of Science and Technology, is the first Spanish company devoted to the application of genomic techniques in plants. With the objective to increase the annual production and quality of rice to satisfy present day needs, Oryzon has developed a new technique, using DNA chips, by which genetic mutations can be generated in this crop in a short time, achieved through modifying the genetic code. It will be possible to extrapolate the results obtained to other cereals consumed by humans.

Barcelona Science Park