The Life Sciences Prize was awarded for the eighth time in Basel during the Life Sciences Week. This year's award went to BioVersys AG, based in Basel.
BioVersys is a three year old start-up company focused on developing a technology that tackles the bacterial resistance mechanism against antibiotics at the most upstream genetic level and therefore aims to switch off the entire drug resistance strategy of bacteria against specific antibiotic classes. The idea for this ETH Zurich spin-off company was generated within the laboratories of Prof. Martin Fussenegger at the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, the ETH Department in Basel.
The Company's work aims at fighting super-bugs, i.e. bacterial infections that can resist even the newest antibiotics. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every year 25,000 people die from such super-bugs in the EU alone. The WHO director general Margaret Chan said that if no action is taken, "the world is heading towards a post-antibiotic era, in which many common infections will no longer have a cure and, once again, will kill."
As Franz Saladin, Director of the Chamber of Commerce of both Basel, member of the jury of the Swiss Life Sciences Prize and Board member of BioValley Basel, stated: "The jury's work was difficult this year with many high-quality contestants. The jury's task was to find a young Life Sciences firm which exemplifies the importance of continuing support of academic education and attractive perspectives for young scientists. In addition, the prize intends to give a showcase for practical possibilities for start-ups in Switzerland."
The prize of CHF 10'000, awarded for the eighth time, is under the patronage of the Swiss Biotech Association and BioValley Basel. The prize is awarded yearly to a young Swiss company in the Biotech, Pharma and Medtech sectors. Sponsors of the Swiss Life Sciences Prize are BB Biotech Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund and Venture Incubator. The previous years' winners were GenKyoTex, Plan-les-Ouates / Geneva (2010), Endosense, Meyrin (2009), EyeSense AG, Basel (2008), Pevion Biotech AG, Ittigen (2007), GlycoVaxyn AG, Schlieren (2006), mondoBIOTECH AG, Stans (2005) and ESBATech AG, Schlieren (2004).
Please login or sign up to comment.
Commenting guidelines