BioFIT, MedFIT and MEDigIT Tour 2024

Programme

9.30 am Departure by bus from Lille Europe train station

10.00 am Visit of the European Genomic Institute for Diabetes (EGID)
The European Genomic Institute for Diabetes (EGID) is the first diabetes research institute in France with international visibility and the only center in the world with such an extensive scope: fundamental research, university education, continuing education, prevention, prediction, clinical applications, industrial development, and public health promotion. It is built upon integrative and translational approaches designed to provide a solid scientific foundation for disseminating and enhancing research outcomes.
The Institute aims to play a leading role globally in the fields of diabetes, obesity, and associated risk factors. Its core mission is to achieve significant breakthroughs in the understanding of these diseases and the development of diagnostic and therapeutic treatments.

• IMPACT-PM:The metabolome platform addresses the need to establish a metagenomics program through shotgun sequencing, particularly by fostering synergy with the LIGAN-PM platform. This technical platform will feature state-of-the-art equipment (including next-generation mass spectrometers), a library of pure chemical standards for over a thousand metabolites and lipids, and highly skilled dedicated personnel. Together, these resources will provide invaluable scientific data for all our projects. This data will be analyzed using a bioinformatic pipeline for processing metagenomic sequences. This system will enable the integration of the metabolome, metagenome, and host genome to map and leverage the largely unexplored richness of our intestinal pharmacopoeia—a reservoir of bioactive natural substances synthesized by the microbiome with significant, yet untapped potential.
   
• DIABINNOV: DiabInnov is a research platform dedicated to innovative strategies for treating metabolic disorders and their comorbidities, with the goal of making significant advancements in patient care. Our mission is to bring fundamental, preclinical, and clinical research in metabolism to the service of life science companies and academia. We facilitate the discovery of new pharmacological targets, the testing of novel compounds in innovative preclinical models, and the acceleration of safety and efficacy trials for cutting-edge medical devices. DiabInnov fosters dialogue between pharmaceutical companies and medical device innovators on one side, and scientists, researchers, and surgeons on the other. This biomedical bridge to biotechnological innovation aids in securing patents, accelerating CE marking, implementing new surgical approaches, and promoting expertise of the highest caliber.

11.00 am Visit of Sartorius – Polyplus
Founded in 2016 as a University of Lille spin-off, the start-up e-Zyvec opened its facility in the Eurasanté Parc in 2019. It was then successively acquired by the Alsacian Biotech Polyplus-Transfection (2022), and the German Company Sartorius-Stedim (2023 through Polyplus acquisition). The Loos site, is now part of an integrated Business Unit of Sartorius, regrouping 10 locations in Europe, and dealing with Advanced Therapy Solutions (Cell Gene Therapy, mRNA vaccines…). The local team is now active in Plasmid engineering services, as well as ATS critical material developments.

12.00 – 2.00 pm Networking lunch

2.00 – 4.00 pm Presentation of the Hauts-de-France region’s healthtech strengths and organisations:

• Eurasanté: Eurasanté is a development agency dedicated to tech transfer and business development in life sciences sector in Northern France region. Our experienced project managers help researchers, startups and companies with their development projects. To do so, Eurasante provides many services such as real estate, fundraising, recruitment and business development. It also promotes the Eurasante Bio-business Park, which already hosts 8 hospitals, 4 universities, 8 specialised schools and more than 170 companies. It benefits from an exceptional location at the heart of Europe.
• Clubster NHL: Clubster NHL – Nutrition, Health, Longevity – is a French competitiveness cluster federating 360 members in the Nutrition, biotechnology and health sectors. We foster collaboration between academia, private companies (start-up, SMEs and large companies), clinicians and final users. Our aim is to help our members to design, develop and finance their innovative products and processes. The activity encompasses the ONE HEALTH concept, close relation between human, animal and plant health.
• Alzprotect: Alzprotect, a pioneering French biopharmaceutical company established in 2007, is at the forefront of developing innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Our flagship drug candidate, AZP2006 (ezeprogind®), is a groundbreaking oral small molecule targeting Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), a rare disorder with similarities to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases .We’ve recently completed a Phase 2a clinical trial and its open-label extension, involving 36 PSP patients over a 6-month period. The results were highly encouraging, demonstrating an excellent safety profile and initial indications of efficacy; These positive outcomes have paved the way for our next ambitious step: a confirmatory Phase 2b/3 trial, known as the Promise-PSP trial, which will involve over 100 PSP patients; AZP2006 operates through a unique mechanism of action, stimulating lysosome homeostasis by facilitating the entry of the Prosaposin-Progranulin complex into neurons. This novel approach directly addresses the root causes of neurodegeneration, offering new hope for PSP patients and potentially for those suffering from other neurodegenerative diseases.
• Institut Pasteur
• GENFIT: GENFIT is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to improving the lives of patients with rare, life-threatening liver diseases whose medical needs remain largely unmet. GENFIT is a pioneer in liver disease research and development with a rich history and a solid scientific heritage spanning more than two decades. Today, GENFIT has built up a diversified and rapidly expanding R&D portfolio of programs at various stages of development. The Company focuses on Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (ACLF). Its ACLF franchise includes five assets under development. Other assets target other life-threatening disease indications such as cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and Urea Cycle Disorders (UCD)/Organic Acidemias (OA).
• Vetbiolix: Vetbiolix is Veterinary Biotech company dedicated to the clinical development of First-in-class drug candidates for Dogs and Cats suffering from Osteoarthritis, Periodontitis and Gut Motility Disorders.
• Ecolab/Anios

4.30 – 5.30 pm Visit – Organisation to be confirmed.

6.00 pm Networking cocktail