A total of 268 applications in four categories of the contest were filed. 49 start-ups became finalists. In the end, the jury selected 12 winners in 4 categories. For instance, in the category “Innovative Medicines, Biotechnology, Gene and Cell Technologies”, the developers of a new generation anti-diabetic drug (Dipiaron), a new analgesic with an innovative mechanism of action (GRAND) and a new solution in antithrombotic therapy (PROTON) were called the best. The winners in the category “Technology to improve bioavailability, delivery platforms and dietary supplements” were the creators of enhanced forms of fluoroquinolones with targeted delivery to macrophages to treat respiratory diseases (Department of Chemical Enzymology, Lomonosov Moscow State University), technology for the production of natural microbial astaxanthin (ASTABIOTECH), and the “BioAxel” project (PARTNER-M).
The winners of the contest will enjoy mentorship and expert support from the organisers and partners. The winners of each track will be able to claim grants from the Skolkovo Foundation of up to 7 million rubles for the finalisation and implementation of their products (subject to compliance with the requirements of the regulatory documentation of the Foundation).
Roman Ivanov, Director of Innovation Development, Pharmasyntez JSC:
“The contest appeared to be really interesting, informative and useful, as there were projects from small molecules to gene therapy, from concept stage (in silico) to phase 2 clinical trials, from teams consisting of postgraduate students and young scientists to teams of professionals with global experience. As a company dealing with the search and financing of innovative developments, we managed to find projects for further cooperation. We hope that next year the program will continue to exist, that there will be new teams, and today’s winners will show progress in their results.”
Kamila Zarubina, Acting Vice President, Executive Director of the Biomedical Technologies Cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation:
“At the Skolkovo Foundation, for the first time we were able to bring together leading industrial partners in the field of pharmaceutics and biotechnology. More than 40 research teams presented their developments to companies’ top management, and some even presented their projects twice in different tracks. We hope that the grants that the winners are applying for will help them bring their developments up to the point where they will be attractive for investment, so that they can get a deal with the program’s partners or start a commercial project.”
Additional information: https://pharmbio.sk.ru