On 6 March 2019 at the National Library of Technology in Prague, the 4th annual international BioSpot conference was held. During the event, representatives of both domestic and foreign investors listen to presentations by researchers highlighting the most advanced and interesting technologies in the field of life sciences with potential for implementation.
This year, researchers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Germany presented 22 technologies in a number of fields, such as new precision prostate cancer diagnostics capable of preventing 90 % of unnecessary biopsies, new inhibitors for the treatment of leukemias, antimicrobial agents to combat resistant infections, or a novel technology for in vitro diagnostics at the point of care based on electronic microchips with carbon nanotubes.
"We founded the BioSpot platform three years ago to help the most promising projects bridge the gap between laboratories and production lines, get them on the market, and allow them to dramatically enhance our lives. And I'm very pleased when I see the increasingly strong trend among researchers in life sciences to realize the potential of these technologies," says one of the founders of the BioSpot platform, Martin Fusek of the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences. "An excellent example is the DIANA Biotechnologies startup that was established last year to develop technology presented at our conference."
"BioSpot celebrated its fourth birthday this year and is constantly growing. It attracted far more participants than in previous years. There were some very interesting technologies on the program, and their quality is increasing markedly. Foreign researchers and investors are more aware of us, and BioSpot is becoming an acclaimed international tech-transfer enterprise," explains another of the platform's founders, Marián Hajdúch of the Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc.
Numerous investors sent representatives to the conference to learn about the new technologies, such RSJ Investments, bpd partners, Bohemia Venture Capital, and Beckman Coulter.
"For me, BioSpot is a unique opportunity to meet with experienced scientists and young talents alike. Everyone strives to earn recognition and be cited by experts, but what they mainly want is to get their discoveries from the laboratory to the market. That gives rise to products that can provide society with some real value and have a positive effect on the lives of many people. Among other things, we work to support precisely these types of projects, so I'm pleased to see so many of them again at this year's BioSpot," says P?emysl Rubeš, founder and managing partner of Bohemia Venture Capital.
The next BioSpot conference is scheduled for 5 March 2020 in Prague.
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About BioSpot
The BioSpot international platform and conference was established in the Czech Republic in 2016. Its goal is to evaluate the development and commercial potential of the most interesting discoveries and technologies in the field of life sciences and help connect them with private investors from around the world. The platform was founded by the cluster MedChemBio, the Institute of Molecular and Translational Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University Olomouc, and the renowned Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, one of the most successful institutes in the world in the commercialization of scientific results.