Life Sciences Report 2019 / 2020

16 Life

16 Life Sciences Report – Companies and Jobs – Facts and Figures Dedicated to healthcare Dynamic growth, innovative medicinal products and a wealth of experience spanning several generations are hallmarks of BERLIN-CHEMIE. As a research-based pharmaceutical company, it is our goal to contribute to healthcare around the world. Together with a wide range of healthcare professionals, we strive to improve quality of life for patients and their families by developing and manufacturing innovative therapeutic solutions. For further information: BERLIN-CHEMIE AG Glienicker Weg 125 12489 Berlin Phone: +49 (0)30 6707-0 www.berlin-chemie.com

Life Sciences Report – Diagnostics 17 Better Diagnostics for Better Therapy Precise diagnostics are crucial for the successful treatment of diseases. A fast and accurate diagnosis can save both time and money, improve quality of life and even save lives. Currently, a strict distinction is often made between in vivo-, in vitro- and digital diagnostics. A dissolution of this taxonomy by merging diagnostic data from different sources as well as the integration of further data, e.g. generated by wearables or other non-invasive hardware, has the potential to make future diagnoses more accurate and holistic. In addition, AI-supported approaches could support healthcare professionals in making diagnostic decisions. In the German capital region, a large number of scientific institutions, startups, small, medium-sized and large companies concentrate on the fields of diagnostics and digital medicine. Thus, the region offers an excellent ecosystem to work on modern diagnostics in a comprehensive way and to develop new products and services around it. 1. Systems biology: understanding all determinants of human health and disease At the beginning of every disease there are changes in individual cells. Although, many processes in individual cells are well known but the complexity and interaction of these processes especially in one united cell structure is poorly understood. The analysis of single cells will help to explain the development of diseases of individual organs or entire organ systems and to be able to develop promissing therapies. Today, with current diagnostics diseases are diagnosed using biomarkers at a late – sometimes too late – stage. Therefore a much more therapeutically effective approach would be an early diagnosis, even before the first symptoms appear. Although there are already many interesting approaches in the field of tumour diagnostics, slowly progressing diseases such as diabetes or Alzheimer’s are equally important. With those indications the first changes occur not only years but sometimes decades before the first symptoms appear. With this in mind, systems medicine is becoming increasingly relevant – an interdisciplinary research field, combining different disciplines such as biology, mathematics and computer science in order to analyse and integrate the various OMICS data (e.g. genome, proteome, metabolome, microbiome) using high-throughput technologies and their bioinformatic evaluation. More than a dozen excellent research institutions in the Berlin-Brandenburg region are researching the processes at the cellular level in order to better understand diseases and establish new biomarkers. By now almost old hat: the genome. But this is where the translation of results into clinical application is most advanced. The Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics (MPI-MG) in Berlin Dahlem is one of the most renowned institutes in genome research. Prof. Vingron’s research group “Regulation of Transcription” develops methods and tools for transcription factor-based and epigenetic gene regulation and identifies regulatory effects of mutations by genomic sequence analysis. The MPI-MG has given rise to several innovative companies that transfer the findings from basic research into health care. Alacris Theranostics GmbH can use the ModCell platform to individually predict the mode of action of selected therapies. The Dahlem Centre for Genome Research and Medical Systems Biology examines how individualised therapies can be realised. The Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), also concentrates in its Core Facilities on the investigation of genome profiles of clinical samples. In addition, with its separate Core Facilities Proteomics and Metabolomics, it is a competent partner for joint R&D projects. Increasingly interesting to investigate interactions and define new biomarkers for diseases: the metabolome This is no longer limited to plants and their products of metabolism. Although Prof. Wilmitzer’s department at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI-MP) has a major focus on this field, the Potsdam Golm Science Park is home to young companies such as