UCLB News
UCL biomedical breakthroughs draw crowds at genesis VII
30 September 2008
This year’s Genesis Conference witnessed a first-of-its-kind UCL Biomedical Innovation Showcase presenting a number of novel, life-changing technologies available for collaboration or license.
The Genesis Conference, one of the biggest dates on the UK biotech calendar, played host to the first UCL Biomedical Innovation Showcase, where 15 breakthrough innovations in biomedicine were presented to hundreds of biotech professionals and potential investors.
The showcase was devised and sponsored by UCL Business to bring attention to the unique potential of these novel developments, and therapeutic areas ranged from oncology to vision loss, from Multiple Sclerosis to Variant CJD, taking in high speed tissue fabrication, stem cell techniques, drug visualisation in vivo, small molecule carriers to deliver cargo into targeted cells, novel nanopolymers and much more.
The Showcase offered visitors an opportunity to ask specific technical questions to the academics behind the discoveries, while at the same time discussing the business potential and opportunities with UCL Business professionals.
Cengiz Tarhan, Managing Director of UCL Business explained, “We wanted to create an environment where the technologies and their impact come to life, and the technical essentials are communicated by the people behind the idea. At the same time, we wanted visitors to be able to engage with our enterprise professionals to understand the investment and collaboration opportunities available. We feel the Showcase provided just that environment.”
With 15 presentations covered in one afternoon, there was something of interest no matter what your background or field of work, and with a Networking Drinks Reception at the end of the session, initial feedback was of a very practical, informative and engaging event. One visitor said, “I have known that there is a lot of interesting work continually emanating from UCL, but to see a snapshot of the breadth of biomedical research in this kind of forum really helps me to get a handle on where future research is heading and where our investments should be focusing.”
This is the first of many engagement events planned by UCL Business for the coming years, so be sure to visit www.uclb.com to find out about future events.
Visit the Genesis website.