Adlershof’s Biotech Alliances for International Success

Biotechnology is a global business. Without international cooperation, it is hard for smaller companies to assert themselves on the market. Their research tasks are so complex that they need partners, according to Ulrich Reineke, Director of 3B Pharmaceuticals GmbH in Adlershof.

“Of course, you can find partners here, too. But those who limit themselves to Germany, will quickly be out-manoeuvred. If it is innovative, a small company can also endure on the large international market.”

The initial ignition that kicked off 3B was the take-over of the former Jerini AG by the British company Shire. Together with former employees, 3B Pharmaceuticals bought up those research fields with future potential that were threatened with closure. Although there were still some promising business contacts from the days of Jerini AG, new partners had to be found. The majority today are from Europe, North America, and Japan, and more recently also from Australia.

3B Pharmaceuticals researches and develops new pharmaceuticals and biomarkers on the basis of peptides which are mainly used for cancer treatment. Peptides are small protein molecules that serve as a means of transport for, say, radioactive substances. They dock only to particular parts of the body, such as a tumor, in order to destroy it or make it visible on an X-ray. In additon to their own developments, 3B also works on comparable projects for international pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Founded as a spin-off of Jerini AG in 2004, JPT Peptide Technologies GmbH is active on the global market. The company develops products and services for peptide synthesis and identification. JPT opened their first office in North America after winning a business plan competition in a biotechnology innovation centre. Meanwhile, two offices are responsible for technical support and establishing new business contacts in the US.

Ulrich Reineke views the role of 3B Pharmaceuticals in international projects not as that of a service provider, but that of a partner: “If a pharmaceutical company identified a protein as a disease risk factor, they ask us to develop molecules capable of docking on to this protein and of serving as a potential base for new pharmaceuticals. Optimising these molecules is a long process during which there is a lively exchange between all those involved. Such projects produce new insights for our own developments and new research projects.”

By Andreas Heins for Adlershof Special