National Growth Fund invests 1.4 million in Twente Biotech projects

The National Growth Fund, which aims to boost biotech research, awarded support to 54 projects in November. With financial support, mentorship, and access to the national BioTech network, enterprising researchers receive guidance to move from ideation to an investment proposal. The awarded projects are spinouts of biotech research at the University of Twente and Saxion University of Applied Sciences. From its strong knowledge position and research, Twente is making an important contribution to making the Netherlands a global leader in Biotech.

Diagnose infectious diseases in minutes

Occam Dx, a spin-off from the University of Twente, is working with the Applied Nanotechnology research group at Saxion to address the global challenge of fighting infectious diseases. The innovative ORCHIDD technology developed by Occam Dx offers a solution to detect bacteria and viruses quickly and accurately, with results in minutes instead of days. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated how mild pathogens can disrupt global society in no time. Another example is sepsis, a life-threatening response of the human body to infection, responsible for 1 in 5 deaths worldwide. With current methods, diagnosis takes 3 to 5 days. With support from BioTech Booster, Occam DX can build a solid foundation to attract investments and commercialize this diagnostic solution that saves lives and reduces healthcare costs.

Cancer treatment booster

More effective cancer treatment by boosting existing immunotherapy is the focus of a second BioTech Booster project from Twente. It turns out that the most advanced cancer therapies, such as immunotherapy, have a response rate of only 10-15% in patients with solid tumors. Jai Prakash, professor of Engineered Therapeutics at the University of Twente, is working with his team on a method that, in combination with existing immunotherapies, increases the response rate to better treat the disease. The therapy focuses on (1) reprogramming white blood cells that play a crucial role in the immune system and (2) reactivating immune cells to improve the effectiveness of existing immunotherapy.

About BioTech Booster

Biotech Booster was allocated nearly €250M from the National Growth Fund in April 2022 to intensify the valorization of biotechnology research. With this program, researchers, entrepreneurs, knowledge institutions, and companies can turn biotechnological knowledge into valuable innovations faster and more efficiently.

The program scouts and selects promising ideas, developed into proof-of-principle (PoP) projects in collaboration between researchers and entrepreneurs within thematic clusters. These projects receive up to €200,000 in funding and intensive guidance for two years. The most promising projects advance to a second phase, which will be developed into commercial or investable propositions with €1,900,000 in funding and support from top entrepreneurs. At the end of the program, Biotech Booster helps find partners so that successful projects can grow into start-ups or via existing companies, stimulating business activity and innovative biotech applications.