| Jun 06, 2013 |
ETPN White Paper 2013 'Contribution of Nanomedicine to Horizon 2020'
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(Nanowerk News) The European Technology Platform on Nanomedicine (ETPN) and the NANOMED2020 project published the White Paper on Contribution of Nanomedicine to Horizon 2020 (pdf), the next European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation till 2020. This strategic document provides a set of key recommendations for the European Commission and the EU Member States to create a favourable ecosystem for the successful deployment of Nanomedicine in Europe. It lays thereby the groundwork to manage the efficient translation of nanotechnology from a Key Enabling Technology (KET) into new and innovative medical products.
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Nanotechnology has already provided many different medical solutions both for therapeutics and diagnostics. Nano-delivery of drugs, for example, has and will provide new products to address unmet medical needs in cancer and other diseases. In addition, many nano-features, such as new imaging agents or smart materials will be prerequisites for implementation of personalised medicine.
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The introduction of nanotechnologies into medical applications requires nanomedicine stakeholders to understand and apply the process of open innovation, which is essential for translation to the clinic. The best option to successfully implement the open innovation model in Europe consists in establishing a supply chain providing nanomedicine products compatible with industrial processes and strategies.
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The creation of this new supply chain requires a major change in thinking of all stakeholders and the empowering of an organisation to actively manage the translation effectiveness of its members (academics and SMEs) to help revitalise industry in Europe.
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Key tasks of this organisation will be the set-up of:
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– A Translation Advisory Board with experienced industrial experts, who will apply horizontal innovation filters on R&D proposals from academics and SMEs to select, guide and push forward the best translatable concepts towards funding and clinical proof of concept.
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– New infrastructures supporting the translation of nanomedical materials:
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– a European Nano-Characterisation Laboratory;
– a European Pilot line for GMP manufacturing of batches for clinical trials;
– a European network of preclinical centres of excellence;
– a European coordination of nanomedicine effort with clinical organisations.
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The ETPN has a track record as a neutral communication platform and think tank for academia, SMEs and industry and knows how they can interact together to translate scientific inventions into healthcare products. Based on this unique European experience, the ETPN offers to collaborate with healthcare industry organisations and the European Commission to discuss and implement the concept on how nanotechnology can be managed and translated from a Key Enabling Technology (KET) into new and innovative medical products to help patients.
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