BIOTECHNICA 2010 is open for business in Hannover from 5 to 7 October, with new focus topics and more wide-ranging coverage. "Those in search of current trends, new ideas and inspiration need look no further than BIOTECHNICA", says Stephan Ph. Kühne, who sits on the Board of Management at Deutsche Messe AG in Hannover. "Here businesses meet new customers and commercial partners for their products and solutions, ideas find investors and the latest scientific findings reach a broad professional audience".

Attention at BIOTECHNICA 2010 will be focused on biotechnology applications and market-ready products in the fields of medicine, pharmaceuticals, food, agriculture, manufacturing industry and environmental protection, as well as laboratory equipment, bio-engineering and services. "As a genuinely interdisciplinary technology, biotechnology offers vast untapped potential, and we can expect it to make further great strides forward in the years ahead. But if the innovations it delivers are to be turned into useful and affordable products, it is important that everyone involved in the process works together very closely. This is where BIOTECHNICA plays such a key role. Because the show is made up of different elements or modules, it has always been able to respond flexibly to the changing needs of the industry, and it has long since become much more than just another trade fair", says Dr. Joachim Kreuzburg, Chairman of the Board, Sartorius AG, Göttingen, Germany.

But BIOTECHNICA offers more than just a comprehensive overview of current applications and market-ready products. Through its unique combination of exhibition, conferences, partnering event, careers platform and the BIOTECHNICA Award it promotes dialogue between all the different players who make up the industry. "For us, as a leading international supplier of sample and assay technologies, BIOTECHNICA has been a regular fixture for many years now - a place to meet customers and partners from all over the world and to exchange ideas. It is the only platform of its kind in the German-speaking world where you can get a global overview of the latest trends in the industry", explains Dr. Wolfgang Kronemeyer, Sales Director Central Region, QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany."

This year the thematic tie-in between exhibition and conferences is even more pronounced. "The conference coverage reflects the themes featured in the exhibition and is supplemented by special displays in the exhibition halls, amongst other things", adds Kühne. "Preventive and regenerative medicine will play an important role here. This area of biomedicine has a big future - and we are providing an international platform for knowledge transfer."

Focus on regenerative medicine
A high point of the show is the 5^th World Congress for Preventive and Regenerative Medicine (WRCM), which is being staged at BIOTECHNICA for the first time in 2010. More than 800 scientists and clinical experts from all over the world will be discussing new possibilities for treating hitherto incurable or intractable diseases using regenerative therapies. The topics covered range from tissue engineering and the use of regenerative medicine in hospitals to anti-ageing medicine and stem cell research.

On a related theme the international congress "bone-tec" looks at the regeneration of bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments using techniques developed by biotechnology. The four-day congress runs from 7 to 10 October and is expected to attract more than 300 scientists from all over the world - making it one of the leading events of its kind worldwide.

New platform for molecular diagnostics
Tools for molecular diagnostics are seen as a major driving force behind biomedical research. This is why BIOTECHNICA is teaming up with the US Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI) to present the first conference and special exhibition "Molecular Diagnostics Europe". The event will focus on new methods in molecular diagnostics, ranging from the science lab to clinical application, notably in the study and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.

IT tools for bio-research
The previous focus topic "BIO-IT" gets extended coverage this year with a packed lecture program and a dedicated exhibition on applied methods in bio-informatics. The second "Bio-IT World Europe" conference documents the central role played by so-called "Next Generation Sequencing" (NGS) platforms in bio-research, and explains how IT tools can be used for data analysis purposes. It also examines licensing and copyrighting issues surrounding software. Other items on the agenda include data integration and knowledge management aimed at improving business productivity.

The latest techniques for protein expression
The expression and purification of proteins are a key prerequisite for the development of therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer or immune-related disorders. The second "PEGS Europe" conference and exhibition affords an overview of the latest findings, new techniques and strategies for the expression and purification of proteins and the development of antibodies.

The future of our food
Today, food not only needs to meet individual consumer expectations, but also has to satisfy very specific nutritional requirements. So on the first day of the show BIOTECHNICA is hosting a symposium that addresses the marketing of food in the future, new food processing technologies and the latest developments in food legislation.

Molecular food analytics, stem cells, bio-banks and forensics are the principal themes of the applications forum "Life Science Spotlight". This is organized by the Life Science Research (LSR) group of companies within the German Diagnostics Industry Association. Manufacturers of instruments and reagents will be giving daily lecture-style presentations in Hall 9 from 12.00 to 2.00 p.m.

Where ideas and investors come together
The "BIOTECHNICA Partnering" event, organized in conjunction with the leading global partnering specialist EBD Group, enables firms to gain access to new business sectors and suitable commercial partners.
In addition, start-up companies have an opportunity to make their pitch to potential investors and learn about financing trends at the second "Bio@Venture Conference".

The "Biotechnology Project Forum" is aimed at promoting technology transfer between the scientific community and industry. Here more than 120 scientists will be telling visitors about their research programs funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

The "Innovation Forum" incorporated into the exhibition is aimed particularly at young entrepreneurs, and gives them an opportunity to present themselves and their products to a national and international audience.

The "jobvector" careers platform offers a wealth of information about career opportunities in the life sciences, and will be of interest to students, Ph.D candidates, career entrants and industry experts alike. Firms with suitable vacancies will be conducting job interviews at the show.

Deutsche Messe and its partner organizations will be presenting the EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD for the eighth time at this year's show. The prize is worth 75,000 euros. It is given to European companies working in biotechnology and the life sciences which have successfully combined scientific innovation with commercial success.