From engineering to process development

We are pleased to welcome you to our seminar series “Virus-based therapies – from engineering to process development” at the Virus-based Therapies (VBT) branch of Fraunhofer IGB in Biberach. With generous funds from the State of Baden-Württemberg, VBT is dedicated to developing technological solutions for the production and analysis of viral therapeutics, a novel and promising therapeutic class for the treatment of cancer and genetic disorders.

Starting in May 2025, we will therefore offer a monthly seminar on the various aspects of development and production of these promising medical agents, e.g. questions of specificity, effectiveness, and safety. It is our pleasure to have renowned experts share their insights into this important area of research and development.

Join us for exciting lectures, intensive discussions and exchanging ideas with each other and us. As we have already established our Biberach branch as a lighthouse project regionally, we would now like to expand and offer our expertise to other partners in Germany and abroad. Become part of our emerging network and accelerate the translation of virus-based therapeutics into clinical application!

Join us at the ITZ Plus in Biberach or online for an informative exchange with lectures on virus-based therapies of renowned experts.

Registration: Please register separately for each date. You can participate online or in person in Biberach. Please register via the corresponding registration link. Each link generates an e-mail to Ms. Kathrin Schlaf, which you must send to complete your registration.

Program

Short introduction of the speakers

Dr. Christian Werno

Dr. Christian Werno, a biologist by training, leads a department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM) in the division of Personalized Tumor Therapy in Regensburg. His research focus is on the development of patient-derived models for testing new personalized therapy concepts.
His team recently established the platform for Patient-Derived Ex-Vivo Drug Response Assays (PEDRA) enabling (immunomodulatory) drug evaluation on both patient-derived tumor and immune cells within a few days.
The seminar will explore the value of diverse patient-derived models for testing next generation drugs such as oncolytic viruses.
 

Dr. Clarissa Read

Dr. Clarissa Read, a biologist by training, combines a passion for virology and electron microscopy (EM). As head of the Central Electron Microscopy Facility of the University of Ulm, she focuses on understanding virus-host interactions.
The sophisticated methods established in her facility enable the direct visualization of viral entry, intracellular trafficking and release. This technology has already provided important insights for combating global pandemics. Equally important, it contributes to the improved production of viral therapeutics required to fight cancer and genetic diseases.
The seminar will explore diverse findings on various viruses.
 

Prof. Dr. Susanne Bailer

At the Fraunhofer IGB Prof. Susanne Bailer is leading the innovation field “Virus-based Technologies in Stuttgart and the “Virus-based Therapies” branch in Biberach.
Bailer's research focuses on the development of innovative virus-based therapies and technologies as well as technologies for the diagnosis of infectious pathogens.

Virus-based Therapies, Biberach Branch

“Virus-based therapies VBT” represents a novel branch of the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB in Stuttgart. Currently, it is established in Biberach, in the heart of the BioPharma Cluster South Germany, at the interface of academia and industry.

With generous funds from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism, VBT is dedicated to developing technological solutions for the production and analysis of viral therapeutics. Viruses and viral vectors combine efficacy and durability with low side effects thus representing a novel and promising therapeutic class for the treatment of cancer and genetic disorders.

The main goals of VBT are to optimize the specificity, effectiveness, and safety of therapeutic viruses. This will enable the cost-effective production of these promising medical agents and facilitate their clinical use in patients.