Life as a Self-Funded Biotech
July 2007
Life as a Self-Funded Biotech
Interview with Tim Zeppenfeld
Life as a Self-Funded Biotech
Fintan Walton talks to Tim Zeppenfeld, Business Development Manager, Gene Bridges, about life as a self-funded and profitable biotechnology company. Tim tells Fintan about Gene Bridges' Red/ET technology and describes the licensing, fee-for-service and kit distribution business models that the company is following. They discuss Gene Bridge's alliance with BASF, and Tim emphasises the importance of this alliance as a model for an evolving relationship from fee-for-service to a fully blown collaboration. Highlighting Gene Bridge's unusual position as a self-funded and profitable emerging biotechnology company, Tim shares his thoughts on the consolidation of the biotech sector in Germany, and speculates as to Gene Bridges' future strategy.
About Tim Zeppenfeld
Dr Tim Zeppenfeld obtained his MSc in Biology at the University of Osnabrueck in 1996. After receiving his PhD in 2000 he joined BASF-LYNX Bioscience in Heidelberg as staff scientist. He worked in the technology department and was responsible for developing new transcriptional profiling tools. In 2005 he joined Gene Bridges as senior scientist and is now responsible for the business development activities at Gene Bridges.
About Gene Bridges
Gene Bridges, founded in 2000 as a spin-off of the European Molecular Biology Laboratories (EMBL), commercialises the patented Red/ET Recombineering technology.
Gene Bridges' Headquarters and R&D are in the Bio-Innovation Centre (BIOZ) in Dresden, Germany. BIOZ is part of Biopolis Dresden, a broad-based, pure and applied initiative to create excellence in research and biotechnology.
