...FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE EVERYTHING
MOBILE PHONE SHOW-OFF: Danish design icon Bang & Olufsen has launched a mobile phone which breaks with all traditions of what a phone should look like, and how it operates.
It is the mobile phone which ends an era – and starts a new one. Bang & Olufsen’s collaboration with Samsung on the pocket miracle called Serene has quite simply created the ultimate mobile phone. One just couldn’t advance much further using existing technology. At the same time it introduces a completely new way of viewing the mobile phone, and especially how it is used. Serene is elegant and beautifully crafted, at the same time as being a technological wonder.
Superior
When Bang & Olufsen and Samsung began collaborating on Serene two years ago, both groups brought their special competencies to the project. For B&O it was their superiority in design, mechanics, sound and concept, while for Samsung it was their competencies across the entire spectrum of mobile phone technology. “We set the objective of clearing out all the confusion of buttons and keys which have characterised mobile phones for many years past,” says Brian Stilling Laursen, Bang & Olufsen’s product manager for telephones. “At the same time we wanted to create something entirely different which totally breaks with traditional preconceptions. We wanted simplicity and functionality which build on intuition, while at the same time employing the most outstanding technology. And we have succeeded.”
Simplicity
Serene does everything other mobile phones can do – plus a bit more. And it’s a lot more simple to use. All the functions are placed in a thumb controlled wheel, and are activated by just four operations: Go – Stop – OK – Clear. The screen is positioned quite naturally under the wheel. Until you choose the opposite, when it automatically reverses. “Our raison d’être lies in making things that make a difference,” says Stilling Laursen. “We think we have done that with Serene. Our objective has been to make Serene the most accessible and easy-tounderstand of all mobile phones, in a state-of-the-art design by David Lewis, using the most advanced materials possible, and with mechanics and a sound which surpasses everything else. The fact that it has a camera, offers net access, and also interfaces with our wireless DECT telephones and exchanges e.g. telephone directories and the like, we consider a matter of course.” Serene is as yet only marketed in Europe, and the price of around EUR 1050 means that it will never become a mass market product. But then one gets the very best that the market can offer.
VOICE OVER IP: The DECT telephone has arrived, which in addition to fixed-line also has a broadband connection, opening up access to the internet’s countless services at a fraction of the cost of using a mobile phone
Danish telecom supplier RTX has advanced internet telephony, VoIP, by leaps and bounds with a newly developed DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) telephone. With its new LAN Cordless DUALphone, which has integrated access to the internet’s many online services, RTX offers suppliers of fixed-line telephony a large number of new value-added offers to help hang onto customers who might otherwise drop conventional fixed-line telephony in favour of the much cheaper VoIP.
“Our new telephone can do everything that electronics makes possible,” says RTX’s managing director Jørgen Elbæk. “It has the flexible qualities of DECT technology combined with the cheap speaking time opportunities of VoIP. The telephone’s large display additionally gives access to the internet’s countless opportunities. It enables telephony suppliers to offer customers many of the benefits which were previously reserved only for those sitting in front of a computer."
Revolution
The new telephone is a small revolution in telecommunication. DECT technology gives flexibility and freedom – at a price far below what it costs to communicate using mobile telephony on the GSM net. By combining DECT and VoIP, consumers now get both flexible and cheap telephony.
“In reality it is the handset display and the telephone’s access to the internet which is the real revolution,” says Elbæk. “That is what gives fixed-line suppliers a chance to give added value to consumers and help prevent them shifting from fixedline to VoIP technology.”
Both fixed-line and broadband
Telephony over the internet has become an accepted and cheap alternative to fixed-line telephony, and in the future more service applications will arrive, driven by consumer demand for wireless internet access.
“The new LAN Cordless DUALphone combines a standard telephony connection, VoIP and an internet connection,” says Jørgen Elbæk. “Our base station is connected to both the conventional telephone net and to broadband, which allows connection via both channels. At the same time it has a unique connection to the internet providing online access to all the services offered by the supplier. The telephone gives suppliers especially a competitive edge in the battle to keep consumers.”
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Wireless over wide areas It is an irony of fate that Romania – not a country on the technological fast track – will be one of the first to benefit from RTX’s latest DECT technology, i.e. broadband telephony, which covers entire cities and regions via outdoor DECT base stations. The Romanian telesupplier Atlas has signed a contract with own small wireless table telephone or wireless handset. With RTX’s technology the telephone nets of several cities have been set up for a fraction of what it would cost with conventional cabling. Likewise the cost of telephone calls, because it is broadband based, is only a fraction of what it would cost to use a mobile phone over the GSM net. |
WIRELESS: When US company SpectraLink in 2005 bought Denmark’s KIRK telecom, located in Horsens, it acquired a technological leader in wireless DECT telephones and thereby made itself the world’s leading total supplier of large communications systems to businesses.
Increasing numbers of companies, organisations and institutions are now changing from traditional fixed-line telephony to internet based VoIP, at the same time replacing the conventional telephones with wireless phones. KIRK telecom, one of the world’s oldest telephone manufacturers, is benefiting from the trend. The company is a leading supplier of wireless communication solutions based on licence free radio standards, and is also a pioneer in DECT technology. This is now being introduced in the US following a change in the law in spring 2005, and also due to SpectraLink’s takeover of KIRK telecom in late 2005.
Market opportunities
“SpectraLink is a leading player on the North American market for wireless business telephony. Its objective has been to buy its way into both DECT technology and the market it gives access to,” says managing director Ole Lysgård Madsen of KIRK telecom. “DECT technology allows integration of many applications of corporate wireless communication systems, such as alarms and positioning functions. And with the revised American legislation which now allows DECT technology, it offers substantial market opportunities in the US.” DECT is a widely used technology in both Europe and Asia. In Europe alone more than 1 million hand sets based on DECT technology were sold in 2005 in the business segment, and the market is steadily increasing.
Full wireless portfolio
“While we are among the world’s best in DECT technology which is developed specially for wireless speech transmission, SpectraLink is a market leader in Wi-Fi technology, originally developed for wireless data transmission, but now increasingly used for both data and speech. With its acquisition of KIRK telecom, SpectraLink is the only company on the North American market to have expanded its product portfolio to include the whole range of wireless speech technologies for the business segment,” says Lysgård Madsen.
In March, SpectraLink introduced KIRK telecom’s DECT products on the North American market. The products comprise wireless radio infrastructure as well as the wireless phones.
SpectraLink’s acquisition has given the US company access to KIRK telecom’s technology and production facilities, as well its market channels, without involving any the Danish company’s setup.
A free hand
“The new American owners have given us a continue our current develop- Lysgård Madsen. “It is prima- to the quality and creativity our product development. For make a wireless phone which specifications for use in poten- working environments where the smallest spark can lead to catastrophe. In addition all our wireless phones are so robust that they can “survive” in even the toughest working environments. The last time we attended a fair, we deliberately placed our phones so that they were constantly pushed onto the floor. When people tried to save them from falling, it gave us the occasion to drop the phones on the floor ourselves to show that they are constructed to resist constant knocks.”
Growth
Quality, functionality, design. And tailored solutions which fulfil customer needs. That is how Ole Lysgård Madsen describes the core competencies which make KIRK telecom able to sell both software and hardware at list prices in countries otherwise flooded with cheap mass produced products.
“Our strategy is to supply quality and value creation for our customers, both under our own brand and as an OEM for others. That has given us success up to now, and with the combination SpectraLink and KIRK telecom the way is open for further growth.”
GETTING HELP FROM CLONED PIGS
GUINEA PIGS AND ALZHEIMER’S:
A change of the law in Denmark now allows animals to be cloned for research purposes. A group of cloned pigs will form the root stock in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
A couple of plump, contented and pregnant sows housed at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences’ centre for animal husbandry and genetics, near Foulum in Jutland, will farrow a litter of piglets which could perhaps herald the beginning of the end of the battle against Alzheimer’s. The piglets, due to be born in June 2006, will be the first cloned pigs in Denmark. Together with some transgenetically cloned pigs which will be born later in the summer, they will form the root stock of the first attempts to solve the riddle of the feared age-related disease.
Great opportunities
“For the first time, we hope to get a research tool which can give us insight into the development of Alzheimer’s,” says Assistant Professor Arne Lund Jørgensen, MD, Dr.Med.Sci., Department of Human Genetics, University of Aarhus. “With insight into the development of the disease we can start thinking of treatment opportunities and treatment drugs. The cloned pigs are the first step on the way, and I am convinced there are great opportunities ahead.”
“For the first time, we hope to get a research tool which can give us insight into the development of Alzheimer’s,” says Assistant Professor Arne Lund Jørgensen, MD, Dr.Med.Sci., Department of Human Genetics, University of Aarhus.
Arne Lund Jørgensen is one of Denmark’s most knowledgeable research scientists on Alzheimer’s, but the research has been hampered by a lack of suitable test animals.
“Many ethical, moral and technical problems have barred the way,” says Lund Jørgensen. “But a change in the law in Denmark in 2005 has now made it possible to clone test animals for research. The pig is a perfect choice because it has a biological structure resembling that of a human being.”
Pigs with Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s is not usually inherited directly, except for a small number of the people afflicted by the disease. In these cases, a mutated gene has been found which causes Alzheimer’s to develop.
“Because we know this special gene, we have been able to construct it synthetically, and incorporate it into the genetic material of a porcine cell. When we can determine that the cell reads the mutated gene correctly, which in all probability causes Alzheimer’s, then the cell material is used in what is called a transgenic cloned pig”.
Based on the growth and life expectancy of pigs, including the fact that a pig reaches sexual maturity at around 6 months, it has been calculated that the transgenetically cloned pigs will start to develop Alzheimer’s when they are around 1 year old.
“With both conventionally cloned and transgenetically cloned pigs, we will be able to systematically chart the development among the two groups,” says Lund Jørgensen. “And because pigs in many ways are comparable to humans, research into their behavioural changes and changes in their memory and sense of locality becomes possible in a far better way than we have so far been able to achieve. In addition there is naturally the clinical research in which the pharmaceutical industry especially shows a great interest.”
…DEVELOPED TO PERFECTION
HAND MADE CLONING: The technique of hand cloning Alzheimer’s pigs has been developed into a fine art by a Hungarian professor who works at the Danish research institution DIAS. The technique is cheap and simple – and far more certain not to fail.
The Alzheimer’s project with cloned pigs as test animals is set to break new ground primarily due to a cloning technique developed in the Section of Reproductive Biology in the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics at the Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences (DIAS) in Foulum. The cloning technique, developed by Professor Gábor Vajta who works in Foulum, is in a literal sense a mass production of test animals.
Healthy pregnancies
“It is a relatively simple method which is carried out by hand using an ordinary microscope,” says Professor Vajta. “So far it has been necessary to use an expensive and inaccurate tool – known as a micro manipulator – when one clones an egg. It is a complicated and costly process, and the result is far less reliable for achieving healthy pregnancies. My method, simply called Hand Made Cloning, we have gradually developed to perfection.” The method involves cutting eggs from sows’ ovaries into two halves under an ordinary microscope. The halves with cell nuclei are discarded, leaving half, empty eggs. A cell from the mother sow which Gábor Vajta wants to clone is first brought together with one empty half, then another. The eggs are then put into an incubator where they develop into small cell lumps, which then are implanted into the sow’s uterus.
Gábor Vajta developed the technique of hand made cloning
Only for research
“Using my method has many advantages compared to the traditional one,” says Vajta. “It does not require expensive and advanced equipment, and the technique can be learned very quickly. But the most important thing is that the quality of the cloned and genetically engineered cell lumps, called blastocysts, give far more reliable pregnancies that with the traditional method, where up to 90% end in abortions.”
Until around 10 years ago, scientists at Danish research institutes were held in great respect for their work on cloning animals: it was Danish research scientists who cloned the world’s first calf. But Danish legislation then banned cloning experiments, and that hampered research. A change of the law in 2005 has once again opened the way for animal cloning for research purposes.
“We do not use cloning to make identical copies for instance to breed more productive livestock. We use cloning primarily to create transgenetic animals with human diseases, which enables research work to be conducted more accurately than hitherto.”
AGING PROCESS:
Danish research scientists are heading a large scale European research project on the aging process – and on how life quality can be increased when we grow old
The only thing we know for certain after we are born, is that we will die at some time in the future. The moment a child is born, an aging process begins which inexorably leads to the individual’s mortal decay and extinction. The body consists of a large number of different cells, and each of these cells age at different speeds. As cells age and die, new cells are created. The body can be thought of as a gigantic demolition and construction site with a constant supply of new bricks and mortar to rebuild the parts of the structure that break down.
“Life from birth to death is an amazing biological process which we actually know extremely little about,” says senior lecturer Peter Kristensen of the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Aarhus. “We know a lot about the diseases which afflict us throughout life. Diseases which can be a result of the aging process. But when it comes to the natural degradation process, then in reality we don’t know that much.”
Natural aging
Now something is being done about that. The Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Aarhus has been chosen to head a large EU-financed research project to provide new insight into the complex process of aging. Not aging as a result of disease, but as Peter Kristensen says, the natural aging process.
The research is being conducted at molecular level through quantification of proteins, determination of how individual proteins interact, how they change over time and how proteins form part of a large, continuously renovated structure.
Proteins
“The aging process is enormously complex because the degradation of cells is affected by many factors,” says Peter Kristensen. He has a coordinating role in the project entitled “Functional Analysis of Evolutionarily Conserved Mechanisms of Aging Based on Advanced Proteome Analysis” known for convenience as PROTEOMAGE.
“Environment, eating habits, physical activity, psychological and physical conditions are among the huge range of factors
which affect how, and especially how fast, we age. To deepen our understanding of this complex interplay, we need to begin with the basic building blocks of life, the cell and its protein components.”
Life quality
The Danish led research project involves 19 research groups in various European countries and one group in China. In addition to the PROTEOMAGE project, the EU has initiated a number of other projects in ageing research which includes cell energy research. Another project aims to collect and process genetic material from 2,800 European sibling pairs, all of whom must be alive and older than 90 years.
“The essential idea of the large scale project is not so much to find ways in which we can prolong life. But rather to discover how we can improve the quality of the time during which we live and naturally age,” says Peter Kristensen. “One of the potential outcomes of the project is for example a considerable improvement in diagnostics. If for instance we could predict rheumatoid arthritis in a person 10-20 years in advance, then treatment could be started which will improve life quality significantly.”
Recycling waste proteins
One of the processes which fascinates Peter Kristensen, and which will become an important part of the PROTEOMAGE research project, is the ability of cells to eliminate and reuse waste proteins which then help to prolong cell life.
“A cell consists of millions of different proteins which individually or in collaboration with others decide our development,” says Peter Kristensen. One of these protein complexes functions as a waste collector for all the others. Over time lots of the proteins in the cell decay, but then the waste collector comes into play. The protein works almost like a waste grinder. All waste proteins are chopped up into individual parts, which then are reformed into new building blocks in the cell – a genuine case of recycled waste. The process goes on all the time, but as time passes the cells gradually become less able to eliminate waste proteins, which then accumulate inside the cell. Eventually, the cell dies when the waste grinder can no longer keep up because of age. That is – metaphorically– what happens when we age.”
“What we are seeking to understand is how and why the many different proteins communicate,” says Peter Kristensen. “And here the waste grinder plays an important role. If we can gain insight into its complexities, then perhaps we can find the blueprint for a long and also healthy life.”
PILL PRODUCTION: One of Norway’s most successful health food products, CuraMed, made from colostrum, is now being produced on contract in Denmark for distribution all over the world
Until 2000, the Danish biotech company Bifodan, whose production includes the probiotic product Bifolac for the treatment of diarrhoea and the female intimate hygiene product EcoVag, distributed its products in Norway through CuraMed, a Norwegian pharmaceutical company. Thereafter, Bifodan established its own sales channels, but the collaboration between the two Nordic companies was not forgotten. Bifodan will now produce on contract one of Norway’s most successful health food products, a lozenge for the treatment of colds. The lozenge is made from Norwegian bovine colostrum.
Knowledgeable about colostrum
“CuraMed collects and processes the colostrum which then is freeze-dried. It is then delivered to us, and we make the lozenges as well as the packs in the language version that CuraMed has ordered,” says managing director of Bifodan, Preben Borelli. “And that is exactly our ball game. Out of a handful of companies around the world, we probably know most about processing colostrum and lactic acid bacteria for the healthcare sector. In addition, we are known for being a highly conscientious company regarding quality control and skills in the sector.” Bifodan is one of Scandinavia’s leading healthcare contract manufacturers. The company specialises in pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements such as probiotics, vitamins and minerals, herbal treatments and probiotics in combination with dietary supplements. Apart from contract manufacturing Bifodan produces private labels for others and has a number of its own brands.
Perfect partner
“In addition to making the products, we handle a number of other specialities as a sourced company,” says Preben Borelli. “It can be in granulation or tabletting in the form of chewing tablets, swallowable or as lozenges. We take care of the encapsulation or do the coating. We are also perfect at packaging due to our highly developed machinery that manages everything in blister packs, alu tubes, plastic jars, sachets and sticks. And since we are certified by the Danish Medicines Agency and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, as well as the Danish Environmental Agency, and our facilities comply with the Good Manufacturing Practice regulations governing medical products, it makes us the perfect partner.”
Old dairy
Bifodan’s core competence in lactic acid comes from the company’s origins in one of Denmark’s innovative dairies. Bifodan’s own brand and private label efforts centre on the development of dry probiotic products and other preparations for preserving and improving human health. Bifodan’s own human isolated patented bacteria are used in several products.
Potential
Preben Borelli expects a lot from the collaboration with Norway’s CuraMed concerning the production of the colostrum tablets. “There is a lot of potential in the combination of colostrum and lactic acid bacteria. Both are products which help to strengthen the human immune system and give a good life. And we have the research skills and practical experience as well as the machinery for flexible production at competitive prices.”
...WHEN YOU SUFFER FROM OBESITY
OBESITY: In a few months, a drug will be launched which has the effect that overweight patients eat less. Novo Nordisk – the world leader in diabetes research – has found the hormone which controls appetite.
When you know that overweight and obesity is a trigger factor for developing type 2 diabetes, it’s natural for a leader in diabetes research and treatment to research in obesity – and how to avoid it. This is precisely what Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, a world leader in diabetes treatment, has done. In the near future, Novo Nordisk will launch a diabetes drug which in addition to lowering blood glucose, reduces appetite and so leads to weight loss.
The drug Liraglutide is based on a natural hormone, GLP-1. The hormone is constantly synthesised in all humans and stimulates the creation of insulin, the hormone which diabetes patients make too little of. Liraglutide is on its way through a phase III clinical study involving approx. 4,000 patients around the world. Results from previous studies have been very positive.
A killer disease
“The most interesting things about Liraglutide seem to be the absence of side effects, including hypoglycaemia,” says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, group research director of Novo Nordisk. “GLP-1 has a specific effect on the appetite centre in the brain. The test volunteers quite simply had less desire to eat.” There are currently a number of insulin drugs in tablet form which patients suffering from type 2 diabetes can take. But most have a number of side effects which often cause patients to avoid following the prescribed treatment.
“If patients do not follow the prescribed medication and diet, and do not live a generally healthier lifestyle, then diabetes is a disease that kills. And for many, there are a number of consequences in the last years of life which are very unpleasant. Blindness, amputations and so on. Because of that, we will never cease our research efforts until we are able not only to treat the disease, but cure it completely.”
A DRUG FOR WEIGHT LOSS IS NOW ON THE WAY
Obesity
Around 200 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with diabetes. Of these, 10% have type 1 diabetes which requires insulin injections from the outset. Production of insulin and various injection concepts are among the things which have made Novo Nordisk a world leader in diabetes care. But although type 1 diabetes is a serious and lifelong condition, it is type 2 diabetes, known as age-onset diabetes, which is the most serious problem for society.
“The disease is spreading with alarming speed,” says Krogsgaard Thomsen. “The numbers are increasing because people all over the world are doing increasingly more sedentary work, and eat increasingly more – especially more fat. In the USA alone it is estimated that 35% of women are not only overweight, but obese. And obesity causes diabetes. It is that simple.”
Research Director Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen: “Novo will never cease its research efforts until we are able not only to treat diabetes, but cure it completely.”
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Of all private sector companies in Denmark, Novo Nordisk spends the most money on research. Around USD 1 bn annually is invested in R&D, corresponding to 50% of all the research funding the Danish state gives to universities and institutes of higher education. To Novo Nordisk, it is approx. 16% of the company’s turnover. Of the USD 1 bn, two thirds is used for diabetes research while the rest is used for research in haemostasis management, cancer and inflammatory diseases. “Today and in the future, significant amounts will also be spent on stem cell research where the objective is complete control of the process that causes diabetes,” says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen. “We hope and believe that this research can lead to a technology where we can cure diabetes through cell transplantation. It is fundamental research with a very long term objective. But in about 15 years, I hope that we can be close to achieving it.” As Denmark’s leading healthcare company, Novo Nordisk feels an extra responsibility regarding research. “If it was only about earning money for our shareholders, I think we would lose our trustworthiness with both collaboration partners and customers – and ultimately with patients,” says Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen. “We must be able to look beyond the end of our nose and constantly ensure we are at the cutting edge of research, even when it does not produce results here and now.” A good example is the company’s drug NovoSeven, which a few years ago transformed the lives of people suffering from serious haemophilia disorders. According to Krogsgaard Thomsen, it was an enthusiastic and persevering research scientist who several years ago had an idea which could lead to an efficient drug for haemophilia patients who produce antibodies against traditional haemophilia drugs. “Although few at Novo really believed in the idea, the management at the time gave it a ’go ahead’ – and the result became one of the most successful drugs in the haemophilia area. Today we are finding that NovoSeven has potential for a lot of other applications, not least for brain haemorrhage.” |
SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY: A research scientist at the University of Copenhagen is able to bind molecules onto inorganic material. It enables molecules to be tailored with specific properties – for example as transporters of new drugs.
Professor Thomas Bjørnholm: “Nanoresearch in Denmark is world Nanoresearch has endless opportunities.”
Some call it “The biology of the future”. Synthetic biology is a research area in the border zone between chemistry, biophysics and molecular biology.
Research is conducted at nano level –which is exceedingly small scale – a nanometer is a billionth of a meter – and where the aim of the research is to create tiny molecular building blocks which can be tailored for a large number of purposes.
Nanoresearch in Denmark is worldclass, according to Professor Thomas Bjørnholm of the Nano-Science Center at the University of Copenhagen. Foreign research scientists are flocking to both Copenhagen and Århus, Denmark’s second largest city, to join in where things are happening. A similar influx is taking place in biotechnology, where Denmark is among Europe’s elite.
Artificial systems
“Biology and nano are really two sides of the same coin,” says Thomas Bjørnholm.
“Nanotechnology is about being able to see and operate with molecules on their own scale. When you can do that, you can also start to manipulate molecules. To create artificial biological systems and thus open up a new world of opportunity.” Professor Bjørnholm does not say it will be easy – development has just started. But at the Nano-Science Center in Copenhagen, research scientists are already well advanced. This is especially due to the efforts of the Greek research scientist Dimitrios Stamou, who has created the fundamental platform which makes it possible to tailor artificial cells.
’Intelligent drugs’
“It is to Dimitrios Stamou’s credit that we now are able to bind molecules onto inorganic surfaces such as a chip,” says Bjørnholm. “You can then start ’controlling’ the molecules and exploit their natural abilities to recognise and accumulate in
large biological systems in the way we want it.” One of the focus areas of the nanoresearch scientists is to construct biological systems which can be put into the patient’s body. The ’intelligent drug’ brings with it a small container of medicine, which is placed at the exact location where it is needed, and at the right dosage. Another research angle is to be able to release the drug in the desired place via a light beam, an electrical impulse or when the drug encounters a chemical compound.
“If for instance we can get electrodes into the container, then we might be able to create electronic sensors at nanoscale. Sensors which can see, hear or smell. The opportunities are endless,” says Thomas Bjørnholm.
NUCLEAR TRACERS: At Denmark’s National Research Centre Risø radioactive isotopes are created for use in scanning for cancer. Research is also conducted into new radioactive tracers which home on cancer cells by themselves and destroy them
Danish hospitals are enjoying a minor boom in the numbers of combined PET and CT scanners, which primarily are used for the diagnosis of cancer. After injecting radioactive tracers into the patient, the scanning process locates cancer tumours. Using 3D X-ray images, doctors can precisely visualise the anatomical details of tumours as well as seeing how widespread the cancer is, and whether there are metastases.
The increased number of scanners has led to a rise in the need for radioactive tracers. This has led to the establishment of a new laboratory at Denmark’s National Research Centre Risø, which conducts research into the development of new radioactive drugs as well as producing radioactive tracers for diagnostics and treatment.
Cyclotron
Risø previously had Denmark’s only nuclear reactors, which were used for research.
But following a political decision in Denmark many years ago not to build nuclear power plants for energy production, the nuclear research at Risø was gradually marginalised and the three test reactors were shut down. But at almost the same time as the last reactor was shut down, Risø bought a cyclotron for the production of radioactive isotopes.
“But we focus just as much on research and development into new biomedical tracers,” says programme manager Lars Martiny, who heads the Hevesy Laboratory at Risø’s department for Radiation Research. “The fact that we are also supplying hospitals is because the need is strongly increasing, but it also provides an important production routine for our research scientists.”
Destroys cancer cells
The Hevesy Laboratory, named after the Hungarian Nobel Prize winner for chemistry in 1943, who discovered how to use radioactive tracers to study biological processes, specialises in binding tracers to molecules with the main focus on the tracer F18-FDG, where a radioactive isotope of fluorine (F18) is bound to modified glucose. Cancer tumours consume glucose voraciously, and so they absorb more of the tracer than the surrounding tissue. The tumours thus appear very clearly on the PET scan.
“F18-FDG is today so established and well documented that it has become a common clinical aid,” says Lars Martiny. “Consequently we conduct research with other substances and molecules which can be helpful for both diagnosis and possible treatment, not just of cancer, but also other diseases. For instance, we are developing a special drug for the treatment of certain types of cancer. The substance, Y90-DOTATOC, contains a radioisotope of Yttrium and is special in the way that it tracks down certain types of cancer cells where it works directly by destroying the cancer cells with ionizing radiation.”
WHICH CONTROLS HUNGER PANGS
DRUG TARGETS: 7TM receptors (seven transmembrane segment receptors) constitute the largest family of proteins in the human genome. They are also the target for the majority of the best selling drugs today.
On every human cell there are countless numbers of signal molecules, known as receptors, which send messages back and forth from cell to cell. For instance, when the hormone which controls hunger gives the cells a message to tell the brain that your stomach is getting full, a special receptor passes the signal on from hormone to cell. Not any receptor, but one of the large group of 7 Trans Membrane receptors. In short 7TM.
If one wanted to speed up the feeling of satiety so that one eats less, then one idea would be to get these receptors to signal more frequently, or earlier. Promoting the connection between the hormone, cell and brain would give the appetite centre in the brain a faster message that the stomach is close to being full.
...we are able to produce molecules which can alter the activities of the receptors,” says Mette Kirstine Agger, CEO of 7TM Pharma.
Structure
To be able to do that it is necessary to understand the complexity of 7TM receptors. To know how they behave, what they look like, how they are targeted most efficiently. As the name implies, 7TM Pharma knows exactly that. It is a Danish biotech company which successfully specialises in influencing the receptors by targeting them with specially developed molecules. One of the means for doing this correctly is to form images of the special structure of the receptors.
7TM Pharma’s success as a world leader in this field comes especially from its ability to form 3D images of the receptors to find out precisely where they can be targeted most efficiently, and how they respond when they are exposed to various chemical compounds.
Rich pipeline
“Because we have such a broad understanding of the 7 TM receptors’ structure, we are able to produce molecules which can alter the activities of the receptors,” says Mette Kirstine Agger, CEO of 7TM Pharma. “It has also meant that in a short period of time – we were established in 2000 –we have created a rich pipeline of discovery and development programmes, all based on in-house research and development.” The company’s activities are a mix of development of own brands as well as collaboration projects with a number of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Ortho-McNeil, Astra-Zeneca, Lundbeck and Proctor & Gamble.
Large investments in Danish biotech
7TM Pharma is among the group of successful Danish biotech companies which attracted large investments in 2005. In spring 2006, 7TM Pharma announced the closing of a EUR 19 million Series C financing round. The round was led by LD Pensions in collaboration with Scottish Widows Investment Partnership and includes a significant commitment from existing investors Alta Partners, Novo A/S, Index Ventures, Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation and Dansk Innovationsinvestering.
The capital raised will support current operations in 7TM Pharma well into 2008. This includes clinical development through phase IIa proof-of-concept of the lead anti-obesity agents TM30338 and TM30339 as well as the initiation of development of further drug candidates emerging from 7TM Pharma’s in-house discovery efforts.
“We have followed 7TM Pharma’s development over the years and we are impressed with their overall performance and their achievement of the milestones set,” Hans Jørgensen Madsen of LD Pensions says. “7TM Pharma has established a strong portfolio of programmes in metabolic disorders such as obesity, pioneering new therapeutic approaches in an area with clearly unmet medical needs and very large potential.”
BUILT IN RECORD TIME
PHARMACEUTICAL ENGINEERING: With a design and construction time at just 11 months NNE has built a vaccine production facility for Bavarian Nordic A/S in Denmark.
Usually it takes two to three years to build a vaccine facility, but the engineering company NNE has since 2001 had as their main goal to be the first in the world to manage a construction time at just a year from the start of detail design to the end of operational qualification.
“We work with dividing the facility into different modules at an early stage”, Klaus Illum from NNE explains. “Being able to hand over different types of modules to competent entrepreneurs we are able to simplify the construction period drastically”.
Saving money
The goal is that the pharmaceutical company will be able to start their production as fast as possible after having gained a patent. NNE tries to divide the company into modules that are easy to connect, where one part is easy to reuse from project to project and can be done in the same way in different projects. A few include the whole process and will then have to be adapted to the smallest detail. By rationalising the construction process the pharmaceutical company can save a lot of money.
“If we have two modules that are almost identical, why not standardise them and make them completely alike?”, Klaus Illum asks. “We achieve great savings with this copying method”.
Aseptic production
NNE has 1000 employees, with offices in China, France, Sweden, USA and in Søborg in the home country Denmark. After just 15 years on the market NNE has achieved a turnover of more than EUR 135 million.
The Bavarian project in Kvistgaard, Denmark started in august 2004. Already in May 2005, Bavarian took over the facility that contains GMP standard and the big sterilized rooms in class B and C that consists of 1,100 m2. The facility also contains 400 m2 laboratories and NNE has helped Bavarian with environmental describing EIA reports. The vaccine production facility contains a high biosafety level which means that the building’s surroundings will have to be protected against the vaccine products.
Bavarian’s facility will produce third generation smallpox vaccine. It is a completely sterile product with the highest degree of cleanness. Former smallpox vaccines have had side effects and other vaccines do not have the desired effect on a fourth of the patients, mostly children and elderly.
New record
That the Bavarian project is not an exception can be seen by NNE’s track record. Infive consecutive projects NNE has gradually reduced the execution time from initial 24 months for a 32,000 m2 bulk pharmaceutical facility to the current record of 11 months for the Bavarian Nordic project. A remarkable achievement that in 2005 was appreciated by the ISPE with the Facility of the Year Award for a cell culture plant executed in only 18 months. The award was received in competition with 28 other projects from 12 different countries.
WORLD NEWS: A Danish invention is the core of a blood analyser which gives doctors instant test results to determine whether or not a patient needs antibiotics. It’s faster, easier and a lot cheaper.
In a matter of minutes, a small plastic cassette with one drop of blood can show a general practitioner if a patient is sick, and also whether it is a viral or bacterial infection. The doctor can then decide on the spot whether to start antibiotic treatment or take other measures.
The disposable cassette has been developed by the Danish innovation company Chempaq. The cassette is the active component of a compact blood analyser, which gives five sets of results in just three minutes: total number of leucocytes, number of lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes, as well as quantifying haemoglobin. The numbers enable the general practitioner to make an instant diagnosis, which in the vast majority of cases saves both the doctor and patient a slow and expensive detour via the laboratory.
Groundbreaking
“The device breaks new ground, although it builds on established measurement principles of breaking down the cell walls of erythrocytes and then counting leucocytes and quantifying haemoglobin,” says Jakob Møller Jensen, sales director of Chempaq. “The same thing is done in central laboratories, but using equipment which can cost up to 2 million kroner.”
Aperture
In reality it is a very small aperture – just a tiny hole – which is the core in the Danish invention. While the inventor, Ulrik Darling Larsen, was writing his doctoral thesis on the handling of micro liquids, he developed the technology of the small cassette where a blood sample passes through it. The principle is based on measuring changes in the tiny electrical impulses that blood cells emit. As the blood cells are sucked through a very small aperture in an electrically insulated membrane, the impulses are measured, which provide the cell differentiation that underlies the blood analysis. The aperture where the leucocytes are counted, has so far been made of costly sapphire. The handling of the analyses is also complicated. Ulrik Darling Larsen’s disposable cassette integrates all the previous procedures.
“There are 12 patents on the cassette and measuring device, which costs a fraction of what the equipment in central laboratories costs,” says Jakob Møller Jensen. “Because although the aperture is naturally important, it is the concept as such which is groundbreaking – the fact that you get the test results in a rapid and simple way that enable instant treatment decisions to be made.”
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Simple procedure |
HAY FEVER: Runny nose, streaming eyes, sneezing fits, breathing difficulties. Summer is high season for hay fever and asthma, which often make life unbearable for millions. But now a tablet is on the way which not only reduces the symptoms, but can potentially deliver a cure
Reprogramming the immune system Allergic reactions begin in the lymph glands when for instance proteins from grass pollen come into contact with the body’s immune system. For unknown reasons, the immune system reacts in an allergic fashion and regards pollen proteins as parasites which must be defended against. “When we vaccinate against allergy it is done with the pollen allergy’s own weapons,” says senior research scientist Jørgen Nedergaard Larsen at ALK-Abelló. “We purify and standardise those proteins which trigger the allergic reaction, and vaccinate these allergens at a controlled dosage. It leads to what you could call a reprogramming of the patients’ immune system, so that they gradually get used to tolerating the allergens. With controlled and continuous treatment, this reprogramming lasts throughout life for most people.” ALK-Abelló’s new tablet for grass pollen allergy has to be taken on a daily basis in order for the treatment to be optimal. The tablet is placed under the tongue, and dissolves almost immediately. The active agents are absorbed through the mucous membrane.
Last season
Summer 2006 will by all accounts be the last bad hay fever season for those who suffer from grass pollen allergy. In the following years, the same will apply to house dust mite allergy, ragweed allergy and birch allergy. For those who until now have suffered the most from grass pollen allergy, having to endure a tiresome and time-consuming vaccination process, the Danish pharmaceutical company ALK-Abelló plans to launch a tablet for next season which over a three year period significantly reduces the discomfort, and can in the long term potentially deliver a cure.
The Grazax® tablet has been approved by the Swedish health authorities. This will pave the way for approval in the rest of Europe, and the tablet will be available in a number of European markets in time for the next pollen season.
“It is a tablet which not only reduces the symptoms, but also targets the cause of the allergy,” says Jacob Frische, head of information at ALK-Abelló. “So far this has only been possible with our injectable drug Alutard®, and this type of injection must be carried out by a doctor. The fact that the treatment extends over three years, has made it a time-consuming and tiresome treatment usually reserved for patients who suffer the most. With our new tablet, allergy sufferers will be able to take the tablets themselves on prescription. It means that those who suffer moderately will now also be offered a real treatment for their allergy.”
Burden
With about 30% of the world market, ALK-Abelló is the world’s leading company in allergy vaccination. The company does not make palliative drugs, but instead makes vaccines which in addition to reducing symptoms, also treat the underlying disease. ALK-Abelló’s objective is to change existing allergy treatment through the continuous development of better and more user-friendly forms of allergy vaccination. The company’s products also include skin prick tests and blood sample tests for diagnostic purposes and an adrenalin pen for acute treatment of allergic shock.
“Allergy is a global health problem which constitutes both a social and socioeconomic burden,” says Frische. “Allergic diseases of the airways, like hay fever and asthma, are estimated to afflict around a quarter of the population in the industrialised world. What’s more, people suffering from allergy often have hay fever and asthma at the same time. We know that 75-80% of patients with asthma also have hay fever, and that up to 38% of patients who suffer from hay fever also have asthma. Normally it is a chronic condition which requires lifelong symptom reducing treatment.”
BIOTECHNOLOGY: New research shows that biomolecules can be manipulated when they are exposed to radiation from a pulsed laser beam. They ’open up’ and can thereby be bonded to microscopic surfaces.
When biomolecules are exposed to a pulsed laser beam something intriguing happens: The molecules ’open up’, and you can start manipulating them. You can move the molecules around and bond them to different surfaces. And above all you can hold protein molecules in position within just a few micrometers. That is nano scale biotechnology. Professor Steffen Petersen and Teresa Neves Petersen at Aalborg University’s Department of Physics and Nanotechnology, made the discovery by serendipity. The spectrum of a certain protein displayed strange properties, which they had a choice of investigating closer or passing over. They chose to look into the phenomenon in the hope of discovering interesting new aspects of the function of proteins.
Diagnosis
Luck was on their side, and they soon realised that what they had discovered could be used for industrial applications. Using laser beams, the proteins could be bonded with high precision on solid surfaces such as glass. Until now it has only been possible to bond proteins to surfaces by chemical methods which leave the molecules in random arrangement and with poor spatial precision. The new methods look highly interesting. The research scientists realised that they would be able to construct small biosensors, no bigger than a few millimetres in size, based on this principle – biosensors that would be able to simultaneously diagnose a number of different diseases including cancer.
Since Light Assisted Immobilization is a basic technology for immobilizing proteins on surfaces, this technology can be used for the production of a large range of products that contain immobilized proteins.
Dense packing
The immobilization of proteins can be spatially controlled since light assisted coupling of biomolecules to a surface can be limited to the focal point of illumination. Present day laser technology allows for focal spots with dimensions of 1 micrometer or less. This permits extremely dense packing of different sensor proteins on multisensor array platforms that are able to test e.g. for different antigens in clinical diagnostics.
Biotechnological process industries already use catalytic proteins (enzymes) that are immobilized on the surface of porous reactor tank matrixes, providing large surface areas with stable biological catalysts that are not dissolved into the process solution or the reaction product. Optimization of immobilization methods is an ongoing task, with light assisted immobilization offering a possible solution.
Food packaging
Coating materials with antimicrobial biomolecules is another as yet unexplored field. Lysozyme is however an antimicrobial enzyme that has been shown experimentally to be adaptable for light assisted immobilization, and immobilized Lysozyme on food packaging materials is thus a possible novel field for development.
The technology, which Steffen Petersen and Teresa Neves Petersen have patented in collaboration with Aalborg University and Novi Invest, will now be commercialised through BioNanoPhotonics A/S, a company which was established in autumn 2003.
3D RECOGNITION: In the future, it will be impossible to hide your identity when you go through Guardia’s 3D recognition system. It increases security in airports.
A small Danish company has developed a 3D recognition system which can significantly increase security in airports, and gives the authorities a unique weapon in the fight against terrorism. The firm recently received The European Information Society Technologies Grand Prize for a groundbreaking product representing the best of European innovation in information technology.
“Advanced biometric 3D algorithms are used which can record the whole face in a fraction of a second.”
The system recognises with more than 99% certainty the person who goes through the security control. In three seconds the system has registered the person and the data is stored in a database. Within the same time period, the person’s data is compared with the database’s other records, and the person can be recognised – and so given access –or recognised as having a false identity.
Revealing
“The unique thing about the system is the technology which gives a fully automatic three dimensional image of the human face,” says the inventor of the system Kield Martin Kieldsen, who has established the company Guardia A/S for marketing the system. “Not just the person’s physical expression, but by adding an infrared 3D image we are able to recognise a number of underlying facts about the person such as cold and hot bridges in the face, determined by blood vessels and thickness of skin. Because although most human beings can change their look, they cannot change the basic structure of the face. My system reveals that.” The core in Guardia’s control system is the combination of optical and infrared photography and registration, as well as the underlying software which measures more than 200 different parameters. Advanced biometric 3D algorithms are used which can record the whole face in a fraction of a second.
100% sure
“We are already further developing the system by adding even more bioinformatics,” says Kieldsen. If a person is not initially recognised solely by the three dimensional image, the infrared image which gives information about heat from the face is used. If that also fails to make a match, then the next level of bioinformation can be used, such as voice recognition, fingerprints or iris recognition. These add the extras to the system which makes the recognition 100% certain.” Guardia’s control system is not only intended for security control in airports, but in every situation where absolute assurance is required that issued credentials are used only by the right persons, such as cashpoint machines or access control to buildings. The system also makes it possible to cross-reference networks without compromising the individual’s personal safety.
LAPTOP PCs: He aims to achieve the same feat as Dell –or do even better. Sales of laptop PCs will boom in the coming years. And prices are falling on a daily basis. To Lasse Frost the future lies in personally designed and customized laptops which are better, cheaper and sold via the net.
In 1998, around 85,000 laptop PCs were sold in Denmark at an average price of DKK 12,000 (approx. EUR 1,700 or USD 2,000). In 2005, the figure was 527,000 units at half the previous average price. And prices on internals – the hardware –are currently dropping by more than 10% per month. So trend and price in combination, backed by performance and power, are the ingredients of a pure-bred Danish IT success called Zepto.
Zepto – the notebook company – is rapidly eating its way into this colossal market. The founder of the company, 38-year old Lasse Frost, who had millions in his pocket from the previous sale of another IT company, saw the opportunities of the internet as well as where trends and prices were heading.
Demise of desktop PCs
“Desktop PCs are simply on their way out,” says Lasse Frost, who started the company in 2002 and since then has seen growth rates of up to 125% annually. “In 2007 it is forecast that 85% of all PCs sold will be laptops. Technology is developing so fast that what required a lot of space in 2004 can easily fit into today’s slimline, lowweight laptops. With a five hour battery time which is constantly improving.” The situation is the same for all manufacturers of laptop PCs worldwide. But Lasse Frost and Zepto have added a number of other parameters which have helped boost the business.
“While the vast majority of other PC manufacturers develop a PC type which then is produced in thousands, we first produce a Zepto notebook when a customer has chosen and ordered one via the net. Because almost everything is possible. With the many and varied components of a laptop PC, there are more than 30,000 combination opportunities – which decide speed, RAM, graphics, performance and a lot more besides. It means that while our competitors’ PCs are held in stock at a fixed price, we produce on a day-to-day basis and can offer our customers a share of the price fall benefits – or upgrades –which happen almost every day on components.”
Timing is everything
Lasse Frost says that he is not an IT nerd or techno freak. He is a merchant who saw the opportunities when e-trading was in the making and later boomed.
“As in so many other cases, timing is everything. To specify and order your own entirely personal PC over the net was previously inconceivable. People simply didn’t know what it all meant. You had to go into a store and see the PC being demonstrated. Then lug it home and flail around with plugs and wires. Now most people know what it is about. And the laptop arrives by post a day or two after it was ordered.” When Lasse Frost talks about the personally specified notebook, he is not referring only to the internals. Zepto is the first company in Europe to offer customers their own top-covers according to customers’ own design. It can be a company logo, a photo of children or grandchildren, or something else.
Best value
“It has become a great success which especially young people have taken to,” says Lasse Frost, who adds that the top-covers are produced in Finland by the same supplier which makes covers for Nokia’s mobile phones.
In 2005, Zepto produced 28,000 laptop PCs and expects to double that figure in 2006. In 2007, capacity will be at 120,000 annually, which the company is geared to.
“If progress continues as currently, then in a few years we will be nipping at the heels of Dell in Scandinavia,” says Lasse Frost. “At the same time sales in Europe continue to grow. We are represented by partners and dealers in 14 countries, who all benefit from the same speed and flexibility because all our websites run on the same platform and are only differentiate by different language versions. Regardless of where in Europe the order comes from, it only takes six minutes to assemble the PC, a couple of hours to install programmes and perform quality control, and then off it goes by post. With the latest and most upto- date hardware, and above all at the best price – in other words the most you can get for your money.”
GLOBALISATION: Denmark aims to seize the opportunities that globalisation affords. The Danish government plans to make Denmark the world’s best country to live and work in through a number of initiatives in education, research and business policy
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FACTS The 10 most important reforms in the Danish government’s globalisation strategy are:
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Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen: “To seize the opportunities of globalisation we must change and renew Danish society. We must invest in Denmark’s future and create better opportunities for growth and prosperity. We must set ambitious new objectives.”
The Danish government has set ambitious objectives for Denmark in the globalised world. A strategy newly presented by the government aims to make Denmark the world’s best country to live and work in, achieved through a number of reforms in areas such as education, research and business policy.
The plan has been in the pipeline for about a year during which the government’s Globalisation Council have crystallised their thoughts on how Denmark can maintain its position as one of the world’s wealthiest countries. The strategy plan comprises a total of 350 specific initiatives.
Competitiveness
Under the headline “Progress, innovation, and cohesion”, the government envisions a country where everybody has the best conditions to succeed and create progress for both themselves and others. Denmark aims to be a country with a global outlook which plays an active role in the world. A country where everybody is part of the renewal and gets a share of progress and security.
The plans aim to simultaneously increase Danish competitiveness and maintain the cohesion between the different population groups.
In the educational area the aim is to create world class education with Danish school pupils among the best in the world at reading, writing, mathematics and science, and English. All young people should undergo youth training and at least 50% should receive higher education.
Higher education for at least 50% of young people will prepare Denmark for global development.
More research
In order to make Denmark a world leading knowledge society, public expenditure on research and development is planned by 2010 to reach 1% of GNP, which in 2004 totalled DKK 1,446 bn (approx. EUR 200 bn). In 2010, the research budgets of public and private sector companies must account for at least 3% of GNP. It is also the ambition that research must be innovationoriented and among the best in the world for translating research into new technologies, processes, goods and services.
In business policy terms, the Danish government will focus on making Denmark one of the European leaders in company start-ups. The plan is to make Denmark a world-leading country measured by numbers of entrepreneurs. Companies must be among the most innovative in the world and competitiveness must be on a par with the best OECD countries. In brief, the aim is to make Denmark the world’s most competitive country by 2015.
There must be more competition and improved quality in Danish research
The Danish Foreign Service faces major challenges in the 21st century.
Globalisation has led to a loss of distinction between domestic and foreign politics, with the nation state reduced to being just one player among many on the global scene. This trend will continue in the coming years. At the same time, states, companies and civil societies are coming ever closer to each other. And that makes new demands on the foreign service.
“In the 21st century we must still be adept at using the traditional diplomatic tools which ensure our good relations with the governments of other countries,” says Denmark’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Per Stig Møller. “But we must do a lot more besides. Globalisation poses such major challenges that traditional diplomatic tools are insufficient.”
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Denmark, Per Stig Møller: “Globalisation poses such major challenges that traditional diplomatic tools are insufficient”
New networks
“Diplomacy must listen to popular opinion abroad and in Denmark. We must watch educational trends, market forces, media and religious movements. We must establish networks among opinion formers, both abroad and in Denmark, to collect information and impressions, but also to influence and be part of setting the agenda. Naturally we must continue to have close contacts with the governments of other countries and official organisations, but at the same time we must prioritise contacts with political opponents, the corporate sector, universities and all the non-governmental players who are becoming increasingly influential on the global scene. Altogether we must be geared to see a more complete picture of those societies in which we are represented, and also actively communicate Danish views and values.”
Globalisation is not a new phenomenon says Per Stig Møller. But globalisation is growing rapidly and this is causing a blurring of the boundaries between domestic and foreign politics.
“Because of globalisation, domestic political issues in one part of the world might be regarded as foreign political issues in another. We saw it in the cartoons case and with the terrible Tsunami disaster which hit large areas of south eastern Asia. This made immediate demands on the foreign services of many countries – demands which turned out to be difficult to fulfil. On that occasion, we also learned that diplomacy needs to be even more open and more capable of decisive action for the benefit of our citizens.”
Fighting protectionism It is in the cross-field between politically and economically directed globalisation, and the more uncontrolled, technological and popularly influenced globalisation, that Per Stig Møller wants to make a difference.
“In the political and economic area we must influence developments by fighting protectionism and braking down trade barriers,” he says. “We are seeing many signs that a new, powerful protectionism is forming in many places around the world. If it is allowed to spread, it will prevent us all from reaping the benefits of a fair globalisation process. Protectionism and global terrorism are unfortunately the shadow of globalisation. We must take both matters very seriously. As a small country with a very open economy, Denmark is completely dependent on its relations with other countries. So we must try our hardest to help keep globalisation on track. It also means that we must make a special effort for the group of poor countries which have not yet seen any advantages of globalisation. We must work with shared ground rules and international laws laid down by major international organisations and communities, and we must make an effort for all countries to reap the advantages of globalisation.”
FOREIGN SERVICE: The challenges of globalisation are of such dimensions that the traditional diplomatic tools of the Danish Foreign Service are insufficient. Diplomacy must be geared to listen to popular opinion.
Internationally active “Regarding technological developments and the balance in society, we must help and create opportunities rather than limitations. It is inevitable that individuals, companies and the structure of society itself will be exposed to intense pressure as a result of globalisation – culturally, doctrinally, economically and socially. It is important that we are flexible and open to the opportunities which present themselves both at home and abroad. Globalisation means that an increasing number of Danish citizens are outside Denmark – either in jobs, in education, on holiday or as pensioners – just as more foreign citizens and people with other ethnic backgrounds than Danish will be in Denmark. It makes greater demands on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs both in the shape of service to citizens and in cultivating good networks which transcend borders.”
“Denmark must be an active player on the international scene,” concludes the Minister for Foreign Affairs Per Stig Møller. “We must be prepared to engage in the international debate on global issues, we must apply our influence and make our mark when it matters, and we must help to preserve peace and promote exports. In order to be able to do that, an efficient diplomatic service is required which is prepared to take up the challenges of globalisation – both for the benefit of our own citizens and for global society.”
INVEST IN DENMARK: In 2005, Invest in Denmark helped 36 foreign companies to establish their businesses in Denmark, creating almost 800 new high level jobs. In 2004, the organisation helped to create almost 450 new jobs.
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FACTS
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One of globalisation’s important positive effects is increased international trade and cross-border capital movement and investment. The global capital market is efficient and makes it easy to attract necessary capital for new projects, just as it contributes to global sharing of labour. Direct investments help to spread new, advanced technology and lead to greater know-how and more efficient production processes in individual countries.
The work of attracting foreign investment to Denmark is carried out by Invest in Denmark, a department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. The role of Invest in Denmark is to service foreign companies which are considering the establishment of business activities in Denmark. Invest in Denmark has staff in North America, Asia and Europe who provide advice on the opportunities Denmark can offer.
Invest in Denmark’s overall political goal is to maintain and attract foreign direct investment to Denmark, thereby strengthening the globalisation of Danish business and increasing the level of competence and knowledge. This leads to improved competitiveness for the Danish business community and contributes to the creation of healthy and attractive jobs.
By Steen Bocian, Director of Department, Danske Bank
ECONOMY: Danish house prices have been appreciating at a record rate. The past year alone has seen prices increase on houses by some 24%, on apartments by 31% and leisure property by 20%. Such a pace of growth has not been seen since the mid-1980s, and when corrected for inflation real growth is at a more than 50-year high.
Naturally such strong price growth gives rise to concern about just how sustainable the trend is – especially in light of developments over recent quarters when house prices have continued to climb with undiminished vigour despite interest rates heading up. And, indeed, attempting to reconcile the development in house prices with underlying economic conditions is presenting us at Danske Bank with an increasing challenge. Back in the first quarter of 2005 the gap between actual house prices and what our model could explain was around 9%. A year later this gap has risen to all of 25%. That said, house prices being 25% higher than our model can explain is not the same as saying house prices are 25% too high. Our model has, in fact, a number of well known inbuilt weaknesses. In particular, our model fails to take account of the impact of interest-only loans on house prices. There is now no doubt these loans, which were introduced in October 2003, have been a contributing factor to the surge in house prices. Factoring in the effect of interest-only loans suggests –albeit with considerable uncertainty – that house prices nationwide are around 10% higher than what economic conditions can explain.
Interest rates
An imbalance on such a scale is not normally something that would be associated with a classic bubble. It should also be remembered that there is considerable uncertainty connected with setting the “true” value of a house. For example, asking three different estate agents for an estimated sales price on a property can very well result in a spread of more than 10%.
But just because a classic bubble is not present in the housing market it does not mean that prices cannot fall. If the economic situation changes, then a drop in house prices definitely cannot be ruled out. With no changes on the horizon for property taxes and favourable prospects for growth in the Danish economy, then interest rates will play a key role for prices in the coming years. A sharp rise in interest rates could send house prices lower. However, there are no signs from the financial markets to suggest that this will happen. Rather, interest rates are expected to rise gradually, which will help slow the housing market to a more normal pace. In fact there is already much to suggest that the housing market is beginning to lose a little steam. Some of the first signs of a slowing housing market are a drop in the number of transactions and an increasing supply of properties for sale. And this is precisely what is happening at the moment – the number of transactions has now fallen 10% from its peak, while the number of properties for sale has risen 25% since it touched bottom. House prices are often slow to react to such developments, as sellers are unwilling to cut prices much once their property has been put up for sale and, in addition, the market to some extent is guided by past price trends.
Tax-free wealth gain
While housing prices have soared this year, the housing market has in fact been on the up since hitting bottom in 1993 in the wake of the government’s economic stringency programme (the “potato diet”), tax reforms and rising interest rates. Over the past decade the average homeowner in Denmark has enjoyed a tax-free wealth gain of DKK 1 million, while homeowners in the capital have seen their housing assets swell by almost DKK 2.5 million. This means that the average Dane is now richer than ever before – even excluding the increase in housing equity, the net wealth of Danes has been on the rise for some time. Pension savings, in particular, have been surging, although this has to be seen against the backdrop of what has been happening in the housing market, as increasing housing equity has to some extent been converted into higher pension contributions. More money being channelled into pensions, combined with rising house prices, has resulted in a considerable increase in household borrowing, though not so much as to threaten net wealth.
There is no doubt that household balance sheets have swollen over the past many years: pension and housing wealth has been rising sharply while, on the liability side, debt has also surged. Put another way, Danish households have taken on a greater economic risk than earlier. Thus hefty interest rate hikes could squeeze the value of household assets, while debt servicing costs going up would increasingly eat into household budgets. Moreover, a substantial portion of household assets are illiquid and thus cannot easily be drawn on if budgets begin to tighten. However, this does not alter the fact that the economic situation of Danish households is – in general – robust.
The following Company Profiles have been submitted by the Advertisers in this issue
ACE BioSciences A/S
Unsbjergvej 2A
DK-5220 Odense SØ
Denmark Phone: +45 65652121
Fax: +45 65652122
Web: http://www.acebiosciences.com
E-mail: info@acebiosciences.com
ACE BioSciences discover and develop novel protein based vaccines and antibodies against infectious diseases.
Within our core therapeutic area – Travellers’ Diarrhoea (TD) –we will build a competitive portfolio of projects from our internal platform. With the projects we now have in the ACE TD portfolio, we will have a competitive position in TD: 1. First commercial Campylobacter vaccine to reach the market in 2009 2. ETEC vaccine to enter man in 2008 and reach the market in 2012 These two projects complement our TD portfolio and cover the two main pathogens responsible for TD.
ACE will partner the TD vaccines based on phase 2 data. We will look for a strong US/ROW partner and will retain rights for EU (or part of EU).
No effective TD vaccines are available today. A portfolio of effective, patient friendly vaccines will be commercially attractive for a specialized niche company like ACE.
Best Talent ApS
Naerumvang
Skodsborgvej 234
DK-2850 Naerum
Denmark
Phone: +45 4556 5300
Email: info@besttalent.dk
Web: http://www.besttalent.dk
Best Talent is a modern and innovative company working with Human Resource Management. We are specialized in recruiting and developing talented leaders and employees.
Our success is based on competences and methods developed through more than 15 years of experience in the field of assessing staff, their potential and talent.
We have built up a solid and specific expertise within Life Science, completing recruitment and training processes both within the pharmaceutical, bio-tech and medico-tech industries.
We are very dedicated when handling assignments in this area.
Our knowledge within the field of Life Science and the candidate market, combined with a large network strengthens our possibilities, and furthermore lead to high quality results. This makes Best Talent a strong staffing partner. We have been working with team leaders, middle management, top management and specialists with in the field of Life Science, Administration, Economy and Sales & Marketing.
We have successfully built up high performance teams, where talent, competence and character must complement each other in a perfect synergy.
Our technical competence ranges from dealing with biological and financial to commercial experts.
DB Lab
Stenhuggervej 22
5230 Odense M
Denmark
Phone: + 45 65 93 29 20
Web: http://www.Dblab.dk
DB Lab is a contract organisation founded more than 20 years ago. The company has two core business areas: 1) GMP analyses primarily for the pharmaceutical and herbal medicinal industries and 2) fermentations in pilot and laboratory scales as a business partner in R&D projects.
The analysis section of DB Lab has been GMP-authorised by The Danish Medicines Agency since 2003 but has in fact more than 10 years of experience with GMP analyses. Both chemical and microbiological analyses are offered. Analyses are performed either according to official methods such as pharmacopeias or to methods developed and validated by DB Lab. Considerable R&D studies such as dissolution measurements for tablet formulation optimisations, stability studies, cleaning validations, and photo-stability studies are performed as well as routine QC testings of e.g. pharmaceuticals and raw materials for pharmaceuticals.
The fermentation section is experienced in R&D project handling using GMO and non-GMO organisms. Like the analysis section, the fermentation team benefits from being part of DB Lab’s highly academic environment as the company originally originated from The University of Southern Denmark and today more than one third of the employees hold a master degree or a Ph.D. degree. Although busy, they always look for new challenging projects!
Kursuscentre DK
Gl. Kongevej 33
1610 Copenhagen C
Denmark
Phone: + 45 70 26 05 65
Fax: + 45 70 26 05 66
Email: lr@kursuscentre.dk
Web: http://www.kursuscentre.dk
Companies and organisations are constantly looking for innovative venues for their training courses, seminars and conferences. The reason is often that they need a setting that is completely different from standard hotel facilities and that breathes new life and learning into everyone attending.
This is why Kursuscentre.dk has sited its four training, seminar and conference centres in Gilleleje, Karlslunde, Karrebæksminde and Middelfart. Each centre provides a unique setting in beautiful coastal surroundings that opens up the mind and body to fresh challenges and new experiences.
With a complete array of modern facilities, each centre is perfectly equipped to meet the needs of any training course, seminar or conference. Catering from morning to evening ensures a plentiful supply of sustenance and refreshment to keep the mind fresh. And attendees can look forward to accommodation in well-appointed and spacious cottages or apartments no more than a stone’s throw from the coast and a view across the water to where the sea meets the sky.
There are also plenty of things to do – both indoors and outdoors – when hard work and concentration give way to relaxation and exercise. And when evening approaches, the restaurant beckons with a choice selection of exciting dishes.
Rheoscience A/S
Glerupvej 2
DK-2610 Roedovre
Denmark
Phone: +45 44 50 19 60
Fax: +45 44 50 19 62
Web: http://www.rheoscience.com
E-mail: info@rheoscience.com
As one of the leading Contract Research Organization companies solely focusing on Obesity, Diabetes and Metabolic disorder, Rheoscience offers the most comprehensive pallet of services’ obtainable on today’s market.
From early stages of target identification and target validation over preclinical acute/chronic In Vivo pharmacology studies to a pallet of In Vitro studies,
Rheoscience contributes to study planning, project management, laboratory work, result presentation and regulatory work with commitment and innovative involvement.
With our unique animal models, our highly skilled staff and our in-house opinion leaders we ensure our sponsors get the utmost flexible solutions utilizing resources and knowledge maximally without compromising scientific results, leading to cost-efficient and fast time-to-market opportunities.
Zacco A/S
Hans Bekkevolds Allé 7
DK-2900
Hellerup
Denmark
Phone: +45 39 48 80 00
Fax: +45 39 48 80 80
Web: http://www.zacco.com
E-mail: info@zacco.com
Zacco is Scandinavia’s leading Intellectual Property consultancy with 130 years of proven track record. With a staff of 300 employees in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, Zacco is one of the largest IP consultancies in Europe.
With profound technical, legal and business expertise, we can mobilize the right people and skills to help clients improve the value of their Intellectual Property from the conception of an idea to the launching of a finished product or service, including advisory help in connection with disputes and lawsuits.
Our Life Science group consists of 25 experienced patent attorneys covering all aspects of the Life Science area.
We are the obvious choice for companies seeking IP advice in Scandinavia. We have a passion for innovation and strive for excellence in everything we do. This makes us a powerful and farsighted partner in protecting your Intellectual Property rights.
