BioTalentum Ltd.

BioTalentum is an RTD intensive SME established in 2005, focused mostly on stem cell research and services, with a branch on EU project management, advisory and trainings. BIOT scientific focus is on medical and animal biotechnologies, recently focusing on stem cell research (human, mouse, rabbit iPSCs, embryonic stem cells and cancer stem cells, 2D and 3D patient specific iPSC-derived neuronal, cardiac and other cell types). The company’s mission is development of novel human cellular systems and animal models for biomedical research and drug testing, and to provide technical services for pharmaceutical industry. The research team of BIOT is comprised of 18 researchers and technical personnel. In FP7 BIOT has successfully participated in 17 projects, (in 9 as scientific coordinator), and in H2020 programme BIOT takes part in 11 projects: CasR (MC ITN), EuToxRisk (large RIA), IN3 (MC ITN), NABBA (MC ITN), SciChallenge, DRYNET (RISE), GROWTH, PurinesDX (MC ITN), DohART-Net (MC ITN), Tube (RIA)and as coordinator of iNanoBIT (RIA). BIOT runs professional courses in a number of areas of interest to researchers including Linking Science to Business, Fundraising for Research and product development: Public and private funding; national and international resources, Principles of intellectual property rights and comparison between Europe / US / Asia, Communication with media, public & policy makers, Scientific writing for papers and doctoral theses, Gender mainstreaming in science, Management of multicultural research teams, Research project management, Self-Marketing, Conflict Management, Personal Career development plan, Communication and Presentation skills, Team Leadership, Self-Management, Time Management & Organisation of the different components of a PhD project, Ethics in biomedical research, Laboratory animal technologies and animal welfare in EU projects, to name but a few.

BioTalentum Consulting (www.biotalentumconsulting.eu) is the project consulting branch of BioTalentum Ltd. and supports consortia through the entire project cycle, from partner search to the successful closure of the project, and even beyond – to the business development and commercialisation of project results. The management team comprises three senior project managers, one senior account manager, two senior financial managers and one project assistant.

Short biography principal investigator

Prof. Dr. Andras Dinnyes

Prof. Dr. Andras Dinnyes

Prof. Dr. Andras Dinnyes (PhD, DVM, DSc) co-founder and general director of BIOT. He has been working on embryology, cryobiology, cloning and stem cell biology since 1985. He has been a Fulbright Scholar in the US in 1991-92 and worked at the University of Connecticut (US) for 1997-99, where he invented and patented the solid surface vitrification (SSV) technology. In 2000 he joined the cloning team in Roslin Institute (the „Dolly team”) as team leader. His team succeeded in the production of the first gene knock-out lamb, and the first cloned piglet in Europe. He was advisor for Geron Inc, US, a pioneer company in regenerative medicine with human pluripotent stem cells. In 2001 he has returned to Hungary, as a Wellcome Trust International Senior Research Fellow. He is full professor at Szent Istvan University, Hungary (2008-), was invited professor at the Veterinary Faculty of Utrecht University, the Netherlands (2010-16) and invited high-level expert at Sichuan University, China (2016-17). H-index: 34.

Key persons involved

Dr Julianna Kobolak

Dr Julianna Kobolak

Dr Julianna Kobolak (PhD): Research Director of BioTalentum and a registered external doctoral supervisor at SIU. Molecular biologist and economist with excellent research experience in stem cell biology. She has worked for several years in establishing and differentiating embryonic and adult mouse stem cells to define the differences between reprogrammed and fertilized embryo-derived stem cells at transcriptome level and in differentiation potential. Currently, she investigates the potential of human iPSCs in modelling and treating of human diseases e.g. Alzheimer’s and osteoarthritis. She was awarded with two EMBO fellowships (2002; 2006) and an ISSCR Travel Grant for Young Investigators in 2007. Expertise in stem cell technologies, cell differentiation, molecular techniques, genetic engineering, assay development.

Key Research Facility and Equipment

BIOT possesses the necessary infrastructure to execute the project. The SME has thriving environment for research in disease modelling, 450sqm laboratory space, key equipment, technological know-how, research and management personnel. Excellent facilities for stem cell research, transgenic cellular and animal models, – human stem cell laboratory, transgenic laboratory, bioreactors, multiplate readers, fluorescent imaging equipment, RT PCR, FACS, SPF mouse facilities. BIOT possesses the necessary know-how and permissions to establish, maintain and differentiate human iPSCs and to perform genetic engineering on human cells. The differentiation process can be scaled-up by zero-gravity slow turning lateral vessels bioreactor system.

Current involvement in Research and Training Programmes

  1. European Union (H2020-NMBP-15-2017-760986) “Integration of Nano- and Biotechnology for Beta-cell and Islet Transplantation” (iNanoBIT), 2017-2022, coordinator
  2. European Union (F7-Health- 2013-601827): “Macroencapsulated Porcine Pancreatic Islets to cure Diabetes Mellitus type 1,2 (Xenoislet)”, 2013-2017, partner
  3. European Union (FP7-HEALTH-2011-278418): „Linking perturbed maternal environment during periconceptional development, due to diabetes, obesity or assisted reproductive technologies, and altered health during ageing (EpiHealth)“, 2011-2015, coordinator
  4. European Union (FP7 HEALTH-F4-2009-223485): Systems biology approaches to understand cell pluripotency (PLURISYS), 2009-2012, coordinator
  5. European Union (FP7 Large Scale Collaborative project): Nanoparticles for therapy and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (NAD), 2008-2013, management. The NAD project won the Second prize award in the section “Best Completed Project Contest” of Industrial Technologies 2014 Conference 2014 on April 10th, 2014.