Frankfurt-Fechenheim, June 29, 2023. Nancy Faeser, Federal Minister of the Interior and Home Affairs and top candidate of the SPD for the Hesse state elections, together with Dr. Edgar Franke, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Health, visited BioSpring GmbH in Frankfurt-Fechenheim on June 29, 2023. BioSpring is a leading global manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients based on synthetic nucleic acids.
Faeser and Franke toured the production facilities of the Hessian company where BioSpring produces high-tech active ingredients under clean room conditions and is, among other accomplishments, the world's leading manufacturer for molecules that are currently used in genome editing (CRISPR/Cas) and similar applications.
"Our economy in Hesse has great potential— as shown by the strong development of BioSpring. We need to promote new technologies more strongly in Hesse and thus ensure that our economy will also be successful in five, ten, twenty years. That's why we, the SPD, are planning a transformation fund, which means more money for targeted innovations in future technologies. Only in this way will it be possible for Hesse to be ahead again."
The two managing directors and owners Dr. Sylvia Wojczewski and Dr. Hüseyin Aygün explained to Faeser and Franke the background and possible applications of the therapeutic nucleic acid molecules they produce. "We are very pleased about both the visit of the Federal Minister of the Interior and the interest in the forward-looking topic of high-tech drug production in Hesse," said Managing Director Dr. Hüseyin Aygün. "Medical biotechnology is a key technology of the present and the future. It is therefore important that the framework conditions for these future technologies are right so that companies can continue to create jobs and add value in Hesse and Germany in the future," Dr. Wojczewski further emphasized.
Nancy Faeser and Dr. Edgar Franke were shown the outstanding medical importance of the novel drugs produced by BioSpring for gene therapy as well as cell therapy, which offer completely new treatment options for a variety of diseases. These include neurological diseases, as well as cancer and metabolic diseases, which until now could not be treated at all or only with great difficulty using conventional agents. BioSpring is the global market leader for the production of the main component of the so-called "gene scissors" (CRISPR/Cas), which is used in cell and gene therapy.
During a tour, Faeser and Franke were able to gain an impression of the high quality standards required for the production of active ingredients.
About BioSpring
BioSpring is a contract manufacturer for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries and a global leader in the production and analysis of oligonucleotides, which are used in medicine, diagnostics, and research. Oligonucleotides are made up of the same building blocks as human genetic material. BioSpring is the world's leading manufacturer of therapeutic gene scissors (genome editing) used in cell and gene therapy.
The active ingredients produced at BioSpring have the potential to enable therapies for a plethora of untreatable diseases. These include novel compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular, neurological, and metabolic diseases (and more), as well as cancer.
BioSpring was founded in Frankfurt am Main by Dr. Hüseyin Aygün and Dr. Sylvia Wojczewski, who were then doctoral students at Goethe University, and is still owner-managed. The company, which now has over 500 employees, has its production headquarters in Frankfurt-Fechenheim as well as a subsidiary in San Diego, USA, and, in the near future, additional production facilities in Offenbach am Main, where up to 1500 jobs will be created in the long term.
From left to right: Stefanie Minkley, Nancy Faeser, Dr. Sylvia Wojczewski, Dr. Edgar Franke, Dr. Hüseyin Aygün
Photo: Die Profifotografen (Ulrich Schepp).
Contact
Dr. Martin Schink, Senior Team Lead Marketing
BioSpring Gesellschaft für Biotechnologie mbH
Alt-Fechenheim 34, 60386 Frankfurt am Main
Telefon: +49 (0) 69 66055000
E-Mail: schink@biospring.de