Introduction
Biophoenix is a biomedical market and technology analysis consultancy based in the heart of England. In addition to its own resources, Biophoenix has contacts at both of our local universities, namely Coventry University, our former base, and Warwick University. This document provides an overview of the projects and other activities undertaken by Biophoenix since its inception, including those currently in progress. It also mentions some relevant work carried out by us as individuals before Biophoenix was formally established.
Biocommerce Databases
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We have developed Pharmaplayers®, an extremely detailed and
comprehensive database of biotechnology and allied companies (including
pharmaceutical companies). Some 1,000 companies are currently profiled
in detail (at least thirty A4 pages each, on average). The database has
a full-text search facility which requires Microsoft Windows®
98SE or higher.
Profiles include full descriptions of each company's activities, collaborations, joint ventures, products in development, products on sale, ongoing legal proceedings (if any), financial results (complete with an analysis by the company's management), and brief biographies of key company personnel. Click the cover thumbnail on the left for full details. Biophoenix has less extensive information on file covering another 1,000 companies or so. In addition to facilitating its in-depth market surveys (see below), Biophoenix is thus ideally placed to offer supporting market and competitor information to executives required to prepare business plans. |
Market reports
We have carried out in-depth analyses of the markets for:
- angiogenesis;
- biomedical patents in the postgenomic era;
- biotechnology basics;
- cancer diagnostics;
- cancer therapeutics;
- cardiovascular disease diagnostics;
- DNA diagnostics;
- drug delivery systems;
- emerging drug targets;
- endocrine diagnostics;
- food immunoassays;
- gene therapy;
- immune dysfunction diagnostics;
- impact of genomics on biotechnology;
- lifestyle drugs: obesity;
- lifestyle drugs: rejuvenation;
- lifestyle drugs: sexual dysfunction;
- metabolic syndrome;
- molecular diagnostics;
- nonisotopic immunoassay tests;
- oligonucleotide therapeutics;
- pharmacogenomics;
- proteases as drug targets;
- protein kinases as drug targets;
- stem cells;
- systems biology;
- theranostics;
- therapy of eating disorders;
- transmembrane transporters as drug targets;
- veterinary immunodiagnostic and nucleic acid tests;
- world market for biotech healthcare products.
Most of this work has been published in the form of single-client or off-the-shelf reports by several major business information companies. We are pleased to have undertaken much repeat business.
Intellectual property
Biophoenix has leveraged its extensive in-house database of company information to carry out IP litigation risk audits on behalf of several Lloyds of London insurers, for example Miller, Beazley, and Markel International, in the area of biotechnology. Our risk audits have involved companies (a mixture of established firms and start-ups) seeking IP litigation insurance or policy renewals. Among the factors we consider in preparing these audits are (i) the volume of prior art that overlaps the applicant's patent portfolio, (ii) the market value of the business segments involved, and (iii) the amount (and outcomes) of previous IP litigation in those business segments. Our audits are taken into account by underwriters in deciding whether to offer IP litigation insurance and, if so, on what terms.According to US figures, biomedical patents account for 20% of all patent litigation. Overall, patent owners - who allege infringement and/or defend against invalidity claims - succeed in only about 30% of cases. Most biotech start-ups should therefore consider some form of IP litigation insurance in order to protect the investment of time and money inherent in their companies. The availability of insurance cover can determine whether a dispute is settled through litigation or negotiation, and how quickly it is resolved. We can put companies (or their investors) in touch with a specialist insurer, and/or we can advise on aspects of an IP portfolio that might particularly concern underwriters.
Biophoenix has recently prepared a management report on Biomedical patents in the postgenomic era. As well as introductory information on patenting generally, it includes historical reviews of various technology areas (summary) and analyses of the types of patent issued or applied for in those areas (similar to this example).
Education and training
While at Coventry University, we:
- developed and taught a final-year undergraduate BSc course module
entitled
Biochemical Diagnosis of Disease (376BIO), which stresses the role
of newer technologies such as immunoassays and DNA amplification, and which
remains on the curriculum;
- contributed around a quarter of the teaching input to the MSc in
Biotechnology, covering the commercial aspects of the biotechnology
industry, intellectual property, biomedical market research, benchmarking,
and bioinformatics;
- made a similar, though much more limited, contribution to the MSc
programme in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment;
- developed and taught two undergraduate level courses entitled An
Introduction to the Internet for Scientific and Industrial Users;
- developed and ran a post-experience course for doctors, The Internet for Clinicians.
Other work
Consultancy. Sreten Bogdanovic served as a consultant to the Biotechnology Means Business (later BioWise, now closed) Initiative of the bioscience sector of the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), now the Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform (BERR).Information technology. While at Coventry University, Biophoenix set up and operated two web servers (running under Microsoft Windows®) on behalf of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences (HLS) and the Educational Development Unit (now the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, CSHE).
Information design. Sreten Bogdanovic has contributed to courses in the Coventry School of Art and Design (CSAD) on electronic document design. These covered multimedia authoring, HTML, writing Windows® Help files, and general aspects of effective written communication.
More Information
The Biophoenix team has almost 30 years experience in the biomedical field, of which around 20 were gained in a commercial environment (as independent consultants, or through our employment in the in vitro diagnostics industry). Most of the remainder was gained in a UK hospital or university setting. When necessary we can also call upon specialist consultants at local universities and colleges, in particular Coventry University and Warwick University.
| As experienced biomedical industry consultants, Biophoenix' partners are regularly invited to address scientific and business meetings. For example, Sreten Bogdanovic was invited to serve as Chairman for a session on The business outlook for the metabolic syndrome at IBC's third Targeting Metabolic Syndrome conference in Cambridge, MA, USA, on 6 May 2005. Please feel free to browse these Powerpoint® slides of his talk entitled How will the metabolic syndrome impact different segments of the pharmaceutical industry? We have also prepared a management report on this subject. |