LABVOLUTION with BIOTECHNICA: Inspirational Keynotes and Networking in the Evening of Day One of the Show

How to breathe life into new innovations in Europe? And what will be the impact of "big data" on personalized therapy and preventive medicine? Those are the kind of questions at the focus of the official evening reception for the "LABVOLUTION with BIOTECHNICA" exhibition. Two keynotes and a get-together in a relaxed atmosphere will bring together some 300 invited guests from government, business and research on the night of the first day of the show. The European flagship fair for innovative lab equipment and laboratory workflow optimization is being held this year from 16 to 18 May in the new Hall 19/20 at the Hannover Exhibition Center.

The evening program – held in the New York facility room in the conference area of the new exhibition hall – will be kicked off by words of welcome from the host, Dr. Andreas Gruchow, a member of the Deutsche Messe Managing Board, as well as from a high-ranking representative of the German state of Lower Saxony, Daniela Behrens, Undersecretary in the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport. These short introductions will be followed by two keynotes, before going over to the informal part of the event.

Dr. Hans Lehrach, Director and research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, will speak on the topic of "Making unavoidable mistakes in-silico: the virtual self as the basis of truly personalized therapy and prevention." Dr. Lehrach is Director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics as well as founder and steering committee chairperson for Alacris Theranostics, plus Scientific Director of the Dahlem Center for Genome Research and Medical System Biology.

"The European Style – How to Bring Innovations to Life?" That is the topic of the second keynote by Dr. Ingmar Hoerr, CEO and President of CureVac, a biopharmaceutical company which itself has already amply demonstrated how innovations can be brought to life. Back in 2000, Dr. Hoerr teamed up with other colleagues to found CureVac in the German town of Tübingen. The inspiration for this was his discovery during his doctoral candidacy of the surprising properties of the mRNA class of molecules. Contrary to conventional wisdom, this molecular class has proved capable of creating a highly specific immune response. Based on this significant discovery, Hoerr and his colleagues set up a company which is now a world leader in the research and development of mRNA-based active ingredients. Since its founding, CureVac has attracted some 355 million euros of capital investment. Hoerr has also served on the Baden-Württemberg Council for Innovation and Competitiveness and is currently advising the EU Commission as a member of the "High Level Group of Innovators", dedicated to creating a European Council for Innovation.