bioRN News and Highlights January 2026

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bioRN News January 2026

Dear *|FNAME|* *|LNAME|*,

30 years bioRN
Built on people. Driven by innovation.

At the beginning of 2026, it is clearer than ever: strong regional ecosystems, trusted partnerships, and the successful translation of research into application are not just location factors - they are a strategic contribution to Europe’s future competitiveness.

This is exactly the ambition that life – the biomedical convention will bring to the stage on February 4 in Heidelberg. As bioRN’s flagship event marking our 30th anniversary, life connects scientific excellence, entrepreneurial scaling, and societal relevance, and demonstrates how regional innovation strength translates into global impact.

Formats such as the International Investors Panel, the Dual Use discussion, and the Young Scientists Pitch Award exemplify this strength. They bring together research, application, capital, and talent — showing how excellent science becomes real-world innovation.

Over 400 participants have already registered - now it´s your turn to be part of #life2026, 4th Feb 2026 at Heidelberg Congress Center.
✅ Registration & Networking: 8pm
Official opening: 9pm
Get Together: 5-8pm

We are looking forward to welcoming and to engage with you as part of this strong community. 💚

Meet bioRN in January and February 2026:
1) 23nd January, 11:30am: PRECISEU Meetup Best Practice Champions 2025 - learn more about the winning projects Genomcore and ENGAGE ATMP and OPORA Health and PragmaTIL, Register here
2) 3rd February, 6pm, KLINKER Café Heidelberg: C-Level-Circle hosted by WMT AG
3) 4th February, 8-8pm, Heidelberg Congress Center: life - the biomedical convention
Register here.
4) 18th February, 12pm: bioRN M2M Member to Member featuring SPT Labtech, Register here
4) 24th February, NEW! starting at 6pm, Urban Kitchen: bioRN Lounge featuring Dr. Philipp Kuhn, Yumab: Next-generation TCR-like antibodies with improved specificity profiles. Register here

Don´t miss further news from the network at the bioRN website.
Find out about new bioRN events here and get the latest news about funding and growth opportunities at 05 | Opportunities.

Looking forward to see you soon!

Kind regards,

Stephanie Füller
PR Manager
bioRN Life Science Cluster

01 | Research Highlights & News

BioRN:

In 2025, the bioRN cluster experienced a strong and dynamic expansion as many new members joined its growing network. [more[
life – the biomedical convention – 30 Jahre bioRN Life Science Cluster: Impulsgeber für die nächste Generation biomedizinischer Innovation
[more]
BioRN strenghthens its Leadership and Governance to reflect a growing life science ecosystem [more]

DKFZ: mRNA rejuvenates aging immune system – the liver as a fountain of youth [more]

EMBL: A new single-cell map reveals how human reproductive organs form and respond to environmental influences [more]

HI-STEM: Nature Magazin featured HI-STEM publication on cancer neuroscience in Outlook article [more]

Heidelberg University Hospital:

Merger of the Heidelberg and Mannheim University Hospitals Launched [more]
Cystic fibrosis research: AI-assisted evaluation of MRI images in chronic rhinosinusitis
[more]

HITS:

Predicting the Ever-Changing World of Protein Dynamics [more]
Nature Magazin featured HI-STEM publication on cancer neuroscience in Outlook article [more]

ariadne.ai: ariadne.ai Secures Invest BW Funding to Build “TumorTwin”: The First Digital Twin for Glioblastoma Powered by Morphometric Spatial Multi-Omics [more]

Bayer: Bayer to expand into molecular imaging with acquisition of innovative pan-amyloid radiotracers from Attralus [more]

BioMed X: BioMed X Launches XBridge Pilot to Facilitate Industry-Academic Research Collaborations [more]

BD: BD Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for EnCor EnCompass™ Breast Biopsy and Tissue Removal System [more]

Hummingbird: Hummingbird Diagnostics Publishes Study on RNA Biomarker Methylation in Liquid Biopsies [more]

Promega: A study establishes the molecular link between tumor metabolism and drug binding in cancer cells [more]

Sanofi:

Sanofi’s efdoralprin alfa earns orphan designation in the EU for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency related emphysema [more]
Sanofi to acquire Dynavax, adding a marketed adult hepatitis B vaccine and phase 1/2 shingles candidate to the pipeline [more]
Sanofi’s Wayrilz approved in the EU as the first BTK inhibitor to treat immune thrombocytopenia [more]

Technische Hochschule Mannheim: New Publication: From Sample to Mixed Reality: A Translational 3D MALDI Imaging Platform for Advanced 3D Spatial Omics Analysis of 3D Cell Culture Disease Models [more]

VectorBuilder:
Ikarovec to advance pipeline with exclusive worldwide option to VectorBuilder’s Intravitreal Capsid Technology [more]

02 | New Members

More information about the new members and other bioRN members can be found here.

CARMA FUND is an early-stage investment fund for advancing Life Science and Healthcare technologies. The fund started off in June 2022 and has €56M under management. It is based in Munich and Frankfurt am Main.CARMA FUND I is uniquely suited for young companies and projects from the Life Science and medical space due to an extra-long term, flexible investment modes and its close relationships with leading technology transfer offices and industry partners.

Emerging Pharma Discovering (EPD) Consulting empowers researchers and founders to turn scientific discoveries into investor - ready, clinically driven programs. We help early drug developers align science, strategy and execution to avoid costly misstepsm, reduce risk and increase the chances of clinical success,

GEN H Gen-H’s team of scientists has extensive experience in genetic engineering, gained through daily application of Red/ET recombination (also known as recombineering). This technology, originally developed at the EMBL in Heidelberg, allows precise, scarless modification of DNA. Gen-H offers proprietary technologies, including an antibiotic-free plasmid maintenance system and optimized bacterial strains. In addition, Gen-H offers its expertise in genetic engineering to academic and industrial clients in fee-for-service projects.

Histomography provides easy access to 3D tissue data at subcellular resolution, granting unparalleled insights into the structure and function of biological tissue. With Histomography, you can benefit from quantitative and automated analysis, unlocking endless possibilities. Histomography offers a tissue-retaining x-ray technique that can be effortlessly integrated into your histological workflow for paraffin-embedded samples.Unlike conventional histology, there is no need for staining. Plus, because it's non-destructive, it is compatible with conventional histological analysis.

03 | Event Spotlights

04 | Event Calendar & Discounts

PRECISEU Meet Up Best Practice Recognition Champions 2025
23 January 2026, 11:30 am – 1 pm (CET): OPORA Health and PragmaTIL (register here)

life - the biomedical convention
4 February 2026, 8-8pm: (register here)
Complimentary conference tickets for bioRN members.

ACRO Biosystems GMP Factory Virtual Open Day North America & Europe Sessions
22nd January and 5 February 2026, online >>

bioRN M2M Member to Member featuring SPT Labtech
18 February 2026, online >>

Workshop: Learn from Experts – Maximize the Potential of Your Cell-Based Assays!
March 04-05, 2026 - Walldorf, Germany >>
15 % discount for members.

health.tech global summit
March 02-05, 2026 - Basel, Switzerland >>
10 % discount for members & opportunity for start-Up partnering!

Aktuelle Trends im Biomanufacturing
March 11-12, 2026 - Stuttgart, Germany >>

EMBO/EMBL Symposium AI In Biology
March 10-13, 2026 - EMBL, Heidelberg and online >>
5 % discount for members.

TREFFpunkt Gesundheitsindustrie "Mensch, Maschine, Miteinander?
KI und Robotik in der Medizin
March 19, 2026 -Stuttgart >>

Bio-Europe Spring
March 23-25, 2026 - Lisbon, Portugal >>
10 % discount for members.

LSX World Congress Europe 2026
25-26 March, 2026 - Lisbon, Portugal >>
10 % discount for members.

German Biotechnology Days
April 21-22, 2026 - Leipzig, Germany >>

SaxoCell Conference 2026
June 02-03, 2026 - Dresden, Germany >>
20 % discount for members.

05 | Opportunities

In this section we provide selected information on funding calls and events. On our website in the section startup support you will find a calendar with more Open Calls, Pitches, Knowledge Transfer and Closings.

Open Calls:

Innovationspreis der Deutschen BioRegionen 2026 : Gründerinnen und Gründer aufgepasst: Jetzt innovative Ideen einreichen und bundesweite Aufmerksamkeit erreichen. more
PRECISEU Best Practice Recognition: Call deadline March 12th 2026. Apply here. (Info session: 6. February 2026, 1:30 – 2:30 pm – register here)
PRECISEU: Register on the Matchmaking Platform to receive information on the next call here

Internationalisation:

Market Exploration UK: BMWE-funded market exploration delegation to the UK from 11–14 May 2026. For more information, contact Daniela Weber (dw@biorn.org)

Knowledge Transfer:

Projektleiter - Schulung Gentechnik - Universität Heidelberg more

Closings:

Volve Capital closes its first €9 million fund to back tech founders at the earliest stages - Volve Capital, more

06 | Open Positions

BioMed X Institute in New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Group Leader / Postdoctoral Researchers / Research Assistants [more]

PROGEN:

Operations & Events Executive (m/w/d) – Heidelberg, Germany [more]
Strategic Account Manager (m/f/d) – Heidelberg, Germany [more]
Stellvertretende Herstellungsleitung (m/w/d) – Heidelberg, Germany [more]

Veraxa:

Scientist -Translational Research [more]

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