On 20-21 May, a conference organised by the Polish Patent Office took place in Krakow on the occasion of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The European Patent Office was a co-host of the event.

The title of the conference was “Biotechnological Innovation for a Sustainable Future”.

The debates focused on the use of biotechnological innovations to achieve sustainable development goals. The discussions covered current and planned legal regulations, good practices and issues related to technology transfer. Our law firm was represented by two partners: Dr Anna Gdula and Rafał Witek.

 

 

We are very proud that Rafał Witek, a partner at the WTS Patent Attorneys law firm, also had the pleasure of moderating one of the discussion panels (Future Hopes in Biotechnology) during such a prestigious event. The panel was attended by leading Polish scientists who shared their views on the future of biotechnology as a dynamically developing field. They also spoke about their personal experiences related to the research and development projects they have implemented and the commercialization of their inventions.

Prof. Jacek Jemielity spoke about the therapeutic applications of mRNA and his experiences related to the development of ExploRNA. Katarzyna Roszkowska spoke about innovative meat production techniques developed by LABFARM. Dagmara Słota introduced the participants to the topic of new biomaterials used for targeted drug delivery and bone regeneration developed at the Krakow University of Technology. Finally, Dr. Paulina Wach from Molecule.one explained how artificial intelligence is used to design and synthesize useful chemical compounds.

 

 

After the inspiring speeches, there was a lively discussion about the special potential and challenges awaiting the field of biotechnology in the future. Much attention was paid to issues related to the protection and enforcement of exclusive rights and their impact on the development of biotechnology.

We would like to thank the Organizers for the invitation and the panelists for their excellent presentations and valuable contributions to the important discussion.