For centuries, FrankfurtRheinMain has been defining itself as one of the world’s top locations for chemical and pharmaceutical development as it has become a home to 9 of the top 10 global chemical giants. Moreover, there are 22 highly esteemed research powerhouses in the region.
With its strong pharmaceutical network, FRM is a manufacturing hotspot for vaccines, industrial chemicals, plastics, and pesticides. Some of these enterprises and institutions based in FrankfurtRheinMain are contributing in a big manner to the fight against Corona. Check out the details below.
Merck has teamed up with the Jenner Institute to develop a manufacturing platform that enables the production of a Covid-19 vaccine on an industrial scale. This joint effort has been able to reduce the vaccine development time from one year to two months. In cooperation with Merck’s Solidarity and Discovery Study, the platform delivers the antiviral drug Interferon beta-1a to develop new Covid therapies.
Biotest is cooperating with Bio Products Laboratory, CSL, LFB, Octapharma and Takeda to develop a new immunoglobulin drug from the blood plasma of former Covid19 patients.
Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim)
Boehringer Ingelheim—along with several local companies, organizations, and research centers—is contributing to the development of therapies against the upper respiratory illness at its headquarters in Ingelheim.
The Paul Ehrlich Institute has granted approval to Mainz-based BioNTech and its American partner Pfizer to begin clinical trials of a possible Coronavirus vaccine.
Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (Langen)
The experts at the institute have been hard at work conducting basic research, testing, and exploration into vaccines and the safety of various biomedical drugs. The approval given to BioNTech for its clinical trials is the result of a careful benefit-risk analysis of the vaccine candidate. Human clinical trials are an important milestone on the path to the development of a safe and effective Covid-19 vaccine for Germany and the world at large.
Many scientists believe that the cure for COVID-19 will come from finding the right combination of active ingredients already known to us. With that in mind, the breakthrough just might come from a company located in Eschborn. Innoplexus has developed an AI based medical search engine, which they have made available to scientists the world over who are involved in the ongoing pursuit of a vaccine.
Arago GmbH, Chris Boos (Frankfurt)
Chris Boos, the founder of Arago GmbH, has handed over his duties at the AI company to work full time on a new software that can help combat the pandemic. He is currently working with 130 programmers and scientists on developing a technology that makes it possible to trace the infection pathways of the virus without sharing any identifying information of the infected persons.
BAG Diagnostics has developed a rapid test for detection of Sars-CoV-2. It provides proof of the presence of the virus in the body and shows whether there is enough cell material in the sample. The combination of the two is needed for a reliable test result, which is available within 90 minutes.
Frankfurter Institut für Transfusionsmedizin (Frankfurt)
Scientists at the Frankfurt institute are working on passive immunization of people infected with the virus. They have been treating seriously ill patients with Corona antibodies, which they retrieve from the plasma of people who have overcome the disease.
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