2008/03/10

MD Renal, CIC biomaGUNE's first spin-off, gets under way

The Cooperative Biomaterials Research Centre, CIC biomaGUNE, has created its first spin-off, Donostia-based MD Renal S.L, which has its sights set on becoming an international benchmark in the metabolomics market-place.

Medical Diagnostics in Renal Disease (MD Renal) is the outcome of a collaborative venture between, firstly, CIC biomaGUNE and CIC bioGUNE, who bring with them the knowledge, technology and state-of-the-art facilities at Donostia's Miramon Technology Park; secondly, the Fundación Renal (Kidney Trust), which is making available its extensive network of experts; and thirdly, the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (Barcelona Clinic Hospital).

The new firm, which has been set up on a strong base of knowledge about the synthesis between organic chemistry, chemical testing and biological information technology, aims to bring to the market within a short time a series of products for rapidly identifying and quantifying metabolites - substances of low molecular weight which form part of the metabolism's complex mixtures, such as blood and urine. At the front of the spin-off is scientist Niels Reichardt, who is currently leading one of the laboratories of the Basque research centre's Functional Biomaterials Unit.