BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION - SEPTEMBER FROM A. MÉRIEUX INTERVIEW WITH FEATURE FEATURE (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW?

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1 FROM A. MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD (2) - SEPTEMBER #2 FOR THE FUTURE BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION 1 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

2 FROM A. MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD (2) FOR THE FUTURE CONTENTS FROM ALEXANDRE MÉRIEUX IN ACTION DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD FOR THE FUTURE 2 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

3 MESSAGE FROM ALEXANDRE MÉRIEUX As biomérieux has become a world leader in in vitro diagnostics, we have consistently remained at the forefront of this field largely due to our pioneering spirit, exemplified by our innovation through both internal and external teams. Our innovation is naturally driven by ambitious R&D programs and topnotch scientists. It is also based on entrepreneurial outreach that has led our Company to make groundbreaking strategic acquisitions and forge multidisciplinary collaborations, even before the dawn of open innovation. Innovation occurs at the point where an idea meets its market. It becomes useful when it fulfills the needs of patients, clinicians and biologists, generating added value. We have developed an original innovation model based on international research partnerships and joint research units, lifting barriers between disciplines. Innovation is important, and not only for R&D teams. It is everybody s business. Innovation must be a constant mindset across all functions, from production to marketing, human resources, finance, etc. To ensure the sustainability of entrepreneurial innovation, we must preserve our Company s agility, which is critical for rapid decision-making and implementation. We must also leave room for independent thinking to encourage creativity, because innovative ideas sometime turn up where you least expect them. Lastly, innovation cannot be dissociated from risk taking. This means betting on the future, which makes sense in the context of an ambitious strategic vision that must not be sacrificed to meet short-term goals. At biomérieux, innovation is a mindset a combination of daring and an open mind that has been handed down from generation to generation to serve global public health. Alexandre Mérieux Deputy CEO 3

4 FROM A.MÉRIEUX WITH (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD (2) FOR THE FUTURE CÉDRIC VILLANI French mathematician, winner of the 2010 Fields Medal, Director of the Institut Henri Poincaré Having taught at the universities of Atlanta, Berkeley and Princeton in the USA and Lyon in France, Cédric Villani received the Fields Medal, the most prestigious prize in the world of mathematics, in Currently at the head of one of the oldest and most dynamic international structures dedicated to mathematics and theoretical physics, he also enjoys sharing his passion for mathematics with the general public. He is a true spokesman for the French scientific community and admits to an obsession for research. He is also actively involved in other fields, of a cultural, economic and social nature. During an exclusive interview at the Institut Henri Poincaré as part of biomérieux s 50 th anniversary celebrations, Cédric Villani spoke to us about the concept of innovation, with simplicity and enthusiasm. Define innovation Appetite for risk Speed of innovation Biology in perspective Innovation in life sciences 4 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

5 BACKGROUND 2012: Publication of Théorème vivant : Lecturer at the École normale supérieure in Lyon 2010: Winner of the Fields Medal 2009: Appointed Director of the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris 1998: Thesis in mathematics 1973: Born in Brive-la-Gaillarde (France) Show more Biology is, in many ways, an extreme science. The seven ingredients for innovation 5

6 FROM A.MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) THE AUTOMATION REVOLUTION DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD (2) FOR THE FUTURE In the early 1960s, in France and many other countries, medical tests were often still carried out in pharmacies. The comprehensive check-up, as we know it today, did not exist. Most medical tests remained manual up until the early 1970s. From its very creation, in 1963, BD Mérieux offered a range of products for laboratory testing, thanks to Institut Mérieux s small reagents department and the products of Baltimore Biological Laboratory (a subsidiary of Becton-Dickinson). This product range covered the fields of bacteriology, biochemistry, coagulation and virology. The sales team subsequently had great success with innovative products such as the Fibrometer, dehydrated culture media and Sensidiscs, used to simplify antibiotic susceptibility testing. The company s researchers worked with three essential factors in mind: time savings, safety and standardization. The introduction of automation during the 1970s was a major milestone for the diagnostics industry, heralding the start of a revolution in the biologist s roles and working practices. Techniques became standardized and the comprehensive check-up came into being. The company s researchers worked with three essential factors in mind: time savings, safety and standardization. 6 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

7 50 years, 50 innovations Today, biomérieux commercializes nearly 2,500 products and consumables. Find out about 50 innovations of particular note over the course of the company s 50-year history. ZOOM However, biologists still had to group samples in order to run their instruments at full capacity. It was in the 1980s that the possibility of individual tests began to emerge. The acquisition of API Systems in 1987 and Vitek Systems in 1988 were turning points in biomérieux s history. VIDAS, a Vitek Systems instrument, would become the company s flagship product, enabling it to make a spectacular entry on the automated immunoassays market in 1991, in the clinical sector and, later on, in the industrial microbiological testing sector. By the end of the 20 th century, automation had been extended to every area of in vitro diagnostics, which is now on course for further change with the advent of new technologies. 7

8 FROM A.MÉRIEUX Part (2) 2... IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW? TOWARDS THE COMPUTERIZATION OF RESULTS FROM THE FIELD (2) FOR THE FUTURE Today, biomérieux s R&D team is multi-disciplinary, integrating not only medical and biological expertise, but also engineering and information technology skills. This openness to new specialist areas reflects a profound change in diagnostic activities with, in particular, a move towards computerized results. The automation initiated in recent years has reached new heights with the deployment of comprehensive and integrated systems such as biomérieux s FMLA, which automates the diagnostic process from sample preparation through to results. This offers biologists and clinicians quicker access to results that are more reliable and more accurate, which in turn is a great benefit for patients. Learn more about FMLA New methods, such as decisional algorithms to interpret data, digital imaging, mass spectrometry and telemedicine are bringing about major changes in the practice of medicine and diagnostics and, therefore, in the organization of healthcare. These are the signs of an underlying trend: the convergence of robotization, information technologies and the life sciences (see FOR THE FUTURE section). In the field of in vitro diagnostics, technological progress means that data processing is an essential factor: it is not simply a case of providing as much data as possible, but rather a question of improving data processing, interpretation and transmission 8 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

9 KEY DATES in order to speed up the decision-making process for clinicians. The need for sequencing, for instance, results in an exponential increase in the volume of data available. The biologists ability to collect, sort and, above all, analyze data is becoming more crucial than ever for the medical decision-making process. Although the reliability and turnaround time of results remain at the heart of diagnostic specialists concerns, the focus in the future will primarily be on facilitating the interpretation of those results An underlying trend: the convergence of robotization, information technologies and the life sciences. 9

10 FROM A.MÉRIEUX (2) IN IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) OPEN INNOVATION AHEAD OF ITS TIME DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD (2) FOR THE FUTURE Internationalization, acquisitions and partnerships are the key to biomérieux s model for innovation. Through its pioneering approach, the Company has succeeded in building upon its solid foundations in biology to embrace the principles of open innovation: it has set up programs in the countries where the world s top specialists and researchers are now concentrated and established multi-disciplinary collaborations with publicand private-sector life sciences groups. INTERNATIONALIZATION OF RESEARCH With the global research landscape undergoing deep-seated changes owing to the advent of new centers of excellence, biomérieux is internationalizing its research in order to seize every opportunity and rise to worldwide public health challenges. With 17 R&D sites around the world, biomérieux deploys its innovation strategy in those countries from which a large proportion of current scientific and medical progress originates. This global outlook enables biomérieux to maintain excellent scientific intelligence and to establish partnerships with numerous international research entities in the USA, China, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy and Singapore. 10 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

11 KEY FIGURES 40 partnerships with leading research centers throughout the world. It promotes improved knowledge of medical needs in every region of the world and enhances the company s capacity to innovate, thanks to the diversity of partners from different cultures. 11

12 FROM A. MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION IN IN ACTION (2) (2) DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD (2) CROSS-FERTILIZATION The field of diagnostics has changed considerably over the last few decades, with the emergence of new technologies to support conventional biological testing. For this reason, biomérieux has sought to explore various disciplines through a sustained policy of external partnerships. The joint research units are at the heart of this strategy of collaboration and cross-fertilization. With the creation of these units, starting in the 1980s, biomérieux introduced an entirely new approach to innovation, with teams from different cultures and with different skills, working together in a complementary manner, in the same place and on shared themes. FOR THE FUTURE For many years, biomérieux has worked with research entities in both the public and private sectors including not only academic institutes, universities and hospitals but also biotechnology and industrial companies. biomérieux has forty collaborative agreements on a diverse range of targeted topics. It established preferential relations with the CEA as early as 1997 with respect to new technologies, and with the Institut Pasteur in infectiology through a major collaborative agreement signed in A COMMITMENT TO RESEARCH Over and above their own activities, biomérieux and Institut Mérieux actively contribute to strengthening French scientific research, giving momentum to numerous multi-disciplinary projects that serve public interests. 12 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

13 BIOMÉRIEUX S GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS NETHERLANDS NORWAY SWEDEN TURKEY UNITED KINGDOM JAPAN UNITED STATES CHINA Legend New Technologies FRANCE SWITZERLAND GERMANY AUSTRALIA New Platforms New Pathogens New Markers Other Partnerships ZOOM biomérieux is also involved in ADNA, a collaborative R&D program for diagnostic progress through new therapeutic methods in the field of personalized medicine and theranostics, to fight against infectious diseases, cancer and certain genetic diseases. Initiated by Dr. Christophe Mérieux in 2006 and coordinated by Institut Mérieux, ADNA brings together various partners and is supported by the French government. In 2005, alongside Institut Mérieux, biomérieux became a founding member of Lyonbiopôle, a global competitiveness cluster in the field of biology. In 2012, the same parties came together again to create the BIOASTER Institute for Technological Research in Infectiology, as part of the French government s Investments for the Future program. BIOASTER now brings together a number of biology companies and academic research entities and is intended to play a major role in converting research results into products that are accessible to patients. 13

14 FROM A.MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID DID YOU YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD Sustainable by design biomérieux aims to reduce the environmental impact of its products and their packaging throughout their entire life cycle. Starting from the initial product development phases, the Company adopts an eco-design approach in order to encourage efficiency in the use of materials and energy. biomérieux also applies this eco-design approach to its buildings. (2) FOR THE FUTURE Going into orbit The impetus behind the creation of VITEK was somewhat unusual. This automated testing system has been programmed to detect bacteria that differ from the norm. From farm to folks With the launch of its veterinary diagnostic division in 2012, following the acquisition of AES and ADIAGENE, biomérieux provides innovative solutions for testing needs along the entire food processing chain, from the farm to the consumer s fork. This new area of activity carries on the Mérieux tradition of biology without borders between human and veterinary medicine. 14 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

15 Homing in on intellectual property Every year, biomérieux submits between 30 and 40 patent applications to protect the innovations arising from the work of its research and development team and its partnerships. The company currently holds 478 patent families. Awards biomérieux has received, in recent years, the following awards in recognition of its innovative products. Performance Solutions biomérieux now offers its customers comprehensive support through the Performance Solutions service, an approach enabling customers to manage the increasingly complex regulatory environment and to meet the ever greater need for profitability. 15

16 FROM A.MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE THE FIELD FIELD (2) FOR THE FUTURE BIO-INDUSTRIAL ASSETS AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF INNOVATION With several hundreds of millions of tests produced each year and an installed base of more than 69,400 instruments, biomérieux knows that innovation must be useful and accessible to ensure sustainability and success. Every innovative product must be reproducible in routine conditions and on a large scale. But it must also be capable of being commercialized and delivered throughout the world, while maintaining the quality and reliability on which biomérieux has built its reputation. With 19 industrial sites in nine countries, biomérieux s bio-industrial assets are developing at the same rapid pace as that of Company: our acquisitions, new subsidiaries and new products are driving exchanges and transfer of good practices between sites as well as the optimization and harmonization of procedures at a global level. It is for this reason that biomérieux maintains a policy of continuous investment with regard to its production facilities: the Company therefore has a cutting-edge bio-industrial network, enabling it to deliver products that comply with the most stringent international quality standards, to customers throughout the world. 16 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

17 IN PICTURES Marcy l Etoile Basingstoke The innovation process does not stop once a product has been launched. biomérieux s production specialists are constantly looking for technical innovations that will result in shorter manufacturing times, lower production and transportation costs, and reductions in the product s volume and environmental footprint. Technology, robotization and automation are present at every stage of our production lines, but it is the men and women of biomérieux who make and will always continue to make all the difference. Through their knowledge and expertise, they invent new industrial solutions for laboratory professionals, in order to improve patient management day after day. Saint-Vulbas Verniolle La Balme Shanghai Combourg Madrid Florence Craponne Durham St. Louis Lombard Hyderabad Grenoble Sydney Brisbane Jacarepagua 17

18 FROM A.MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION VIDAS 20 YEARS OF SUCCESS IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD (2) FOR THE FUTURE When biomérieux acquired the American company Vitek Systems in 1988, it discovered a somewhat odd machine that had been overlooked, whose potential was not immediately apparent. The instrument, which was designed to detect pathogens, had hardly been used and had no accompanying reagents. Could it be used to carry out infectiology, hormonology, serology or cancerology analyses? Three weeks of testing were all the company needed to discern its potential: quantitative assays were indeed possible! Within a year, biomérieux s teams had developed around a dozen parameters of excellent quality enabling results to be obtained even more rapidly then radio-immunology reference methods: the first immunoassay platform of the VIDAS range was born. Following its launch in 1991, VIDAS rapidly became a great success and has since become a reference in the diagnostics industry. This test platform changed the entire immunoassays sector, providing laboratories with a simple and robust technique to replace more complex methods that required more manual handling. Today, tens of thousands of healthcare professionals around the world use a VIDAS instrument every day. And these users are very loyal. VIDAS is extremely robust and has a very low failure rate, making it particularly suitable for use in emerging countries. Already an innovation at its launch, VIDAS has continued to evolve ever since in anticipation of laboratories needs. 18 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

19 Presentation of VIDAS at the International Biology Days in Paris Commercial launch of VIDAS Launch of mini VIDAS 2000 New design, new IT capabilities Today, with approximately 31,000 instruments used by clinical and industrial laboratory professionals, VIDAS accounts for the largest installed base of immunoassay systems in the world. In 2012, the VIDAS 3 - a new generation of the instrument offering new services - was launched, heralding the start of a new chapter in one of biomérieux s greatest success stories Every second 3 tests are carried out on a VIDAS instrument worldwide Launch of VIDAS 3 Find out more about VIDAS parameters available and soon Focus on phages Phages are very specific viruses that only infect bacteria. They are used to capture and isolate targeted bacteria in a sample. Video The action of phages 19

20 FROM A.MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD S.T. SUCCESS Part 2... STORIES (2) FOR THE FUTURE TEMPO FAST-PACED QUALITY CONTROL FOR FOOD PROCESSING With the advent of TEMPO, designed specifically for microbiological testing in food processing, microflora enumeration tests achieved an automation milestone in biomérieux s Industrial Microbiology Unit took its inspiration from the VITEK cards when designing TEMPO. Once again, biomérieux s multi-disciplinary teams, with their ability to adapt the company s expertise in the clinical sector and apply it in the industrial sector, proved to be an asset in the creation of new products: TEMPO offers entirely automated reading of results and complete traceability, through a unique bar code on its card. TEMPO is the only automated system that operates on the principle of a card using the MPN statistical method. It offers a time-saving of up to 48 hours in relation to conventional methods and therefore provides a solution to the time pressures faced by professionals in the food processing sector. TEMPO is particularly suitable to meet the needs of food processing quality control laboratories in terms of flexibility, as it can be adapted for use with various types of product samples, both solid and liquid. The first version included applications for use with meat and meat-based products. The system has been enhanced with several parameters and now offers a total of nine. TEMPO can be used to test for all the quality indicators routinely tested in food samples, including total microflora, total coliforms, enterobacteria, E. coli, S. aureus, yeasts, moulds and lactic bacteria. 20 BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

21 THE WINNING CARD VITEK The acquisition of Vitek Systems, world leader in automated bacteriological analysis, was sealed in Missouri on December 31, 1988, providing biomérieux with a foothold in North America. biomérieux thus gained access to VITEK, an instrument designed to identify bacteria and fungi. The system had a database aimed specifically at industrial applications, thus ensuring that any pathogens present in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products, or their production environment, could be identified. The first step in the extension of the range was the launch of VITEK 2, which enabled users to obtain faster results from identification and antibiotic susceptibility tests, using the VITEK card, an innovative and miniaturized consumable. VITEK 2 provides the information needed to select a targeted antibiotic treatment on the day of testing, thus improving patient care and reducing healthcare spending. The second step was VITEK 2 Compact, equipped with Advanced Expert System software, enabling the interpretative reading of antibiotic susceptibility tests. Designed for small and medium laboratories seeking an automated system capable of processing the majority of their routine tests and providing quick and reliable results. VITEK 2 Compact made VITEK 2 technology accessible to all laboratories. In 2011, biomérieux launched VITEK MS, a new identification system using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. 21

22 FROM A. MÉRIEUX (2) IN ACTION IN ACTION (2) DID YOU KNOW? FROM THE FIELD (2) FOR FOR THE THE FUTURE CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGIES DESIGNED FOR PATIENTS The development of new products for quick and personalized diagnosis is a major scientific and technical challenge that calls for a multi-disciplinary approach, combining biomérieux s expertise in the biosciences with technological innovation. Technologies such as sequencing, mass spectrometry, imaging and spectroscopy, and even techniques arising from mechanics, robotics and automation, are beginning to appear in the field of diagnostics. These technologies are crucial to the development of new diagnostic applications. In addition, they open up new possibilities to further reduce the time between taking a sample and providing doctors with test results. Sequencing... Mass spectrometry... Imaging... Spectroscopy BIOMÉRIEUX A PIONEER FOR INNOVATION

23 The growth of cultures is currently a key step in microbiology laboratory processes. biomérieux aims to enhance the medical value of diagnostics in the very short term with the launch of its new-generation automated blood culture analyzer. Scheduled for 2013, VIRTUO TM is a highly automated system enabling considerable time-savings to be made and further enhancing the reliability of results. It uses new culture media that improve performance and offers new features, including control of vial filling, automatic alerts and immediate notification in the event of positive samples. Easy to set up, as the instrument automatically loads the samples, VIRTUO TM helps to optimize laboratory workflows. Connectivity is also an important consideration, particularly for large-scale laboratories, as it enables valuable time savings by strengthening relations within laboratories as well as between doctors and laboratories. In this area, biomérieux can draw upon its in-depth knowledge of infectiology and implement its information technologies to develop and innovate in its areas of expertise. For instance, the Myla middleware program is part of the solutions and services offered in the context of full microbiology laboratory automation (FMLA ). FILMARRAY Syndromic diagnosis becomes a reality 23

24 A STORY FOR TOMORROW Contact biomérieux 376 Chemin de l Orme Marcy l Etoile FRANCE contact@biomerieux.com A story for tomorrow is a publication by biomérieux s Internal and External Communication Departments - Managing Editor: Michel Baguenault - Design and production: Thera Conseil - Photo credits: Thera Conseil - Graphicobsession - Fotolia - Gettyimages - Noël Bouchut - Christian Ganet - Institut Mérieux