An initiative of EXCEED AMERICAS, with the support of BIO International Convention and the Licensing Executives Society (LES) – Brazil Chapter, the roundtable “Frameworks & Challenges Associated with Bio-Prospecting & Technological Development in the Brazilian Amazon & Similar Regions” was held on June 18, 2012, at the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. The roundtable objectives were: a. Provide an overview of the genetic & human assets, the ongoing bio-prospecting and technological development in the Brazilian Amazon; b. Stimulate cross-pollination of best practices in the Amazon and other similar regions; c. Develop a framework to minimize bio-prospecting challenges; d. Discuss bio-prospecting as a key strategy towards technological development and the sustainable growth of the global economy. This document highlights the opportunities and challenges discussed during the roundtable and includes the 15-minute presentation of Prof. Dr. Carlos Gustavo Nunes da Silva, DSc, PhD, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering of UFAM-Federal University of Amazonas.

1. roundtable
FRAMEWORKS & CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH
BIO-PROSPECTING & TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE
BRAZILIAN AMAZON & SIMILAR REGIONS
Boston, June 18, 2012
Sponsorship & Organization Promotional Support

2. OBJECTIVES
Provide an overview of the genetic & human assets, the
ongoing bio-prospecting and technological development
in the Brazilian Amazon
Stimulate cross-pollination of best practices in the Amazon
and other similar regions
Develop a framework to minimize bio-prospecting
challenges
Discuss bio-prospecting as a key strategy towards
technological development and the sustainable growth of
the global economy.

3. AUDIENCE
 About 80 attendees
 Countries represented
– Brazil, Canada, United States, United Kingdom,
Sweden, Switzerland
 Companies represented
– Abbott; AstraZeneca R&D Lund; Bioamber, Inc.;
Bristol-Myers Squibb; Burrill & Company;
Debiopharm AS; DuPont; Eli Lilly & Company;
FIOCRUZ; FKBiotec; GlaxoSmithkline; INCT
(National Institute of Science & Technology)
Nanobiotecnologia; Johnson & Johnson; Keller
and Heckman LLP; Leonardos & Licks
Advogados; MedStar Cleveland Clinic
Innovation Alliance; Merck-Serono; Monsanto
Company; Nanodynamics; Pfizer, Inc.; Sanofi;
SinoVeda Canada; Synthetic Genomics, Inc.;
TransLegal, LLC; UBS Financial Services

4. AUDIENCE
 Institutions represented
– ABDI - Brazilian Agency for Industrial
Development; ANPROTEC; Biotechnology Industry
Organization; BrBIOTEC; BIO-RIO Foundation;
MPEG - Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi; National
Research Council Canada; IP Network of the
Minas Gerais State; René Rachou Research Center
- CPqRR – Fiocruz, Minas Gerais; SENAI
Innovation Institute CETEC-SENAI; State
Secretariat of Science, Technology & Higher
Education, Government of Minas Gerais; State
Secretariat of Science, Technology and
Innovation, Government of Pará; UFAM -
Universidade Federal do Amazonas; UFMG -
Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; UNB -
Universidade de Brasília.

5. Opportunites & Challenges
By Stakeholder Group
DISCUSSION HIGHLIGHTS

6. INVESTORS & COLLABORATORS
OPPORTUNITIES CHALLENGES
1. Early access to matchless molecules and compounds in 1. Complexity of access
various sectors a. The extract collections are spread in several storage
a. Massive collections of extracts to be screened; areas, which reduces the efficiency of access and
b. Natural compounds with biological activity already scalability;
identified. b. Need to boost the screening / characterization of
Amazon molecular wealth and compounds;
c. Platform fragmentation – a centralized, automated and
controlled lab will require large investments.
2. Capitalize on the biotech momentum 2. Investment risks
a. Bring technology and funds to create a unique, a. Must establish clearer policies and priorities towards
centralized and automated storage and research lab in investment in biotechnology innovation;
the Amazon region; b. Regulations must be harmonized / streamlined in order
b. Boost the screening of extracts through technology to make the country competitive;
transfer and collaborative partnerships; c. Bureaucracy - lengthy timelines to import research
c. The sprouting bio-industry in Brazil and the untapped materials, to obtain patents, registration and licenses
R&D potential offer vast opportunity to the for both research and clinical trials, to register products,
establishment of new, innovative enterprises. to access the bio assets;
d. The establishment of biotechnology university spinoffs
is embryonic which makes it challenging to identify
those of attractive investment grade.

7. INSTITUTES OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OPPORTUNITIES CHALLENGES
1. Increase R&D activities 1. Legal framework
a. Characterize million compounds and molecules; a. Unclear policies to access Brazilian biodiversity;
b. Bring thousands of compounds in early stages of b. Increased risk to investors: massive fines and litigation for
development to clinical. an unclear regulatory system;
c. Patent Office genetic resource patent filing requirements
greatly increase risk of investment:
i. Compliance mechanisms should not be in the
Patent Office as genetic resource is not yet
invention.
d. A new regulatory framework is under discussion:
i. Regulations must be harmonized / streamlined in
order to attract R&D private investments.
2. Boost R&D partnerships 2. Infrastructure & Bureaucracy
a. Benefit from the increased demand of national a. Lengthy timelines to import research materials;
corporations for new technologies; b. Complex and lengthy clinical trials approval process;
b. Capitalize on the current interest of transnational c. Risks to invest due to current policies and bureaucracy
organizations to build or increase presence in Brazil; (refer to topic I. Investors & Collaborators);
c. The larger share of biodiversity assets are in the Brazilian d. Although the Brazilian Amazon region is the core of the
Amazon region: biodiversity in the planet, its characteristics make it a
i. This may confer the region the status of a challenging place to develop a biotech cluster.
potential biotechnology ST&I valley in the globe.
3. Fuel the establishment of university spinoffs 3. Scarce private / venture capital
a. New regulatory framework in place to register biological a. Mechanisms to encourage the creation of new spinoffs
products and stimulate startup creation. need to be further expanded or even created in some
states:
i. Boston biotechnology cluster is an example.

8. STARTUPS
OPPORTUNITIES CHALLENGES
1. Accelerate the growth of startups 1. Infrastructure & Bureaucracy
a. The developing bio-industry, and the number of a. Need to further improve the approval process of bio-
compounds and molecules to be characterized embody based projects;
vast opportunity to the establishment of new b. Current infrastructure of public agencies do not support
businesses. the growing demand for new projects and start-ups
approvals;
c. Not enough auditors and consultants specialized in the
assessment of bio-based projects:
d. Dedicated educational programs have been recently
launched.
2. Partner with tech-based local and international 2. Lack of resources for internationalization
organizations and institutions, to combine knowledge, a. International expertise in early stages:
resources and fill technology gaps. i. The Triple Helix innovation model locally
adopted in some states of Brazil needs to be
further stimulated in other regions;
ii. And further stimulated at the international
scope.

9. Prof. Dr. Carlos Gustavo Nunes, M.Sc., Ph.D.
UFAM, Manaus, AM, Brazil
cgustavo@ufam.edu.br | cgustavo@biotechamazonia.com
PRESENTATION

10. A BRIEF MESSAGE
 Brazil will grant 75,000 scholarships over the next four-year period, five
times the current number.
– Goal: to promote the consolidation and expansion of ST&I in Brazil by means of
international exchange and mobility.
 The strategy aims to:
– Increase the presence of students, scientists and industry personnel from Brazil in
international institutions of excellence;
– Encourage young talents and highly qualified researchers from abroad to work
with local investigators in joint projects;
– Induce the internationalization of Brazilian universities and research centers.

14. Over 55% Brazil’s land

15. Amazon river holds about
17% of all fresh water
It pours millions cubic feet
of water into the Atlantic
EVERY SECOND

16. The most extraordinary
attribute of life is its
diversity…
The Amazon rain forest
is the pinnacle of it.

17. THE BIODIVERSITY IN
NUMBERS
 Plants
– 300 different species in one ha.
 Animals
– ~3,000 different fish species
– 30% of the birds in the world
– Most of the small poisonous
amphibians
– New insects species being discovered
every day
 Microorganisms
– Beyond reasonable assessment
 Unique ecological relationships
– Physiology
– Behavior
– Biochemistry

19. CONVENTIONAL USE OF TROPICAL FORESTS
–Agriculture
–Pasture
–Extraction
•Minerals, gas and petroleum
•Wood

20. RATIONAL USES OF TROPICAL FORESTS
 Establishment of Research & Innovation Parks
– Bio-prospecting /discovery
– Bio and nanotechnologies
– Bio and environmental engineering
– Technology transfer
 Management and sustainability
– Forest-based management
– Non wood materials
– Agro energy
– Ecotourism
– Social inclusion

21. A NEW GEOGRAPHY OF SCIENTIFIC COLLABORATIONS
Brazilian Amazon: the yet unknown profile
UFAP
UFRR
EMBRAPA
UFAM EMBRAPA
UFAM UFOPA
UFAM
UFMA
UFAM UFAM UEMA
UFAM UFPA
PETROBRAS INPA
UFRA
EMBRAPA VALE
MEG
FIOCRUZ
UFAM EMBRAPA
UFAC UEA
PCTG
EMBRAPA SUFRAMA
UNIR HEMOAM UFTO
IPEPATRO PCTIS EMBRAPA
FIOCRUZ
EMBRAPA
UFMT
UEMT
Collections Petro/mining Tech Industry R&D Inst. Universities R&D in Health

22. PROTEAM
Biodiversity, Conservation &
Guarana (Paullinia cupana)
Biotechnology network
Chromobacterium violaceum
22 institutions
20 Projects (ongoing)
Doctoral Program with 100 projects
(begining)
www.bionorte.org.br
REALGENE
Amazonian Genome and
Transcriptome network REDEBIO
Guarana transciptome
+ 10 other genomes/transcriptome Dermatology & Cosmetic
About 120 researchers from Development
several institutions of all Amazon
States

23. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK
FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF AMAZONAS
UFAM

24. PCTIS: A NEW APROACH
FOR SUSTAINABILITY
 Modern concept:
Innovation Network
~500 researchers in
networking
~100 projects
– Over 100 partners
• Government
• Companies
• NGOs
– Traditional communities
(over 1,000)

26. BIOTECHNOLOGY IN THE PCTIS
 Biocentro focus
– Biotechnology development
– Working on Amazon biodiversity
– Innovation
– Sustainability
– Training of traditional communities,
researchers, graduates and
postgraduate

27. BIOCENTRO: R&D
 New enzymes
 Antibiotics
 Anti-cancer molecules
 Pigments, dyes
 Biocides (pesticides,
fungicides)
 Diagnosis and tests

28.  Challenges
– Million compounds and
molecules waiting for
characterization
– Incipient bio-industry
– Scarce private / venture
capital
 Tackling it
– Develop and attract key
expertise
– Accelerate the creation of
startups
– Attract bio-industry
– Encourage private
investment and partnerships

29. PCTIS proposal
Management
Innovation
Social inclusion Technology
transfer
Government Environmental protection
Industry
People
EDUCATION

30. Partnering Institutions
(Technology development, technical, material & financial support, consulting)
Rede NIT Amazônia
Oriental
Rede NIT Amazônia Ocidental
FIOCRUZ