Market Strategies for a Tobacco Bio-Pharming Application: The Case of Gaucher's Disease Treatment

Small firms developing biotechnology applications often focus on establishing intellectual property rights, which can then be sold to more established firms with existing market chains. This paper explores the expected 'Buyout' price and economic surplus changes for an emerging bio-pharming application with transgenic tobacco. The results suggest a 'Buyout' price of about $1.75 billion. Yet despite this potentially large payout to the innovating firm, consumers also see significant surplus gains.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

From Farming to "Pharming". Risks and Policy Challenges of Third Generation GM Crops

Commercial and academic activities in the production of pharmaceuticals or other substances of industrial interests from genetically modified plants, i.e. molecular farming, have so far centred in the USA and Canada. Recent increases in EU activities and the proximity to market stage of the first plant-made pharmaceuticals, some of which from EU based companies, represent a call to action for EU regulators. Drawing on the North American debate on molecular farming it will be argued that both the rationale of and the risk issues associated with molecular farming will differ significantly from those of first generation GM crops. Based on these differences, the suitability of the existing regulatory framework, which essentially was developed in response to the arrival of insecticide and herbicide tolerant crops for food and feed use, is discussed. Possible options for adapting the already complex EU regulatory system to cater for molecular farming are examined. It will be argued that the policy challenges posed will inevitably spark a broader public debate. As an issue for debate, molecular farming is located at two crossroads: of the risk debate on agricultural biotechnology and the sustainability debate on renewables and greening of industry and of red and green biotechnology. Complex scientific, technical and legal issues, new issues at stake and a new pattern of actors are likely to give EU regulators a difficult time.molecular farming, industrial crops, biotechnology policy, risk assessment, GMO regulation

Project characteristics for design and build procurement in Malaysian construction industry

Design & Build procurement approach is one of the procurement methods which is known to be widely gaining popularity in order to serve the modern day construction clients desire of having a constructed facility. To effectively service the market-driven expansion of this project delivery strategy in the construction community, a fundamental understanding of the characteristics of the Design & Build procurement approach is necessary. This study is aimed at appraising the Design & Build procurement approach in the Malaysian construction industry based on current practice through identifying the characteristics of the procurement approach. For this purpose, a detailed literature review of the Design & Build characteristics was conducted and data was collected from a two round Delphi questionnaire survey conducted with experienced professionals that have vast experience in the Design & Build procurement practice. The relative importance of these characteristics were quantified by the relative importance index method demonstrating their level of priority. The key findings in the study showed that the practice of the procurement approach in Malaysia is most importantly characterized by the fact that it is most suitable for projects that are complex in nature, while ‘effective client representation’ is the least important characteristic of the Design & Build procurement approach with regard to the Malaysian construction industry. It is expected that with the consideration of these characteristics of the D&B procurement approach, it will consequently result in the overall improvement in the performance of the Malaysian construction industry in relation to project delivery

Networks in Entrepreneurship

The value of networks as integral part of the explanation of entrepreneurial success is widely acknowledged. However, the network perspective lacks specification of the various dimensions of a network and their impact on the early development of a venture. We make a distinction between a Schumpeterian start-up pursuing a radical innovation and a Kirznerian venture on basis of an incremental innovation. This distinction is introduced as a contingency in the way networks contribute to the ability of the entrepreneur to discover opportunities, to get resources, and to gain legitimacy. In this explorative study three cases on high technology firms in The Netherlands provide empirical material to develop a number of propositions on the network effect on the survival or performance of start-ups.networks;discovering opportunities;entrepreneurial processes;high-tech entrepreneurship;start-up firms

WAO guideline for the management of hereditary angioedema

Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) is a rare disease and for this reason proper diagnosis and appropriate therapy are often unknown or not available for physicians and other health care providers. For this reason we convened a group of specialists that focus upon HAE from around the world to develop not only a consensus on diagnosis and management of HAE, but to also provide evidence based grades, strength of evidence and classification for the consensus. Since both consensus and evidence grading were adhered to the document meets criteria as a guideline. The outcome of the guideline is to improve diagnosis and management of patients with HAE throughout the world and to help initiate uniform care and availability of therapies to all with the diagnosis no matter where the residence of the individual with HAE exists