Biotechnology industry in Italy is a highly innovative and fast-growing sector dedicated to research.
At the end of 2019, there are 696 biotech companies active in Italy.[1]
Industry
The turnover exceeds 12 billion euros, the number of employees exceeds 13,000 units. Between 2017 and 2019, over 50 new innovative start-ups active in biotechnology were registered.[2]
Healthcare
Vaccine
In the laboratories of the IRBM Science Park a team of Italian and American researchers has developed the Chad3Ebola-Zaire anti-ebola vaccine, a monovalent adenovirus capable of neutralizing the «Zaire» strain of the virus, conceived and produced by OKAIROS, a biotech company founded by Prof. Riccardo Cortese, with whom IRBM set up the Advent equal joint venture.
- A COVID-19 vaccine was developed in the IRBM Science Park laboratories, Pomezia, Rome, Italy, in cooperation with Jenner Institute Oxford University.[4][5][6]
- An other COVID-19 vaccine was developed by ReiThera, Castel Romano, Rome, Italy, in cooperation with Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases.[7]
On 10 August 2020, 3,000 candidates (including doctors) are ready for the test phase.
Screening tests carried out throughout the course of the study will be used to select suitable people to test the safety of the vaccine in this early phase of testing (Phase I). Volunteers are divided into two age groups: from 18 to 55, and from 65 to 85. Each group will be divided into three subgroups who will be given a different dosage of vaccine.[8]
Agricultural biotechnology
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Research
The research intensity of the biotech sector is significantly higher than that found for the Italian industry as a whole.[9]
