Our platform and results from haplotagging have performed impressively through TLRs1 - 4. For haplotagging to achieve further success in transition towards the market, it will need a stable structure, further demonstration, and access to financing. During the last part of the funding period, the PI has accepted a permanent position away from the Hosting Institution. The move of the PI has taken up much time and logistical effort that have also impacted the progress of this Action. In the last few months, the PI has struck new collaboration agreements with local and other European (and UK) researchers to launch new projects and to obtain financing. In that sense, we have achieved a level on par with the state-of-the-art. Through extensive discussions with commercial and academic partners, we are confident that we have a “working product” as such. We will now intensify the effort to establish a spin-out.
Across the various areas, we assess our progress as follows:
Further research: we have an existing “working product” as such. Therefore further research is needed to develop further improvements, rather than needing to establish proof-of-concept as such.
Demonstration: we have demonstrated the basic principles and scalability at a mid-level. Real-life commercial projects often involve samples in the range of 100 - 1000 samples. These we can handle on a regular basis. For larger projects such as the Lifelines biobank (167000 samples), we have sufficiently demonstrated capabilities so far, but will need to grow further to be able to undertake such demonstrations. For that purpose, further funding would be very beneficial.
Access to markets and finance: access to markets at a small scale is already achieved. However, financing and a defined spin-out structure is currently the largest challenge. We have not founded a spin-off as such. The focus will be on getting this established, in order to access financing and funds that will enable such work.
Commercialisation: we have not attempted this aspect yet.
IPR support: we have been provided with professional support from within the Host Institution in the form of Max Planck Innovations, the Technology Transfer office. We are in a good position to undertake further such work.
