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InnovationMarch 5, 2007 / Number 11A way of lifeBy Antonio Zárate
If there is something that sets the pharmaceutical industry apart, it is research and the development of innovations. This sector cannot afford to remain static. On the contrary, in order to grow, it must have the capacity to visualize market needs several years in advance. A study published in 2006 by KPMG, a consulting firm, indicates that the Mexican pharmaceutical market is the largest in Latin America and ninth in the world. According to KPMG, our country offers significant research opportunities in four fields: pharmaceutical applications of natural compounds, biotechnology and genomics, perfecting of known molecules, support for global research and technological research. Patricia Faci-Villalobos, former President of the National Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Canifarma), at one point said that the pharmaceutical sector is placed among the ones that generate more value added. In this sense, it is a strategic activity for sustained growth in Mexico that could follow India's and Ireland's example, countries that improved their competitiveness since they promoted the development of the pharmaceutical industry. The Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL) and Monterrey Tech have taken definite steps in pharmaceutical and genomics research. The Health Campus of the UANL is an example of this. On the other hand, Monterrey Tech, through its Biotechnology Center, carries out projects of global significance. This confirms that the joint work of universities, government, and the private sector (triple helix) is the best strategy for moving on towards the consolidation of Monterrey as an international city of knowledge.
Monterrey Tech Ventures into Pharmaceutical Research ProjectsMonterrey Tech has a research center devoted to the development of medications in accordance with international standards.When asked where the Monterrey Tech's Biotechnology Center (CBT) is headed, its Director, Mario Alvarez, summarizes his answer in one sentence: "We want to become the research arm of pharmaceutical companies." Taking the US pharmaceutical industry as a frame of reference, the CBT created a research center that operates by the GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) standard, which is of great international value. "Monterrey Tech is the only university in the country that has this type of facilities," states Alvarez. Even though the infrastructure is virtually new - it began operations only six months ago - the CBT is already working on two projects. The Institute signed agreements with the Landsteiner Scientific Laboratory, from Mexico, and the Paramount BioSciences company, a company devoted to the development of biotechnology businesses with headquarters in the United States. The project with Landsteiner, which was formalized with the signing of the agreement on January 30, includes the development and production of various bio-drugs throughout a 3-year period. "We will participate in all of the project stages, from production design, all the way to process scaling," explained Alvarez. Each drug will be used for a different treatment, but almost all of them are focused on attacking illnesses related to cancer and disorders of the immune system. The first should be ready in one year. Landsteiner Scientific approached Monterrey Tech in October 2006. "They showed interest in our expertise and the CBT facilities, since we have a pilot plant that meets international standards," added the Director. Miguel Angel Granados, General Manager for Landsteiner, explained that this research and technology development project in the medical field is the first of its type in Mexico. The agreement with Paramount BioSciences is for the production of the first biodrug. The project includes clinical pretrial and chemical stability tests in order to determine the useful life (expiration) of the drug. "It is interesting to note that we are part of the molecule development chain. The patent is Russian and the active ingredient is manufactured in France. The project is completely global," explained Alvarez. The CBT is responsible for the formulation and bottling of the product. At a later time, a company will carry out the clinical pretrial in Mexico. According to the work plan, the project should conclude in May. Monterrey Tech invested 13 million dollars in the CBT's research center. Additionally, it received a 700 thousand-dollar grant from the Ministry of Education and from the Nuevo Leon State Government. "We have everything that is required to serve the pharmaceutical and food sectors," said Alvarez. In order to ensure the quality of its service, the CBT began a certification process before the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris) of Mexico and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States.
NEURONS IN ACTIONSmall, But with Great IdeasThe company "Sistemas y Servicios de Control Eléctrico (SYSCE)" [Electric Control Systems and Services] registered for the Dell Award at PYME 2006 [Small and Medium Business 2006] with the attitude of "let's see what happens."
Gerardo Maltos-Villarreal, the Company's Director, never even thought that their systems for managing, measuring, and controlling electricity consumption would go ahead of the advanced technologies of other Mexican pymes. "In addition to the benefits offered by Sistemas y Servicios de Control Eléctrico to its clients, through the use of technology, what most attracted their attention was that their services can benefit the country by saving energy," emphasized Abel Archundia, General Director for Dell Mexico, during the awards ceremony. The prize consisted of 30 thousand US Dollars in Dell products and services. SYSCE began operations 10 years ago, in San Nicolas, with 7 employees. Today, the work team consists of 42 people serving large companies, such as Cemex, Grupo Peñoles, Grupo IMSA, Fersinsa and Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE - the National Power Company). With the systems this company has developed, customers can save around 10 percent in their electric bill. "Our technological concept can compete in the international market. We are well positioned," said Maltos-Villarreal. Besides managing consumption in a rational way, customers have the ability to prevent failures and react promptly when a power failure occurs. "They can know, in a matter of minutes, where the failure was generated, at what time, and the type of failure. With this information, the process of restoring services is expedited," explained the executive. Manuel Gomez-Leal, Manager of SYSCE and one of its partners, added that the use of IT and communications is maximized to provide support for their clients in the areas of production, maintenance, planning and finances. When performance indicators are off the standard, an alarm is activated in the cellular phones of those who should be aware of the problem so they can act in a proactive manner. In addition, if a failure occurs, notifications are sent via phone, pager and e-mail. In some cases, a graph is generated to identify the type of failure and its location. "The information is handled in real time. We can go into the system at any moment in order to know how the customer's operation is performing," explained Gomez-Leal. He explained that they compete against huge consortiums, such as General Electric, ABB, and Siemens. Everyone sells systems designed to save energy, but they do not adapt them to the needs of Mexican customers. That's why they hire us." Winning the Dell award became a great incentive to continue innovating in the development of applications. "We were so happy to receive the award, that we decided to share it with the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (UANL)," expressed Maltos-Villarreal. The donation will be in kind. The company will install two energy monitoring systems in the UANL, representing an investment of approximately 15 thousand dollars. Furthermore, together with the award, new customers came to us, such as Mabe, a home-appliances business that will install SYSCE systems in all of its plants.
FROM HERE AND THEREAgreement to promote innovationCoparmex Nuevo Leon and the Monterrey, International City of Knowledge Program will join efforts for businesses to have access to activities and workshops that promote an innovative vision. Manuel Zambrano-Villarreal, President of Coparmex Nuevo Leon, said that entrepreneurs are convinced that technological innovation is essential in order to survive in a global competition system. The commitment of both organisms was formalized on February 21 through the signing of a letter of collaboration. Antonio Zarate-Negron, General Director of Monterrey, International City of Knowledge, expressed that they will promote programs and activities in the private sector that foster competitiveness. One example is the TRIZ Workshop, which helps in the identification and systematization of technological innovation processes with the objective of generating new patents. To this day, 23 companies have participated in four courses.
FUTURE EVENTSMARCH 6-9 MARCH 13-15 MARCH 27-28 [+] Download Innovation PDF (in spanish)  |
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