Biofund RVC's portfolio company National BioService to open a laboratory in Skolkovo

Biofund RVC's portfolio company National Bioservice opened a laboratory on November 23 in the Skolkovo Technopark. It has been the third laboratory by this company; the other two are located in St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod.

"The lab's equipment is quite unique for Russia, which allows us to conduct a biochemical analysis of almost any liquid or even a solid sample," comments the CEO of the National Bioservice, Vitaly Prutsky. " There was no altogether other way of obtaining real data on how diseases progress or are diagnosed and cured, except for what the scientists get when working with real bio-samples. No computer modelling or using model animals will ever replace this important direction. The biobank is the only possible civilized way of ensuring that the work is successful. "

"Biofund invested money in National Bioservice in 2013; the first laboratory was opened the same year. Our share in the portfolio company's capital is more than 30%. The company has existed for three and a half years and during this time a lot has been done, the company has already opened its representations in more than 15 regions of Russia, "said Vladislav Fedotov, the chief operating officer of the RVC subsidiaries. — The opening of the first wide-profile research biobank in Russia that meets all modern requirements is a major step toward the implementation of the "Integrated Program for the Development of Biotechnologies until 2020" approved by the Government of Russia and the development of Russian public health in general.

The experts think that National Bioservice is the leading provider of biobanking services. The company is also the only developer of tissue microchips in Russia. It offers a wide range of services in searching, processing, analysing and storing biological samples, as well as in developing products and materials for research purposes, which are based on cellular and tissue technologies and are fundamentally important for the development of drugs and new diagnostic approaches. In particular, the company-created collections of biological samples are indispensable for the development and validation of the means for early detection of oncological diseases. The National Bioservice's preclinical researches commissioned by national pharmaceutical companies help to reduce the dependence on foreign suppliers of such high-tech services.