#BIOSPAIN2023Interview | "At Amgen, we harness the full potential of biology and technology to develop innovative therapies."

Science and innovation are globally recognized as drivers of economic and social prosperity. The impact they have on the health and well-being of individuals is widely known and has been reinforced during the health crisis caused by COVID-19. The biotechnology sector is highly innovative and a source of responses to the social and generational challenges we face ahead.

Biotechnology has made significant advances possible, as demonstrated by the fact that almost 70% of the drugs currently in development are biotechnological. In this regard, it is worth highlighting the role of genetic engineering, one of the fundamental pillars of modern biotechnology.

Its starting point is the scientific tools that have been developed over the past few decades, allowing for the identification of the gene that produces a protein of interest, cutting the DNA sequences that contain the gene from a DNA sample, inserting the gene into a vector, using the vector to transport the agent to the DNA of host cells, causing the cells to activate the gene and produce the desired protein, and extracting and purifying the protein for therapeutic purposes.

Genetic engineering allows scientists to manufacture molecules that are too complex to be developed purely through chemical methods. This work has translated into significant treatments known as "therapeutic proteins" (monoclonal antibodies, peptibodies, or vaccines).

These new treatment options provide drug developers with a broader range of tools when it comes to addressing diseases. This is a scenario well understood at Amgen, a company specialized in human therapies for multiple pathologies, and it will participate in BIOSPAIN 2023, the international flagship event in the biotech sector, which will analyze cutting-edge issues through its comprehensive program, including the development of advanced therapies. With the goal of delving into how the combination of biotechnology and genetics is laying the foundation for the new medicine, we spoke with Miquel Balcells, the Medical Director of Amgen.

AseBio: Amgen aspires to be the premier company in human therapies and focuses its activity in different therapeutic areas. What are your main lines of work?

Miquel Balcells. At Amgen, we harness the full potential of biology and technology to develop innovative therapies that make people's lives more fulfilling and longer-lasting. We research and develop biological treatments for severe diseases in areas such as cardiology, oncology, bone health, hematology, nephrology, and inflammatory diseases.

Furthermore, leveraging our extensive experience in development and production, we also have several biosimilar drugs with which we aim to contribute to the sustainability of the healthcare system and to provide patients with earlier access to effective and safe biological therapies.

AseBio: Even today, genetics seems more like a matter of the future than the present, despite the significant advances that have been made. What does genetics bring to the development of drugs?

Miquel Balcells. Well, I would say genetics brings a lot, and it will continue to do so increasingly. In our case, we have been using genetic engineering since our inception over 40 years ago. In 2012, we experienced a turning point with the acquisition of the Icelandic company deCODE Genetics, which has allowed us to become a global leader in using human genetics to understand diseases and how we can develop therapies that either prevent them or improve the outcomes of treatments for severe diseases.

Apart from the molecules we investigate for cancer, where genetics obviously plays a predominant role, one-third of our pipeline is genetically validated. This means we have genetic evidence suggesting that if we can alter the disease pathway with our therapy, we can achieve beneficial results in treating that condition.

AseBio: What other tools are driving progress in medicine?

Miquel Balcells. Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence. Possibly, aside from the sequencing of the human genome, this has been the other great revolution of the last two decades. The amount of information we are generating in the field of biology, but also in information about the environment or patients' lifestyles, is truly astonishing. However, its value would be much lower if we were not able to cross-reference all that data and analyze it to draw conclusions that help us from discovering why a disease occurs to making drug discovery more predictable, faster, and with a higher success rate.

AseBio: Despite the fact that new treatments obtained thanks to the potential of genetics expand the options for treating diseases, their research and development involve lengthy and highly demanding processes. What are the main barriers that these treatments encounter in their development?

Miquel Balcells. I think there is a significant paradox here. All these tools allow us to obtain more and more information, such as the ability to fully sequence the human genome. But all this information, these millions of data points, at the same time make it more challenging to find the correct answer to our question. That's why the use of computational engineering is becoming increasingly important, as it allows us to analyze all that information more quickly.

AseBio: What does Amgen expect from BIOSPAIN 2023?

Miquel Balcells. BIOSPAIN is a unique gathering of more than 800 companies and entities in the same sector in a country that is very well positioned worldwide in the field of biotechnology. For us, as a company that started as a startup back in 1980, it is a great opportunity to get to know emerging small companies or to see those that are gradually consolidating. Without a doubt, it's also a chance to learn from all of them. As a leading company in the sector, we like to attend to support and embrace them, just as others did for us in our early days. Together, we form an ecosystem that feeds off each other and promotes investment and expansion.

Biotecnology has made significant advances possible, as evidenced by the fact that nearly 70% of the drugs currently in development are biotechnological. In this regard, the role of genetic engineering, one of the fundamental pillars of modern biotechnology, should be highlighted.