For several years biotechnology, and genetic engineering in particular, has been one of the preferred areas of R&D in Poland. Implementing the technology and starting the production of recombined human insulin and its preparations under the name of “Gensulin ž” represented a spectacular example of the practical application of scientific research results of a target project costing PLN 43.9 million carried out in the years 1998-2000. The company BIOTON, listed on the Warsaw Stock Market since 2005, has been the sole producer of human insulin in Poland and one of the few in the world.
Medicine, biotechnology and the pharmaceutical sector are to be main fields of activities pursued, among others, in the TechnoPort Warsaw Technology Park established in spring 2007. Being now built on an area of 44.6 hectares, it is to become site of science and industry collaboration designed to streamline the processing of innovative scientific ideas into advanced technological solutions to be subsequently implemented in business entities. The TechnoPort project launched by the Warsaw City Authority and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education will be implemented in two stages. A Technology Incubator and R&D Centre financed from public funds will be set up during stage one ending in 2010. Potential investors are invited to join the project during stage two to be implemented in the years 2008-2015.
Similar tasks as in Warsaw are to be pursued in the Łódź Enterprise Incubator launched in October 2007, the first big investment project pursued by Technopark, that is the Łódź Regional Technology Park. It is intended to be the seat of pharmaceutical companies, manufacturers of advanced medical equipment and devices as well as of companies involved in biotechnology and nanotechnology.
It is worth recalling that the 2007 Polish Science Foundation Award in the field of technical sciences was bestowed on Professor Andrzej Nowicki PhD (Eng) from the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research (IPPT) at the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw for working out theoretical foundations and developing the production of ultrasonographs for colour coded blood flow visualization. Back in 1976, Professor Nowicki defended his doctoral thesis on the then new pulse blood flow evaluation method which is nowadays the basis of colour imaging. At the end of 1970s, Professor Nowicki stayed in the United States at the invitation of Professors Jack Reida and Merrill Spencer (world’s best specialists in Doppler) carrying out research on coronary graft patency using the infinite gate pulse Doppler method. In 1988, Professor Nowicki has been awarded with the Pioneer Award from the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine for his research in the field of colour breast Doppler imaging as well as transcranial and tissue flow Doppler. The Professor is currently working in the Ultrasound Department of the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research (IPPT) at Polish Academy of Sciences on the application of ultrasounds in medical imaging, and in particular of high frequency non-invasive ultrasounds such as are used in lithotripsy which were also developed in IPPT –the first Polish lithotriptor (used for crushing kidney stones) was developed at the end of the 1980s. JB