Swiss Startup Framework: A Highly Effective Network Supporting the Generation of Emerging Biotech Businesses.

For over 50 years, Switzerland has been one of the leading countries driving innovation in biotechnology and its industrial applications. Today, some 1,000 biotech companies form a tightly knit, cross-functional network ranging from research through to manufacturing. This network comprises R&D companies, contract research organizations, and highly specialized advisors and biotech investors.

Dedicated, Persistent, Knowledgeable, Visionary and Smart: Dr. Oreste Ghisalba Helped Leverage the Great Potential of Biotechnology to the Benefit of Switzerland.

Oreste Ghislaba's powerful vision and actions to make Switzerland a world-leading hub in biotechnology are described. He recognised the great potential for innovation in biotechnology and was able to communicate this to stakeholders in academia, industry and politics. He was instrumental in the creation of organisations such as Swiss Biotech Association, the CTI, the SATW, TA-Swiss, and the Swiss Industrial Biocatalysis Consortium that helped to create the Swiss biotech hub.

An Efficient Strategy to Orthogonally Protected (R)- and (S)-alpha-Methyl(alkyl)serine-Containing Peptides via a Novel Azlactone/Oxazoline Interconversion Reaction.

A novel strategy for the synthesis of (R)- and (S)-alpha-methyl(alkyl)serine-containing peptides is presented. Using (S)-phenylalanine cyclohexylamide 6 as chiral auxiliary, the optically pure azlactones (R)- and (S)-2 were synthesized via a novel azlactone/oxazoline interconversion reaction (Figures 3 and 6). These azlactones constitute fully protected and activated synthetic equivalents of (R)- and (S)-alpha-methylserine and can be directly incorporated into peptides without further protective group manipulations.