Bioprospecting in the Arctic - UNU-IAS - United Nations University

4. Companies active in biotechnology developed from
Arctic genetic resources
Fourty three companies are involved in R&D and or
sale of products derived from or based on the genetic
resources of the Arctic. Details of these companies
including their areas of R&D interest and (where
applicable) products marketed derived from or based
on the genetic resources of the Arctic are presented in
Table 3. This data is based on information contained on
each companies web site or from information obtained
in interviews with representatives of several of these
companies.
More than half of these companies are based in North
America (ie the USA and Canada). A significant number
of the companies are also based in the Nordic countries
of Iceland and Norway, and to a lesser extent, Finland,
Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom. No
companies were identified in Russia.
The activities of these companies fall into 9 broad
categories of specialisation. In many cases companies
specify a R & D or commercial focus in more than
one category. As much of this data is based on
information sourced from company web sites which
only occasionally identified a dominant R&D focus it
has not been possible to identify a dominant R&D focus
for many companies. In some cases companies actually
specify a R&D, focus in three or more categories. For
example, based on information on the web site of
Aquapharm Biodiscovery that companies R&D focus
fits into four different categories. The figures presented
below therefore have to be approached with a degree
of caution. They should not be viewed as definitive, but
rather suggestive of possible trends.
The categories (and number of companies with interest
in each category) 142 include: nutraceuticals, including
dietary supplements and other health products (13
companies); medicines and pharmaceuticals (15
companies); food technology (7 companies); anti-freeze
proteins (3 companies), enzymes (10 companies);
cosmetics and skin care products (6 companies);
products with life science research applications (3
companies); research based service companies (2
companies).
Even though this data should be approached with a
degree of caution, one of the major trends evident in
this data is a strong focus on health care related R&D
and products. In particular there are a large number
of companies falling within the broad categories of
nutraceuticals, including dietary supplements and other
health products and medicines and pharmaceuticals. In
that regard it is worth noting that only three companies
fall within both categories.
Other dominant areas of R&D and product focus
include enzymes, food technology and cosmetics and
skin care products.
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