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Wacker Biotech: exploring the frontier of microbial biotechnology
Updated 14 April 2025 at 08:59
At the heart of Amsterdam’s life sciences and health ecosystem, Wacker Biotech is helping to develop and manufacture new medical treatments. Ronald Eulenberger, managing director of Wacker Biotech in Amsterdam, tells I amsterdam how the company’s work supports advancements in healthcare, and why Amsterdam is an important location for investment and collaboration.
Addressing important medical needs
Image from Courtesy of Wacker Biotech
Wacker Biotech’s expertise lies in microbial biotechnology that uses bacteria to develop crucial biopharmaceutical products. Located in the IQuarters Life Sciences District in southeast Amsterdam, the company specialises in producing therapeutic proteins, vaccines, and live biotherapeutic products. Medications that contain microorganisms with the potential to treat infections, inflammatory diseases, and metabolic disorders.
With decades of experience producing complex proteins and working with over 20 bacterial strains, the company helps bring new therapies from research to reality. Working as a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), Wacker Biotech provides end-to-end drug development and manufacturing solutions, enabling pharmaceutical companies to move treatments from the lab to real-world healthcare settings.
What motivates me and my colleagues is being able to help with important developments in medicine.
Ronald Eulenberger
Emphasising the importance of keeping on top of the latest industry developments, he continues: “We are passionate about working with our customers to develop the next generation of advanced therapeutics for the benefit of treating, curing, and preventing diseases for patients worldwide.”
Why Amsterdam works for Wacker Biotech
Image from Georg Willmerdinger
With its team of 200 employees from nearly 30 countries, Wacker Biotech benefits from Amsterdam’s diverse talent pool and established life sciences infrastructure. Eulenberger makes special note of the city’s high concentration of talent, research institutions, and companies that create a supportive environment for scientific collaboration and business growth.
Here in Amsterdam, we have the expertise, the right environment and prerequisites for manufacturing. But also the opportunity to collaborate with the city’s life sciences and health sector.
And development has been positive, Eulenberger continues: “A lot of companies – startups too – have moved to the Life Sciences District, where we have set up offices at the IQuarters campus. And I’m confident we’ll see a lively exchange of ideas, possibly even the development of cooperative ventures. Including the value of support from local representatives from the sector.”
A European collaboration
Wacker Biotech actively collaborates with its parent company Wacker Chemie AG and its corporate Research & Development center in Munich, which brings over 200 researchers together and strong ties with universities and research institutions.
One example of how Wacker Biotech guides partners’ products from concept to commercialisation is the recently announced cooperation with Minervax, a Danish biotechnology company developing a vaccine against Group B Streptococcus (GBS). GBS is responsible for nearly 50% of life-threatening infections in newborns, for which there is currently no widely available vaccine to prevent it.
We are manufacturing the active ingredients of the vaccine candidate, as well as performing the technology transfer, process validation and characterisation activities for later commercial manufacturing.
Following this, Wacker Biotech will carry out all key functions that are critical to ensure stable commercial supply at its site in Amsterdam, which is one of five in a global manufacturing network operated by the company, within its BioPharma Business Unit.
Great potential for human microbiome therapeutics
Image from Courtesy of Wacker Biotech
The field of biopharmaceuticals is evolving and one of the most promising frontiers is the development of live microbial products (LMPs), often referred to as “the bug is the drug”. These therapies use microorganisms as a whole to treat a wide range of conditions.
This presents an exciting time in microbiome therapeutics as these treatments could change how some of the most challenging diseases are approached. As Eulenberger puts it:
Clinical trials potentially leading to market approval are currently underway for a lot of these LMPs. The market for human microbiome therapeutics will grow significantly in the coming years, and a new generation of medications is being transferred from the laboratory to a clinical setting. This will lead to major growth opportunities for us as a microbial contract manufacturer and for our customers
Wacker Biotech has long been a pioneer in the field of live microbial production, with its Amsterdam site manufacturing LMPs since 2006 – long before its acquisition by Wacker Biotech in 2018.
Cooperation is key for future growth
Collaboration remains a cornerstone of the company’s success. Eulenberger and his team are in dialogue with experts to continue the positive trend in European biologics.
We are in fruitful discussions with the Dutch-German Chamber of Commerce, and healthcare sector representatives. Together, we are focused on stronger connections across industries and borders, to stimulate innovation and create a more dynamic environment for medical innovation and economic growth.
