The Mid-Atlantic Bio Host Committee is pleased to announce the program line-up for a special half-day symposium and reception on October 12 at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC.
The 2011 Mid-Atlantic Bio Symposium will provide attendees with first hand access to critical business intelligence and networking opportunities with the leaders essential to growth in 2012. Three key areas of the biotech industry will be addressed - Science, Policy and Business/Finance. These three high level panels will be presented to hundreds of representatives from biotech and device companies; research and academic institutions; private and public capital sources including private equity, venture, angel and biopharma investors; and government and embassy officials throughout the national capital region.
Business/Finance Panel:
Financing Drug Development in Today’s Environment: New Challenges and Opportunities
Moderator: Amir Nashat, General Partner, Polaris Venture Partners
Public Policy Panel:
The Regulatory Landscape in 2012: How will Washington affect the Bioscience Industry next year and beyond?
Moderator: Sara Radcliffe, Executive Vice President Health, Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
Scientific Panel:
How Deep Genetic Information is Transforming Biomedicine and Biobusiness
Moderator: Brian A. Pollok, Ph.D., President, ATCC
2010 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference Hosted a Stellar Lineup of Industry Luminary Speakers
The 2010 Mid-Atlantic Bio today completed another successful conference hosting more than 700 registrants from 22 states and 4 countries, with more than 400 companies and 50 qualified investors participating. Dedicated to promoting the biotechnology industry in the Mid-Atlantic region, the conference is hosted collectively by the region’s most influential bioscience and investor associations, the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), the Tech Council of Maryland/MdBio (MdBio) and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO).
The final day of the conference featured a joint plenary with the leaders of the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). During this plenary session, John Castellani, president and CEO of PhRMA, and James Greenwood, president and CEO of BIO discussed the challenges posed by the disconnect in public understanding of the impact of the bioscience industry from a policy standpoint. Castellani stressed the urgency of addressing these issues by citing a recent public survey which indicated that the cost of treating Alzheimer’s in America would reach a trillion dollars by 2015. He also noted another national survey in which 57% of Americans rated IT as being more important than bioscience which was one indicator of the importance of education about the industry.
The event came to a close with a packed plenary session featuring John F. Crowley, chairman and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics. He shared his amazing story about the development of a treatment for Pompe disease after two of his children were diagnosed with the fatal neuromuscular disorder. The Crowley family’s journey to save their children is the inspiration for the 2010 major motion picture, “Extraordinary Measures”, starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser. Crowley spoke on the heels of an announcement made earlier today that GlaxoSmithKline and Amicus Therapeutics entered an exclusive worldwide agreement to develop and commercialize Amigal™ for Fabry Disease, resulting in $170 m in potential milestone payments.
This year’s conference also featured individuals from 26 companies who were selected to present in the Showcase track, Emerging Growth track and a newly added First Look/Fast Pitch track. The companies chosen specialize in medical devices, health care IT, diagnostics, drug development, pharmaceuticals, biotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals, therapeutics and gene therapeutics.
“This year’s conference was a particularly impactful event given the many luminary speakers, the strong connections that were made, and business that was conducted,” says Julia Spicer, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA). “This event was a great kick-off in preparation for the region hosting the 2011 BIO International Convention next year.”
“Given the challenging economic climate the past few years, we’re fortunate to have such a strong turnout for our event yet again this year. We were pleased to bring the community together in the Mid-Atlantic region and are also extremely thankful to our sponsors and exhibitors for their strong support of our event,” said Richard A. Zakour, PhD, executive director of The Tech Council of Maryland/MdBio.
ABOUT MID-ATLANTIC BIO
The Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference, scheduled October 27-29, 2010, in Bethesda, Maryland, is co-hosted by the Tech Council of Maryland/MdBio (TCM/MdBio), the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO). Mid-Atlantic Bio benefits from broad regional support from the investor and greater business communities, academic institutions, government agencies, and partnering regional associations. For more information, or to register or sponsor, please visit www.midatlanticbio.org.
2010 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference Hosted a Stellar Lineup of Industry Luminary Speakers Press Release (Full .pdf version)
Mid-Atlantic Bio Honors NIH’s Francis Collins at Seventh Annual Conference
The 2010 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference debuted Wednesday with an opening reception during which National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, was honored with the Mid-Atlantic Bio Lifetime Achievement Award for his accomplishments in biomedical research and human services and his movement to increase translational work at NIH.
Taking place this week at the North Bethesda Marriott Convention Center in Bethesda, Md., the seventh annual Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference has attracted nearly 700 national and international industry leaders, government representatives, executives, researchers, investors and entrepreneurs. The conference is the epicenter of bioscience, capital, and policy that is hosted collectively by the region’s most influential bioscience and investor associations, the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), the Tech Council of Maryland/MdBio (MdBio) and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO). Mid-Atlantic Bio is the only globally focused, regionally based event dedicated to promoting the biotechnology industry in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Thursday’s program included several panel sessions and presentations by selected companies in the Emerging Growth and First Look/Fast Pitch tracks. The morning plenary session featured Joshua Sharfstein, MD, principal deputy commissioner at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and Fred Frank, vice chairman of the Peter J. Solomon Co.; while the afternoon plenary featured Martine Rothblatt, PhD, J.D., MBA, chairman and CEO of United Therapeutics Corp.; and H. Thomas Watkins, president and CEO of Human Genome Sciences.
During his plenary session, Dr. Sharfstein discussed the future direction of the FDA. He spoke to the balance of safety vs. risk and how they must consider the benefits to public health and be prepared to take some risks. He also reviewed their new FDA-TRACK performance management system that monitors over 100 FDA program offices and tracks key performance measure, which fosters a culture of accountability and performance throughout the agency. In the same panel session, Fred Frank also spoke of the balance of safety vs. risk saying that with the turn to safety, approval timelines are extended, costs of developing drugs increases and approvals may be flat and costs will continue to increase.
“We have a powerhouse program this year and today’s schedule features the much anticipated joint plenary with John Castellani of PhRMA and James Greenwood of BIO with our final plenary featuring John Crowley of Amicus Therapeutics,” said Virginia Biotechnology Association executive director Mark Herzog. “With our strong plenary speaker line-up featuring the leaders of BIO and PhRMA, the FDA and NIH, it allows our attendees insight and access in the industry unlike any other regional event.”
ABOUT MID-ATLANTIC BIO
The Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference, scheduled October 27-29, 2010, in Bethesda, Maryland, is co-hosted by the Tech Council of Maryland/MdBio (TCM/MdBio), the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO). Mid-Atlantic Bio benefits from broad regional support from the investor and greater business communities, academic institutions, government agencies, and partnering regional associations. For more information, or to register or sponsor, please visit www.midatlanticbio.org.
Mid-Atlantic Bio Honors NIH’s Francis Collins at Seventh Annual Conference Press Release (Full .pdf version)
