BIO Announces Therapeutic Workshops for 11th Annual BIO Investor Forum

BIO Investor Forum will be October 9-10 in San Francisco, CA

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announces Therapeutic Workshops on Cancer stem cell therapy, kinase drugs, and ultra rare diseases planned for the upcoming BIO Investor Forum. Hosted by BIO, the 11^th annual event will take place at the Palace Hotel on October 9-10 in San Francisco, Calif.

“This year’s Therapeutic Workshops will address some of the most exciting therapeutic advances for the biotech industry. We have worked very closely with this year’s esteemed Advisory Committee to identify topics that will engage investors and industry alike”

“This year’s Therapeutic Workshops will address some of the most exciting therapeutic advances for the biotech industry. We have worked very closely with this year’s esteemed Advisory Committee to identify topics that will engage investors and industry alike,” said Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president, Emerging Companies & Business Development at BIO.

Therapeutic Workshops will feature senior-level industry executives, scientific officers and leading clinical experts that represent innovative investment opportunities in the biotech industry.

Therapeutic Workshops include:

• Cancer Stem Cell Therapy – Real or Just Hype?
  Cancer stem cells (CSC) have the unique capability endemic to stem cells of self-renewal and differentiation, thereby causing tumor relapse and/or metastasis. While traditional cancer treatments focus on tumor shrinkage, it’s a distinct possibility that these agents do not effectively destroy all of the CSCs, causing the tumor to reappear. The CSC theory is relatively new, thus the treatment pipeline is still in its early stages; however, big pharma and a number of biotech companies have jumped on the CSC bandwagon, propelling these promising new therapies to the limelight. Companies and scientific experts at the forefront of developing treatments targeting CSCs will discuss the rapidly growing pipeline, the market potential and investment opportunity.
  Tuesday, October 9^th, 10:30 a.m. – 11:25 a.m.
  Moderator: Nathan Sadeghi-Nejad, Contributor, Forbes & TheStreet
  Panelists: John Lewicki, PhD, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Jonathan Pachter, PhD, Head of Research, Verastem and Stemline Therapeutics

• Against the Grain – Kinase Drugs That Survive the Clinic
  This panel will address such questions as: what should investors be looking for in the crowded space of kinase inhibition; what has been learned from previous failures and recent Phase II/III successes; are the latest high profile targets (BRAF, JAK, MEK) where the next big drugs will come from or is the field hitting a saturation point with new targets and new chemical diversity? Additionally, the panel will discuss what it takes to win in the clinic with recent examples and experiences.
  Tuesday, October 9^th, 3:00 p.m. - 3:55 p.m.
  Panelists: James Bianco, MD, President & CEO, Cell Therapeutics; Nagesh Mahanthappa, PhD, President & CEO, Scholar Rock LLC and Pamela N. Munster, MD, Director, Early Phase Clinical Trials Program and Associate Director, Investigational Therapeutics, UCSF

• A Diagnosis for Diagnostics
  How are personalized medicine and diagnostic companies positioning themselves in light of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? What are the current trends and future directions in the space? This panel will discuss the current and future role of intellectual property, from both a freedom to operate and a value perspective, in light of recent Court decisions regarding the patentability of laws of nature that frequently surround these discoveries relating to personalized medicine and diagnostics.
  Wednesday, October 10^th, 10:30 a.m. -11:25 a.m.
  Moderator: Eli Loots, PhD, Partner, Knobbe Martens
  Panelists: Patrick Burke, PhD, VP, Strategic Collaborations, Myriad Genetics, Inc. and Paul Sheives, Director, Diagnostics & Personalized Medicine Policy, BIO

• Raring to Go: The Race to Treat Ultra-Rare Diseases
  The signing of FDASIA by President Obama in July reinforces the country’s commitment to fostering innovation for rare diseases. With a record 460 medicines in late-stage clinical trials, biopharmaceutical companies have embraced rare disease medicine and are rapidly developing the pipeline. This panel will provide an in-depth analysis of this thriving market opportunity by featuring companies specializing in the ultra rare disease market alongside clinical and policy/regulatory experts in the field.
  Wednesday, October 10^th, 2:00 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.
  Moderator: Ellen Licking, Senior Writer & Analyst, Real Endpoints
  Panelists: E. Cartier Esham, PhD, Senior Director, Emerging Companies Health Affairs, BIO; Emil Kakkis, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer & President, Ultragenex Pharmaceutical; Nick Leschly, CEO, bluebird bio and Hans GCP Schikan, PharmD, CEO, Prosensa

The BIO Investor Forum features public and venture-stage company presentations, expert-led, business roundtables, one-on-one investor meetings and networking opportunities.

To learn more about the BIO Investor Forum, including registration and program information, please visit here. Advance media registration is available here. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the media and qualified investors.

BIO is pleased to recognize the leadership provided by the BIO Investor Forum Conference sponsors including Supporting Bank Stifel, Nicolaus & Company. BIO Double Helix and Helix Sponsors include Abbott Biotech Ventures, Amgen Ventures, Baxter Ventures, J&J Development Corporation, MedImmune Ventures, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck and Pfizer.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world. BIO produces BIOtechNOW, an online portal and monthly newsletter chronicling “innovations transforming our world.” Subscribe to BIOtechNOW.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO Investor Forum
October 9-10, 2012
San Francisco, CA

Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy
October 10-12, 2012
Vancouver, Canada

The BIO Convention in China
October 24-25, 2012
Shanghai, China

BIO IP Counsels Committee Fall Conference
November 12-14, 2012
Charleston, SC

BIO Asia International Conference
January 29 – 30, 2013
Tokyo, Japan

BIO CEO & Investor Conference
February 11 – 12, 2013
New York City, NY

BIO International Convention
April 22 – 25, 2013
Chicago, IL