Leading Biotech Executives and Investors Scheduled to Speak at BIO VentureForum West 2003
The conference features a combination of exciting plenary sessions and company workshops geared toward life science executives and investors. Breakout workshops will focus on mergers and acquisitions, partnering strategies and deal structures, developing a clinical strategy, intellectual property, and venture financing. The luncheon keynote speakers are Susan Desmond-Hellmann, M.D., M.P.H., Executive Vice President for Development and Product Operations and Chief Medical Officer with Genentech, and Irving Weissman, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Stanford University Medical Center.
"We are especially excited about this year's program, as it will feature timely topics that reflect the improving economic environment as well as strategic insight into successful biotechnology business models," said Morrie Ruffin, Vice President for Business Development at BIO. "Additionally, we expect an exceptionally high quality of investor meetings, as the most promising biotechnology companies were hand selected to present by a panel of blue-ribbon venture capitalists and other industry leaders."
On Wednesday, October 15, the plenary session topic will be "Big Biotech's Perspective on How Discovery and Early-Stage Development Will be Accomplished Most Effectively." The panel, hosted by Cooley Godward, will feature a roundtable discussion with senior biotech executives discussing how they view their own pipeline sustainability requirements, and opportunities to address these needs both internally and through collaborations with other biotech firms. Speakers include David Pyott, president and CEO of Allergan; George Scangos, Ph.D., president and CEO of Exelixis; and Michael Hitchcock, Ph.D., vice president for Medical Affairs at Gilead Sciences.
On Thursday, October 16, the plenary session topic will be "Do Investors Like Partnering Strategies? Perspectives on Partnering for Validation Versus Monetizing Programs." Hosted by Pacific Growth Equities, a panel of leading investors will discuss what they value and disregard in early-stage biotech partnership deals. Speakers include Brian Atwood, managing director of Versant Ventures; Alex Barkas, Ph.D., managing director of Prospect Venture Partners; and Nalini Murdter, Ph.D., senior director of Agilent Technologies.
To review the entire conference program or obtain early registration information, visit bio.org/bioventureforum/reg/.
In addition to BIO, VentureForum West partners include the National Venture Capital Association, BIOCOM/San Diego, the Bay Area Bioscience Center and the California Healthcare Institute. For more information about BIO VentureForum West, visit bio.org.
BIO will host its first VentureForum East regional conference in Philadelphia, November 17-19. Details about this meeting will be forthcoming, but for initial information, please see bio.org.
BIO represents more than 1,000 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states and 33 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.