BIO InvestorForum Therapeutic Workshops Draw Experts to Discuss Research Trends
WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 5, 2006) – Top business leaders, scientists and members of the financial community will explore how the biotechnology industry is diligently working to develop novel therapies and diagnostics for a multitude of conditions to include heart disease, cancer, metabolic disorders, diseases of the central nervous system and pain at the upcoming BIO InvestorForum. The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), along with its sponsors, will host a series of informative therapeutic workshops to discuss these topics at the BIO InvestorForum 2006, Oct. 18-19 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco.
The InvestorForum provides select public and private companies, as well as those on the “growth watch list,” an opportunity to network with investors through individual company presentations. The conference attracts institutional investors, hedge fund managers, venture and private equity investors, in addition to research analysts and bankers representing leading banks in the sector.
Experts, panelists and moderators selected to participate in the therapeutic workshops are widely considered to be leaders in their fields. Among the featured workshops, Mike King, managing director and director of research, with Rodman & Renshaw, will lead a metabolic panel discussion on physiological reasons for diabetes.
The session, titled, “The Impact of Research on the Growing Diabetes Epidemic,” will focus on the link between genetics and obesity, and the role new discoveries have on more appropriately treating patients. According to the American Diabetes Association, 7 percent -- or 20.8 million children and adults living in the United States -- have diabetes. While an estimated 14.6 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes, an estimated 6.2 million are unaware that they have the disease.
“Whether you are a patient, a physician or an investor, there has never been a better time to be involved in the diabetes space. From recent provocative results from the DREAM study (Diabetes Reduction Assessment with Ramipril and Rosiglitazone Medication) looking at the early use of TZDs (thiazolidinediones) to Byetta (incretin mimetics for Type II diabetes, made by Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co.) and the advent of DPP-IV (dipeptidyl peptidase) inhibitors and inhaled insulin, there have never been so many ways to battle this worldwide pandemic. This panel is a must-see for anyone with an interest in large and growing markets where a sea-change in technology creates a huge opportunity,” King said.
King will be leading the discussion among panelists Paul Laikind, Ph.D., president and CEO, Metabasis Therapeutics Inc.; Harold Van Wart, Ph.D., president and CEO, Metabolex Inc.; Laura Shawver Ph.D., president and CEO, Phenomix Corp.; and William Heiden, president and CEO, Elixir Pharmaceuticals Inc. The workshop begins at 3:30 p.m., Thursday Oct. 19.
Meanwhile, in the diagnostic space, BIO and its advisors have organized the workshop, “Molecular Diagnostics – Today and in the Future,” to take an in-depth look at advancing molecular diagnostic technologies, which enable physicians to more accurately predict and treat diseases. Today, assessing the field of molecular diagnostics primarily relates to early innovation in research and clinical medicine applications ranging from diagnosis to clinical decision-making in certain diseases.
Brook Byers, a partner with KPCB and the panel moderator, added context to the workshop by saying, “Diagnostics are being transformed by the revolution of molecular diagnostics in which genomic tools are being applied to assess each individual’s disease status so that personalized treatment decisions can be made by the clinician and patient. The era of ‘personalized medicine’ has begun and this panel has the pioneers who will tell how it is done.”
Panelists include Pierre Cassigneul, president and CEO, XdX; David Levinson, president and CEO, CardioDx; and Kim Popovits, president and chief operating officer, Genomic Health Inc. The panel expert is Sunil Badve, MD, associate professor, pathology and internal medicine, Indiana University. The workshop begins at 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 19.
And while research into diabetes and molecular diagnostics continues to grow, advancement in cancer research remains an area of high investor and scientific interest.
Indeed, there are about 400 cancer products currently being developed by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, according to industry experts. While breakthrough products are always welcome in the patient community, small- to medium-sized companies, in particular, need clear, predictable strategies for guiding their products through the clinic and eventually to the market.
The cancer workshop, “Designing the Next Successful Cancer Drug Amidst a Competitive Landscape,” will help companies consider clinical and marketing strategies and how they integrate competitive considerations into the drug design, early clinical development and regulatory strategy of their experimental cancer agents.
Session panelist Clay Siegall, Ph.D., president and CEO of Seattle Genetics Inc., commented, “Beginning nearly a decade ago, monoclonal antibodies and other targeted therapies began to revolutionize the treatment of cancer. Earlier this year, data from the American Cancer Society showed that annual cancer deaths in the United States are dropping for the first time in more than 70 years. From the bench to the clinic, Seattle Genetics and numerous other companies and research centers around the world are working to substantially improve cancer patients’ survival and quality of life.”
Jason Kantor, Ph.D., an analyst with RBC Capital Markets, will lead the discussion among panelists Siegall; Daniel Swisher, president and CEO, Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Inc.; John Orwin, vice president, marketing and sales, BioOncology, Genentech Inc.; and James Merritt, MD., president and chief medical officer, AdventRx Pharmaceuticals Inc. The workshop begins at 8:30 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 19.
For more details on the program, visit http://investorforum.bio.org/opencms/bif/2006/program/.
Advance media registration for BIO InvestorForum 2006 is now available online. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the news media. To register, please visit http://investorforum.bio.org/opencms/bif/2006/Registration/media.jsp. Only reporters and editors working full-time for print or broadcast news organizations may register onsite with valid media credentials. All freelancers and online publications must register in advance by Friday, Oct. 6.
The BIO InvestorForum host sponsor is Rodman & Renshaw; co-hosts are Bank of American and Jefferies; supporting host sponsors are RBC Capital Markets, CIBC World Markets, and Pacific Growth; and the sponsors are Amgen, Aquilo Partners, BioWorld Today, BMO Capital Markets, Dorsey, Ernst & Young, Foley & Lardner LLP, HellerEhrman LLP, Johnson & Johnson, Latham & Watkins LLP, Merck, Pfizer, PR Newswire and VWR International.
BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.
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