Press Release
Contact: Cassandra Cranston |
Phone: (919) 549-7500 |
17th Annual Conference Boasts Biotech Entrepreneurs, Big Pharma Leaders and Investors As Featured Speakers and Panelists
Research Triangle Park, N.C., April 25, 2008 – North Carolina is one of the biotech industry’s top three economies in the nation and the premier event for the industry is Biotech 2008, the 17th annual gathering of the region's most innovative biotech entrepreneurs, major pharmaceutical companies, life science research leaders, policy makers and nationally prominent investors. Sponsored by the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the event will be held on Monday and Tuesday, May 19 and 20, at The Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. Registration is $275 for CED, NCBIO and BIO members; $375 for non-members; $175 for university faculty and government employees; and $75 for students. To register, visit www.cednc.org/conferences/biotech/2008/registration/.
Featured speakers are:
- Frederick Frank, vice chairman and director of Lehman Brothers Inc. in New York is chair of both The Irvington Institute for Immunological Research and the National Genetics Foundation.
- James Hunt, former North Carolina Governor, transitioned the state’s economy from an agriculture and manufacturing base to include knowledge-driven industries.
- John Maraganore, president and CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in Cambridge, Mass., has more than 20 years of experience in R&D and business roles with biotechnology companies.
- Edward Saltzman, founder and president of Defined Health in Florham Park, N.J., is a leading consultant in business development and disease-area strategy for the pharmaceutical industry.
Panel topics include:
- North Carolina-based Initiatives and Innovation Centers
- Partnering
- Challenges for Biotech Start-Ups
- Strategies for Financing Biotechnology Development
- The Paradigm Shift in FDA Approval
- Globalization’s Impact on the Industry
“While the speakers will be impressive, perhaps the most important aspect of Biotech 2008 is networking with investors, entrepreneurs and business executives,” says Sue Cole of Greensboro’s Granville Capital, Inc., investment firm, and a conference co-chair. Other co-chairs are Vipin Garg, president and CEO of Tranzyme Pharma in Durham; and Terry Conrad of Merz Pharmaceuticals LLC of Greensboro. There are two receptions and a Continental breakfast during the conference to allow time for participants to interact.
It’s also a great place for funders to find their next portfolio company. “As we like to remind folks who are eyeing bioscience investment,” Cole says, “there’s nowhere else in the world like North Carolina. And this conference goes right to the heart of it.”