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 Company representatives say there were impressed with the quality of students submitting resumes at the Biomanufacturing and Pharmaceutical Training Consortium Internship Fair, January 25th . More than 300 students and 19 companies participated in the event at the Golden LEAF Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center at the NC State University Centennial Campus. In addition to the students, more than 100 company representatives, educators and life science leaders attended the Internship Fair.
 Companies participating included Aerotek Scientific, Biogen Idec, Biolex Therapeutics, Catalent, Disoynth Biotechnology, DSM Pharmaceutical Products, Eisai, GlaxoSmithKline, Griffin Engineering and Technical Services, Hospira, Kelly Scientific Resources, Merck & Co., Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical Industries, Novozymes North America, REM Services, Talecris Biotherapeutics, Targacept, and Wyeth Biotech. Millipore provided refreshments for the event.
 The Council for Entrepreneurial Development presents the MedTech Conference on March 6, in Durham, the first annual event of the Southeast dedicated to the advanced medical device industry. Discuss the entire spectrum of the medical device space with experts and featured speakers such as Ron Dollens, retired president and CEO of Guidant Corporation and Richard Stack, President of Synecor, LLC. Connect with leading medical technology investors, corporate partners and industry entrepreneurs to discuss why medical devices are one of the fastest growing segments of the life science sector. Whether you need to partner, finance your start-up or learn more about advanced medical technologies, MedTech 2008 helps you build relationships with key business development professionals, investors, university leadership and vendors and suppliers. For more information.
 The annual BIO Legislative Day Fly-In is April 15-16th, in Washington, DC. This event provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet with the North Carolina Congressional delegation and advocate the biotechnology legislative agenda. CEOs, CFOs, senior scientists, and government relations professionals from biotechnology companies, organizations and academic institutions are invited to participate. You can register online or find a printable version of the registration form at: www.bio.org/flyin.
 Few states are as well positioned to develop a thriving biofuels industry as is North Carolina according to John Ganzi, the new President of the Biofuels Center of North Carolina. "We are already a leader in biotechnology; agriculture is a $60 billion a year enterprise in the state; and the state has a history of collaborating across sectors of society to effect change."
One of the goals of the new Biofuels Center, authorized by the 2007 General Assembly, will be to identify next-generation crops and processes for both biodiesel and ethanol that will enable North Carolina to move away from the present corn-based ethanol model found in the United States. The Biofuels Center will be based in Oxford, on North Carolina's Biofuels Campus, established by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as part of its strong commitment to biofuels development.
Ganzi has worked for the Finance Institute for Global Sustainability, Citibank, Environmental Resources Management, United States Environmental Protection Agency, the United Nations, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Wallace Global Fund. He was an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for seven years teaching Environmental Business at the Kenan Flagler School of Business while running his own consultancy.
The Director of Production is Mark Conlon, who was an engineer at Novozymes. Other employees of are J.D. Brook, the Director of Farming, who headed the BioNetwork BioAg Center; Ashley Jones, Director of Government and External Affairs who joined the Biofuels Center from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services where she was the Federal Liaison for the Department in Washington, DC; Remona Callair, Director of Finance and Administration, who was Senior Vice President for Finance & Operations for the Council for Entrepreneurial Development; and Norman Smit, the Director of Communications, Public Awareness and Workforce Training, who was the Marketing and Recruitment Director of BioNetwork.
Billy Morris, a retired pharmaceutical executive of the Bayer facility in Johnston County (now Talecris), has been appointed director of the NC BioNetwork Validation Academy. The Validation Academy will assist companies that are seeking validation of their facilities from the Food and Drug Administration. The BioNework program is located at the Capstone Center at the BTEC facility on the NC State Centennial Campus.
 Mary Beth Thomas, Ph.D., has joined the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to manage the organization's newest and largest funding program targeting development of important new business sectors. Thomas accepted the position of senior director, Centers of Innovation (COI) Operations, after serving as former statewide director of technology commercialization with the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) in Raleigh.
The Biotechnology Center, backed by funding from the General Assembly, started the COI program in 2007. It's designed to establish research and commercial hubs for products and processes deemed especially well-suited to creating biotechnology-related jobs across the state.
Scott Sarazen of Ernst & Young and Steven Burrill of Burrill & Company, a life sciences merchant bank are among the speakers at the US Department of Labor at a conference at the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce at Forsyth Technical Community College, February 5-6.
The conference, called the WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) Bioscience Institute, will focus on biotechnology business and workforce development. The Institute, which will be held in downtown Winston-Salem, is expected to draw some 100 attendees from around the country. The Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, chose Winston-Salem for the Institute because Dr. Gary M. Green, president of Forsyth Tech, has taken a strong leadership role in initiating biotech programs and courses. "The selection of Forsyth Tech and Winston-Salem for this important national conference attests to the national perception of North Carolina and this community as a leader in Biotechnology, " according to Green.
Biogen Idec and Elan Corporation, plc, have announced the approval of a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for TYSABRI® (natalizumab). TYSABRI is now approved for inducing and maintaining clinical response and remission in adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease (CD) with evidence of inflammation who have had an inadequate response to, or are unable to tolerate, conventional CD therapies and inhibitors of TNF-alpha.
Allen Baum and Fred Hutchison of the Hutchison Law Group PLLC have been named to Business North Carolina magazine's 2008 Legal Elite. Baum was named to Legal Elite in Patents/Intellectual Property. His practice focuses on strategic intellectual property counseling for emerging and established companies in pharmaceuticals, biochemistry and biotechnology.
Hutchison's recognition was in Business Law and Corporate Counsel. His practice focuses on venture capital, securities and mergers and acquisitions.
Invisar Inc., an engineering and design services company focused on the medical-device industry, announces it has been named a Microchip Technology Medical Design Partner Specialist. The notable designation strengthens Invisar's mission to deliver innovative technical and regulatory solutions for the medical-device industry. The Medical Design Partner Specialist designation will be limited to a select number of Microchip's authorized design partners worldwide, with Invisar being named the first. " This designation as a specialist strengthens Invisar's position as a growing leader in the design, development and test of medical devices and systems," said James Lestienne, President of Invisar. "Combined with Microchip's high level of support and commitment to delivering products for the medical-device industry that meet demanding regulatory and reliability requirements, Invisar has enhanced capabilities to provide complete and robust electronic, software and electro-mechanical solutions.
Targacept, Inc., has announced exercise of Underwriters' Overallotment Option and Closing of $30.9 Million Public Offering. Targacept, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of drugs known as NNRTherapeutics (TM), has completed the previously announced underwritten public offering of shares of its common stock. The completed offering included 570,000 shares purchased by the underwriters upon exercise of their overallotment option. Targacept issued and sold a total of 4,370,000 shares in the offering, resulting in gross proceeds, before deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses, of $30.9 million.
Howard Grubbs is the new Life Sciences Industry Group Leader for the law firm of Womble Carlyle. Mr. Grubbs will replace Tom Schroeder, who recently became a United States District Judge for the Middle District of North Carolina. Mr. Grubbs will be assisted by Maury Tepper intellectual property lawyer focusing on pharmaceutical trademark work. Mr. Grubbs is a nationally recognized authority in the field of environmental law, having been named to The Best Lawyers in America list every year since 1997 and Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business.
The North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) has recognized the Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Sanford vaccine manufacturing and research facility and the research facility in Research Triangle Park as Carolina STAR sites. The Carolina STAR program is the Occupational Safety and Health Department's most prestigious program for general industry. It recognizes work sites that are self-sufficient in their ability to control hazards through comprehensive and successful safety and health programs and acknowledges those sites as leaders in employee protection. Nita Tosic, Managing Director, Wyeth, Sanford, says, "We are excited to be recognized with the Carolina STAR award and to be the first recipient among pharmaceutical manufacturers in the state. Our commitment to employee health and safety is steadfast, and we will continue to be active supporters of the state's efforts with this program."
To have your company included in member news, send releases to bsummers@ncbioscience.org.
Five Ventures Business Plan Competition
and Conference at UNC Charlotte
Five Ventures® has announced the launch of the seventh annual business plan competition and conference at UNC Charlotte, featuring a new website and larger purse. Local entrepreneurs throughout the Southeast region can now submit executive summaries in order to compete for over $100,000 in cash and in-kind services.
"The Five Ventures Business Plan Competition and Conference serves as the catalyst program linking the business, technology, academic and entrepreneurial communities within the Charlotte region," said Robert Wilhelm, executive director of the Charlotte Research Institute. "Local entrepreneurs have an excellent opportunity to gain the mentorship, guidance, cash and the services necessary to build their dream businesses."
Five Ventures® is a free competition, open to any aspiring entrepreneur with an early-stage high-growth business within the Southeast region of the country. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to submit their executive summaries via the website . The finals of Five Ventures® will take place on April 10 at the UNC Charlotte's Barnhardt Student Activities Center.
Biotech 2008 Conference - May 19-20 in Winston-Salem, NC
The Council for Entrepreneurial Development gathers the region's vibrant life science community at the annual Biotech Conference, scheduled for May 19-20 in Winston-Salem, NC. Now in it's 17th year, Biotech 2008 will unite science, technology and industry leadership. Featuring leading industry entrepreneurs, investors, business development executives and researchers, Biotech will address an entire spectrum of hot topics and trends such as partnering, funding, FDA approval and globalization. Biotech 2008 returns to the Triad region to unite the Southeast's biotechnology industry and its world-class business community. More information.
BIO Conference – June 17-20 in San Diego
North Carolina biotechnology companies can promote their companies at this year's Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) International Convention. By sponsoring the North Carolina pavilion at the show, North Carolina company representatives get the opportunity to network at the world's largest gathering of senior-level biotechnology executives from all over the world. These companies will also help promote the state's diverse bioscience community, which Ernst & Young ranks as third in the nation.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce is organizing the state's exhibit space at this year's convention. The three-day international show draws thousands of visitors from all over the globe. Last year, the 22,000 attendees came from 68 countries. Sponsorships are available at five levels and include various combinations of passes to the exhibit hall, convention, or sponsored events. For additional information, visit Commerce's Web site or contact: Jean Davis Director, International Trade Division (919) 715-5746.
BioFusion™ 2008 Set for May in Atlanta
Early stage companies, start-ups and spin-offs can submit an application for a 7-minute oral presentation within its Next Generation presentation track for the BioFusion conference, May 5-6 at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead. Deadline for application is February 29th.
EBD Group's BioFusion 2008 partnering event brings together international decision-makers from all sectors of the biotechnology industry, and features the successful combination of a state-of-the-art partnering system, pre-arranged one-to-one meetings, company presentations, and informative workshops and panel sessions. Click for more information.
February 5, 2008. NCBIO/QuickSTAT Life Sciences Transportation Seminar: Overcoming Challenges of Life Sciences Transportation…Shipping Safely, Securely, and in Compliance. This seminar will focus on the risks, liabilities, and your responsibilities involved in the worldwide transport of Dangerous Goods, time and temperature sensitive Diagnostic/Clinical Samples, and Infectious Materials. For more information.
February 18, 2008. Biotech Forum. Venture Funding. The Biotech Forum is sponsored by CED in cooperation with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. This Forum provides a meeting place for executives, professionals and academicians actively involved in the biotechnology industry. A pre-forum session precedes each program and networking reception follows. For more information.
March 6, 2008. CED MedTech Conference. CED presents the first annual MedTech Conference on March 6, 2008, in Durham , NC. MedTech 2008 will focus on accelerating the growth of the medical device industry in the Southeast. At MedTech 2008, meet with leading investors, corporate partners and industry entrepreneurs to connect on the entire spectrum of the medical device space. For more information.
March 6-9, 2008. Institute of Biological Engineering 2008 Annual meeting. The meeting will facilitate active interactions between IBE's attendees and the extensive community of biological engineering innovators in North Carolina, and will promote the transfer of new technologies into commercial entities. For more information.
March 17, 2008. Biotech Forum: How to Build a World Class Company in RTP. For more information.
April 14, 2008. Biotech Forum. Innovative Business Models. For more information.
May 19-20, 2008. Biotech 2008: Fusing Science, Technology and Industry Leadership. Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, NC. The 17th annual Biotech conference is presented by CED in partnership with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center and NCBIO. The Biotech Conference unites the Southeast's life science communities. Fueled by pioneering research and development and a strong entrepreneurial spirit, come see for yourself why Biotech 2008 will be the biotechnology event of the year, celebrating what is widely considered one of the biotech industry's top three economies in the country.
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NCBIO This Month
