 NCBIO This Month
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 North Carolina is becoming an international hub for vaccine research and manufacturing. The importance of vaccines to our health and the economy, North Carolina’s vaccine assets, future trends in vaccine development, and a look at North Carolina vaccine research and commercialization activities are just a few of the topics on the agenda for NCBIO’s 2010 annual membership meeting. The program will feature keynote remarks by Dr. Philip R. Dormitzer, Senior Project Leader for Viral Vaccine Research at Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Jennifer Kuhns, Ph.D., Senior Scientist / Parenteral Technologies at BD Technologies. Dr. Bradford Walters, Vice President & Chief Medical Officer RTI International will address the importance of vaccines to global health.
The program will also feature a panel of representatives from North Carolina companies and education institutions involved in vaccine research and commercialization. Speakers will include Dr. Robert Johnston, Executive Director of Global Vaccines; Dr. Richard Frothingham, FACP, Director, Regional Biocontainment Laboratory at Duke Human Vaccine Institute; Dr. Steven Mizel, Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine; and Dr. Kathy Smith, cell and molecular biologist with Arbovax.
NCBIO will hold its annual business meeting in conjunction with the vaccine program. The business session will include election of new members to the Board of Directors, and a report from NCBIO President Sam Taylor regarding NCBIO’s 2010-11 accomplishments and work plan.
The meeting is free for all NCBIO members. Click here for an agenda of the day’s events. Persons interested in attending should register by September 30. For more information, contact Jennifer Fong. A proxy form is requested from members who are unable to attend.
The North Carolina Biotechnology Center is co-hosting the event with NCBIO. NCBIO would like to thank our sponsors: Gold sponsors include Bahnson Environmental Specialties, Novartis, Pfizer, RTI International, and Yonkers Industries; Silver sponsor are CRB, K&L Gates and Smith Anderson. Bronze sponsors are BD Technologies, O’Brien/Atkins and Premier Research.
Save October 22nd for an AgBiotech Industry Round Table. The event will be at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The goal of the AgBiotech Industry Round Table is to strengthen industry/university collaborations and to provide insight to university researchers and business representatives from agriculture/biotechnology companies on how to foster greater innovation and economic development impact. For more information.
Please have your organization’s media/marketing coordinator send news about your company to Brenda Summers - bsummers@ncbioscience.org
Affinergy has been named one of 25 North Carolina Companies to Watch by CED, a private, nonprofit organization that promotes entrepreneurial efforts in North Carolina. Affinergy develops medical devices for use in orthopedics, sports medicine, and general surgery. "It is both humbling and gratifying for Affinergy's employees to receive this acknowledgement," said Peyton Anderson, CEO of Affinergy. "Their hard work over a sustained period of time has positioned us for significant growth and commercial success. We expect our employee and revenue base to grow significantly in the next few years."
Recent research conducted by Capstrat found that technology and managing cost are top-of-mind among hospital executives and physicians practice leaders. Healthcare leaders are looking to technology for service and operational improvements, with 52 percent of respondents reporting they are “excited about how new technology can improve patient care.” The optimism around technology is countered by concerns. More than 45 percent of those surveyed are concerned about how healthcare reform will affect patient care. And more than half are more worried about the economy than they were a few years ago. For more insights on trends in healthcare purchasing and how new technology and marketing are playing a critical role, please click to download Capstrat’s whitepaper.
Charles A. Johnson, M.D., has been named Executive Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer of Inspire Pharmaceuticals effective September 15th. Dr. Johnson has more than 30 years of experience in academic clinical practice and the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Johnson has served since 2007 as Chief Medical Officer at APT Pharmaceuticals, a private respiratory company developing inhaled cyclosporine for lung transplant patients. Prior to that, Dr. Johnson worked at Genentech for 13 years where he held several senior leadership positions, including Vice President and Head of the Immunology and Tissue Repair clinical group.
Inspire Pharmaceuticals has also announced the appointment of Robert M. Savel, II, to the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, effective September 20th. In this role, Mr. Savel will be responsible for all manufacturing and technical operations and will report directly to Adrian Adams, President and CEO. Mr. Savel served as President of Savel Enterprises LLC and, prior to that, held the position of Senior Vice President, Technical Operations at PDL Biopharma from 2007 until 2008. Prior to joining PDL, Mr. Savel held roles of increasing responsibility at Johnson & Johnson from 1999 to 2007, most recently serving as North America Vice President of Quality and Compliance for the J&J Global Pharmaceutical Sourcing Group.
Ray W. Swanson recently joined TCG as a Partner. He has more than 20 years of experience building businesses by developing and commercializing innovative medical technologies, both in the US and abroad. Just prior to TCG, he was President and Founder of Blue Ridge Growth Advisors. Earlier, he was President and CEO of Centice Corporation, and before that held senior positions at TriPath Imaging, as well as at Dade Behring, Baxter, J&J, and American Hospital Supply Corporation. TCG’s office in Durham, NC, now serves as the headquarters of three European medical companies. The company serves as managers and directors of these US subsidiaries until the business is ready to stand on its own. TCG has also expanded it s network of experts in Europe with TCG Partners in Heidelberg, Germany, and Cambridge, UK
Ten Targacept interns showcased their summer learning experience during Internship Presentation Sessions in August. One high school student as well as college undergraduate and graduate students participated in the summer program. The internship program seeks to facilitate the entrance of women and minority students into biotechnology careers and support regional educational institutions by providing hands-on learning opportunities for their students. The Internship Program offers "real world," professional experience to top-level students to help prepare them for careers, with a particular emphasis on the fields of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, plus the chance to earn summer income.
Seventeen attorneys from the law firm of Wyrick Robbins were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2011. In addition, Wyrick Robbins was ranked #1 in North Carolina in Biotechnology Law; tied for #1 in North Carolina in Information Technology Law and Venture Capital Law; ranked #1 in Raleigh in Biotechnology Law and Information Technology Law; and tied for #1 in Raleigh in Appellate Law and Venture Capital Law.
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 BIO Comments on Court Ruling Regarding Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood has criticized the recent decision by a United States District Court prohibiting the use of federal funds to support embryonic stem cell research. "The preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court blocking federal funding of embryonic stem cell (ESC) research casts a dark cloud of uncertainty, for the moment, on promising ESC research.” Said Greenwood. “For more than a decade, ESC research consistently has demonstrated that it holds great hope for the development of breakthrough treatments and cures for debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, spinal cord injuries, diabetes and more. Each day we wait for the judicial process to play out is a day lost for patients and their families living with such diseases."
Greenwood continued: “We already have seen the promising possibility of stem cell research with companies like Geron showing astonishing results in the area of spinal cord injuries. As we have previously said, researchers should pursue all areas of stem cell research in the search for new therapies and cures. We hope the judicial process moves quickly to clear this uncertainty to permit federally funded ESC research to move forward again. Millions of patients are waiting."
Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2010. Forsyth Tech SciTech Lecture Series: “Advancing Cancer Treatment through Technology Innovation,” Ardmore Auditorium, Forsyth Technical Community College Main Campus, 2100 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem. Hear scientists, researchers and industry thought leaders explore how science and technology are combining to change our world. All lectures are free and open to the public. To reserve a seat at any event, contact Mona Cofer at (335) 734-7205 or by e-mail at mcofer@forsythtech.edu.
October 4-5, 2010. Marriott Crabtree Valley, Raleigh, NC. Join the Healthcare Distribution Management Association (HDMA) and NCBIO for Leveraging Distribution to Commercialize New Products, a two-day seminar designed to help pharmaceutical manufacturers leverage the services and expertise of healthcare distributors to better understand the high impact tactics that can be used to successfully commercialize new products. NCBIO Members can register for this seminar at the discounted HDMA Member rate. Click here for the special registration form.
October 6, 2010. NCBIO Annual Meeting, 7:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m, North Carolina Biotechnology Center. This year’s meeting will feature a special program, “A Look at North Carolina’s Vaccine Cluster: Present and Future.” For more information. RSVP to Jennifer Fong by calling 919-281-8960 or e-mail jfong@ncbioscience.org
October 18-20, 2010. AdvaMed MedTech Conference, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC. AdvaMed 2010 is the premier MedTech Conference for CEOs, business executives, policy-makers, financiers, media, and industry stakeholders from around the world. More information.
Friday, Oct. 22, 2010. AgBiotech Industry Round Table. The event will be at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The goal of the AgBiotech Industry Round Table is to strengthen industry/university collaborations and to provide insight to university researchers and business representatives from agriculture/biotechnology companies on how to foster greater innovation and economic development impact. For more information.
Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2010. Forsyth Tech SciTech Lecture Series: “The Benefits of 25 Years of HIV Research on Laboratory Technology and Human Health” Dr. Mark Wainberg, McGill University, Past President of the International AIDS Society. Hear scientists, researchers and industry thought leaders explore how science and technology are combining to change our world. All lectures are free and open to the public and will be held on Forsyth Tech’s Main Campus in Ardmore Auditorium at 4 p.m. Forsyth Tech Main Campus—2100 Silas Creek Parkway Winston-Salem NC 27103 FORSYTH TECH To reserve a seat at any event, contact Mona Cofer at 336.734.7205 or mcofer@forsythtech.edu.
Monday, Nov. 15, 2010. Forsyth Tech SciTech Lecture Series: “Biofuels Across the Landscape: Vision, Challenge, and Change” Steven Burke, CEO, Biofuels Center of North Carolina Hear scientists, researchers and industry thought leaders explore how science and technology are combining to change our world. All lectures are free and open to the public and will be held on Forsyth Tech’s Main Campus in Ardmore Auditorium at 4 p.m. Forsyth Tech Main Campus—2100 Silas Creek Parkway Winston-Salem NC 27103 FORSYTH TECH To reserve a seat at any event, contact Mona Cofer at 336.734.7205 or mcofer@forsythtech.edu.
November 30, 2010. ibiliti MedTech Conference, Washington Duke Inn, Durham, NC. For more information, contact Ann Poorboy at ibiliti.
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