2012 MassBioEd Innovative School of the Year – Norton High School

Posted under 2012 BIO International Convention, BIO International Convention, Blog, Companies, Diagnostics, education, Events, Funding, massachusetts, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, Pharmaceuticals, Startups, STEM Education, Universities, Videos by biotechnow@bio.org (Biotechnology Industry Organization)

Massachusetts is home to the full ecosystem of life sciences—including our world class academic institutions and medical centers, a vibrant venture capital community, hundreds of biotech companies of all sizes, contract research and manufacturing organizations, and service organizations supporting the industry.

It is no wonder then that eleven years ago MassBio established the Massachusetts Biotechnology Foundation to promote biotechnology education and workforce development programs. Each year, the Foundation awards the Innovative School of the Year to highlight and honor a Massachusetts high school for distinguishing itself through exemplary innovative biotechnology educational programming.

This year, MassBioEd granted the award to Norton High School in Norton, MA. Since 2007, Norton High School has worked with MassBioEd in the BioTeach program. The school has successfully utilized their BioTeach grant to expand biotechnology courses to all of their students and provide elective courses in biotech, forensics and anatomy & physiology. Each year, over 175 students are provided instruction in biotechnology based lab experiences, culminating in a research project that focuses on life sciences careers.

Other highlights of the innovative Norton High program include:

• Presentations by former students. This year presentations were made by former students currently studying STEM majors at MIT and Tufts.
• Norton teachers acting as mentors to former graduates. Many former students are now enrolled in STEM majors at the local colleges.
• Norton offering a Biotechnology elective course. Now in its fourth year, competition is high for seats in both the Honors Level and College Preparatory/Main Stream Level Biotechnology classes.
• Curriculum including topics such as Bioethics, Forensics, and Biotechnology. Students assist in laboratory preparation of materials, serve as lab assistants, present and demonstrate laboratory skills to the Norton School Committee and complete a final project which includes researching biotechnology companies and colleges that offer biotechnology majors.
• Student internships. This year the Science department’s student internship was awarded to a Biotechnology student who is working on developing new labs and activities with the teacher for this course.  This student will also be focusing on a STEM major in college in the fall.
• Actively participating in MassBioEd’s Life Science Career Development Initiative. Highlights included a “college hop” field trip bringing students to colleges that offer biotechnology programs/ majors, regular presentations by career professionals in the industry, students and teachers attending  workshops and job shadows at local universities and biotechnology companies and one-third of students in the first two cohorts enrolling in STEM majors in college.

Speaking of education, the annual International BioGENEius Challenge will take place June 18th at the 2012 BIO International Convention in Boston, MA. The International BioGENEius Challenge is the premier competition for high school students that recognized outstanding research in biotechnology. Finalists will showcase their talent and research to a prestigious panel of expert biotech judges and will display their projects to approximately 15,000 Convention participants.

Meet 2011′s Buzz of BIO Winner, Amrita Therapeutics

Posted under 2012 BIO International Convention, 2012 Business Forum, BIO Business Forum, BIO International Convention, Blog, Boston, Business and Investments, business development, Buzz of BIO, Cancer, Companies, Diagnostics, Discovery, Events, Funding, india, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, oncology, One-on-One's, Partnering, Pharmaceuticals, Startups, Universities, Videos, What would George do? by biotechnow@bio.org (Biotechnology Industry Organization)

2011 Buzz of BIO Health Winner

Amrita Therapeutics is a bio-pharma discovery company based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, pursuing the development of novel, multiple disease targeting therapies for cancer. Last year, they won the Buzz of BIO Contest for the 2011 BIO International Convention, where industry executives and leaders voted on their favorite biotech companies. BIO recently spoke with Susan Finston, the CEO of Amrita Therapeutics, to get their thoughts on the contest, last year’s BIO event, and what their company is up to now.

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For a young company like Amrita Therapeutics, being chosen as the Buzz of BIO winner was truly an amazing experience akin to that of Cinderella at the ball . . . if the ball had lasted four days! As CEO/MD for Amrita and the Buzz winner, I received complimentary registration for the BIO International Convention with full access to educational/policy sessions, BIO Exhibition, and most important of all – the BIO Business Forum, which also included a Company Presentation for our company.

The sheer size and scope of the Convention can be challenging for a small company to navigate. While I have attended the event for the last several years, the Buzz of BIO contest helped me think strategically about different aspects of the Convention and how they all come together to support Amrita’s business development and fundraising efforts. The BIO Business Forum was important for two reasons, providing both a coveted 15-minute slot to make an extended “elevator pitch” for Amrita to industry leaders, and opportunities for focused partnering meetings.

The prospect of the 15-minute BIO Business Forum presentation was both terrifying and exhilarating. It was hard for me to imagine that those lining up to see presentations from Takeda, Pfizer, and other global companies, would attend Amrita’s briefing as well. The Buzz of BIO team got the word out about the Amrita briefing! It was an incredible experience to step up to the podium of the BIO Business Forum to see a packed room for our presentation. (The Convention was also our first experience with making videos of Amrita presentations, and the BIO Business Forum presentation is available on the Amrita website www.amritatherapeutics.com.)

Also at the BIO Business Forum, Amrita was able to request and accept one-on-one “speed dating” meetings with companies that have led to continuing discussions with potential for longer term R&D partnerships, out-licensing and/or equity investment in Amrita. As noted by Jim Greenwood, President and CEO of BIO, the goal of the Buzz of BIO is to “help lend a voice to companies that may be overshadowed by the larger, more established organizations within the industry.” That was my experience for Amrita last year. Without the greater visibility for a small company like Amrita, it is hard to imagine that we would have garnered the positive attention of major bio-pharmaceutical companies at the Convention.

For companies that are entering the Buzz of BIO competition this year, the process is a concentrated version of the focused networking efforts that every company needs for long-term success. Each year brings a greater wealth of digital and social media outlets to drive attention to companies in the contest, and the same is true this year. Win, lose or draw, the Buzz of BIO competition provides a wonderful opportunity for all competing companies to garner attention at the 2012 BIO International Convention!

Where are we now? Last year we had only provisional patent applications and in vitro data for our lead peptide drug. Now, Amrita has filed our first two full utility/PCT patents and R&D has continued apace with development of additional drug candidates. In particular, we hope to be able to share our initial in vivo results in June. We also will be presenting an international case study on ongoing R&D between Amrita in India and a leading research institute in Portugal, the Instituto Superior Tecnico (IST).

The BIO International Convention has become an integral part of our strategy towards meeting our business development and fundraising goals. Amrita co-founder Ananda M. Chakrabarty and I look forward to seeing you in Boston!

Amrita will be returning to the Business Forum to give company presentation at this year’s event. Stay tuned for their presentation time, to be posted in myBIO!

2012 BIO International Convention Show Daily – Submissions Now Accepted!

Posted under 2012 BIO International Convention, BIO International Convention, Blog, Companies, Diagnostics, Events, Funding, Medical Devices, Medical Supply, Pharmaceuticals, Startups, Universities, Videos by biotechnow@bio.org (Biotechnology Industry Organization)

Looking to gain exposure for your company at Convention? Why not submit an article to be considered for the BIOtechNow Show Daily?

The BIOtechNow Show Daily is an on-site publication that gets distributed Monday through Thursday at the 2012 BIO International Convention. The daily is distributed in high traffic areas of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center as well as major hotel lobbies. This “must read” will contain all the hottest breaking news from Convention, highlights of the day’s schedule and editorial content from top industry thought leaders, CEO’s and companies.

Visit the Show Daily submission page now to submit your article. All submitted requests will be subject to detailed review and evaluation for possible inclusion in the event publications.

To begin the submission process, please keep the following questions in mind:

• Does your title clearly and concisely convey your topic?
• Will your lead paragraph capture the reader’s attention?
• Why is your article important to the BIOtechNOW Show Daily reader? And to the biotechnology industry as a whole?
• Have you provided supporting data, interesting quotes, etc?
• Does your content end with a provocative statement or thoughtful question?

The deadline for submission is Monday, April 2, 2012. Headlines should be no longer than 200 words and the content should not exceed 2,000 words. 2011 sample articles can be found here.

Don’t miss out on the chance to promote your organization at Convention!

Programming Updates to the 2012 BIO International Convention

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With Convention less than four months away, things are quickly falling in to place with several programming updates to note!

A total of 115 breakout sessions have been confirmed and scheduled, including 18 international case studies.  Session organizers are currently finalizing speakers.  All session descriptions and confirmed speakers are available on myBIO.

Even after all of the session submissions work, we asked for more session ideas! We recently completed a call for “Late-Breaking” sessions in order to attract proposals with new information that was not yet known at the time of the original call for sessions in September of 2011.  A spot for one late-breaking session is reserved in eleven of the thirteen tracks.  Our tireless volunteer Program Committee will once again put their heads down and review the submissions along with our staff and selected sessions will be announced by the end of March.

New to the program this year, we will offer a professional development track during the Convention. One professional development breakout session will be offered each day during the Convention that will cover tips and tools on career advancement. Sessions in this track will provide attendees with ideas to foster collaborative innovation through professional development and educational efforts.

There will be a total of six Super Sessions on the 2012 program. Super Sessions are open to Full Convention Access, Convention Access and Education & Exhibition Access registrants.  Super Session sponsors include: Burrill & Company; Campbell Alliance; Ernst & Young; Eli Lilly and Company and MedImmune.

Beyond Borders: Ernst & Young’s Annual Biotechnology Industry Report

Sponsored by Ernst & Young

Tuesday, June 19, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Moderators: Glen Giovannetti, Partner and Global Biotechnology Leader, Ernst & Young LLP and Gautam Jaggi, Senior Manager and Editor, Beyond Borders and Progressions, Ernst & Young LLP

Burrill State-of-the-Industry Report

Sponsored by Burrill & Company

Tuesday, June 19, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Speaker: G. Steven Burrill, Chief Executive Officer, Burrill & Company

International Leaders Share Their Worldview: Scientific American’s Regional Bio-Innovation Scorecard

Tuesday, June 19, 3:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Moderator & Speaker: Fareed Zakaria, CNN host, Editor-at-Large of TIME Magazine, Washington Post columnist and New York Times bestselling author

* This Super Sessions is open to Full Convention Access, Convention Access, Education & Exhibition Access, and Exhibit Booth Personal registrants.

After the Honeymoon – Integrating the R&D Growth Engine

Sponsored by Campbell Alliance

Wednesday, June 20, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Moderated by Ben Bonifant, Practice Area Leader, Campbell Alliance and David Thomas, Director, Industry Research & Analysis, Biotechnology Industry Organization

Speaker:  Peter Greenleaf, President, MedImmune

Pre-Competitive Collaboration: Innovation of the Future?

Sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company

Wednesday, June 20, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Speaker: Jan M. Lundberg, PhD, Executive Vice President, Science & Technology and President, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company

PDUFA V: Impact on Innovation, Patients, and Modern Medicines

Sponsored by MedImmune

Wednesday, June 20, 3:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

Speaker:  Peter Greenleaf, President, MedImmune

In addition to the Super Sessions, BIO will host various co-located events and special programs. Below are highlights of these programs:

Translational Research Forum – From Bench to Bedside in a Bioeconomy: University Models that Catalyze Economic Growth and Patient Access

Sponsored by Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company

Monday, June 18, 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Dr. Robert A. Brown, President, Boston University, will discuss the role of universities in translational medicine during the keynote at this year’s Translational Research Forum.

Leadership Summit: Harvesting the Commercial Potential of Emerging Agricultural and Industrial Biotechnologies

Sponsored by Bayer CropScience

Monday, June 18, 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

The Summit will examine the needs, risks, and strategies for financing development and commercialization of innovative agricultural and industrial biotechnology products, and discuss the role various institutions play in supporting technologies that lead to opportunities for investment and drive innovation in the marketplace.

Rare Diseases Forum:  Emerging Strategies, Challenges, and Partnerships

Sponsored by Genzyme, a Sanofi Company & Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company

Tuesday, June 19, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. & Wednesday, June 20, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

With input from the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and Centric Health Resources, the Forum will provide attendees a unique perspective on the orphan drug marketplace, regulatory considerations and much more.

8^th Annual Biotechnology Entrepreneurship Boot Camp

Sponsored by Pepper Hamilton LLP

Sunday, June 17, 8:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. & Monday, June 18, 8:15 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.

Biotechnology Entrepreneurship Boot Camp is an intensive, two-day program that walks attendees through the necessary steps and provides training for the skills needed to transform technology and invention into a viable company. Visit http://convention.bio.org/bootcamp/ for more information on this unique program.

Product Delivery Workshop: Navigating the Patch to Commercialization

Monday, June 18, 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. & Tuesday, June 19, 8:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The Workshop will provide guidance on how to navigate aggressive competition, regulatory pressures and a thin budget to get a product to market. Attendees will outline and evaluate best practices in commercialization, then practice the concepts during a competitive team simulation. Visit http://convention.bio.org/ProductDeliveryWorkshop/ for more information and to register today.

To view the complete educational line-up at the 2012 BIO International Convention visit myBIO.