Life sciences are fostering one of the great revolutions of our times. Breakthroughs in life sciences, information technology, telecommunications and nanotechnology are complementing one another and enabling the extraordinary progress that we currently are experiencing in biotechnology. As recent as 15-20 years ago there were only a handful of biotechnology-derived products on the market. Now, despite the length of time and massive financial resources needed, the number of approved products has ballooned into the hundreds. And more importantly, there is a rich pipeline of products in various stages of development.

According to the Ernst & Young, Global Biotech Report 2011, in 2010 biotech companies in the US, Australia, Canada and Europe had a record-breaking aggregate net profit of $ 4.7 billion, a 30% increase from the previous year and they were able to raise $25 billion although the amount of “innovation capital” provided by the venture capital community declined 20%.

Panel

A panel of renowned biotech professionals with a knowledgeable moderator, Pitch Johnson, a pioneer venture capitalist and early investor in Amgen, will address challenging questions, such as:

• Where is science guiding the industry?
• What are the most promising areas?
• What is the status of the biotech industry around the world?
• What is the relationship between life sciences and universities, industry, government laboratories in different countries?
• How the US compares with regulatory systems in different countries?

• What things should we do in the U.S to support the biotech industry?

Speakers

• Pitch Johnson, VC, Asset Management (moderator)
• Napoleone Ferrara, Scientist, Genentech
• Alan Lewis, former CEO of Ambit Biosciences, JDRF, Novocell and Signal Pharmaceuticals
• David Low, Managing Director, Lazard Freres
• Roberto Crea, CEO of CreAgri and ProtElix, one of the scientific co-founders of Genentech
• Douglas Crawford, Associate Director, QB3 and Managing Director, Mission Bay Capital

Program

• 6:00pm – 7:00pm Registration and Refreshments
• 7:00pm - 8:15pm Panel Discussion and Q&A

Sponsors

Grazia Bennett, Sotheby's International Realty

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, an international law firm with 36 offices in 17 countries