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May 22, 2006

2:30 p.m.–8 p.m.

Registration Open
Main Hall Foyer

2:30 p.m.–8 p.m.

Sponsor Exhibits Open
Main Hall Foyer

3 p.m.–4:30 p.m.

Concurrent Strategic Forums

A new component of the Biotech Conference, the four Strategic Forums address topics important to North Carolina’s strong biotechnology community and continuing leadership: development of biotechnology statewide; workforce training; investment; and the Piedmont Triad biotechnology community. Forums will kick-off the meeting with interesting and engaging discussion.

Regional Biotechnology Statewide: Strong Strategies, Policies and Outcomes

South Main Hall 1

A rich combination of factors - resources, sector opportunities, and committed community leadership - enables North Carolina to realistically work for biotechnology development gain statewide. What combination of practical vision and ongoing policies will ensure that biotechnology in coming years yields economic, societal, and employment outcomes for regions?

Moderators:

• Steven Burke, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, North Carolina Biotechnology Center
• Jack Cecil, President, Biltmore Farms, Inc.

Panelists:

• Robert McMahan, Ph.D., Senior Advisor to the Governor for Science & Technology and Executive Director, NC Board of Science and Technology
• Richard Reich, Ph.D., Assistant Commissioner, North Carolina Department of Agriculture
• Lynne Safrit, President, Charlotte Region, Castle & Cooke
• Norris Tolson, Secretary, Department of Revenue, State of North Carolina

Biotechnology Workforce Training Trends and Implications for the State of North Carolina

South Main Hall 2

A panel of industry and nationally acclaimed biotechnology training experts will provide a “snapshot” overview of innovative practices for the increasing demand of biotechnology workers across disciplines that include bioinformatics, bioprocessing, biomanufacturing and research and development. Our experts are from the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce, Bio-Link and BioNetwork. To open the session, Russ Read, Executive Director of the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce will give an overview of the demand driven Biotech Workforce model. Susan Seymour, Director of BioNetwork of the North Carolina Community College System will summarize the opportunity that BioNetwork delivers for the state of North Carolina.

Moderators:

• Russ Read, Executive Director, National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce
• Susan Seymour, BioNetwork Director, North Carolina Community College System

Panelists:

• Alan Beard, Lead Instructor, Biotechnology, Forsyth Technical Community College
• Patricia Dombrowski, Director of Life Science Informatics, Bellevue Community College
• Ric Matthews, Director of the National Center of Expertise in Bioprocessing Training, MiraCosta Community College
• Janet Paulson, Director, National Center for Agricultural Bioprocessing and Renewable Fuels, Indian Hills Community College
• Sonia Wallman, Director of the National Center for Expertise in Biomanufacturing Training, New Hampshire Community Technical College
• Bill Woodruff, Director of the Southeast Regional Center of Bio-Link, Alamance Community College

More Money on the Table: Moving Up from 8th Place Nationwide

South Main Hall 3

Varied parties feel - with passion and cause - that North Carolina is well able to gain more venture investment, committed by parties within the state and beyond. How can this goal be feasibly addressed and met?

Moderators:

• Jeff Clark, Managing General Partner, Aurora Funds
• Art Pappas, Managing Partner, Pappas Ventures

Panelists:

• Todd Brady, MD, Ph.D., Principal, Domain Associates
• James Mason, Partner, Parish Capital Advisors
• Christopher Price, Ph.D., Executive Director, Piedmont Triad Research Park and Senior Vice President, Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Biotechnology Grows Triad-Wide

North Main Hall D

Outside of RTP, the next most developed region in North Carolina for biotechnology is the Piedmont Triad. Speakers will share exciting news and profiles of the diverse research ongoing at some of our research universities as well as the studies of the Biotechnology, Genomics, and Health Research Center. Future visions of one of the largest urban life science research parks in the US will be unveiled by the Piedmont Triad Research Park developing in Winston Salem.

Moderators:

• Peggy Low, Senior Vice President of Technology, Winston Salem Chamber of Commerce
• Gwyn Riddick, Director, Piedmont Triad Office, North Carolina Biotechnology Center

Panelists:

• Bill Dean, President, Idealliance, Inc.
• Vince Henrich, Ph.D., Director, Biotechnology, Genomics and Health Research Center, UNC-Greensboro
• Sally Shumaker, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Research, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
• Rosemary Wander, Ph.D., Associate provost for Research and Public/Private Sector Partnerships, UNC Greensboro

4:30 p.m.–6 p.m.

Opening Cocktail Reception
Main Hall Foyer

6 p.m.–8 p.m.

Opening Remarks, Featured Speaker and Gala Dinner
North Main Hall
Senator Richard Burr*
North Carolina United States Senator
The asterisk (*) beside Senator Burr's name denotes that his participation is confirmed but contingent upon his voting duties on Capitol Hill allowing him to participate.

May 23, 2006

8 a.m.–9 a.m.

Registration and Continental Breakfast
Main Hall Foyer

9 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

Opening Remarks and Featured Speaker:
North Main Hall

Stelios Papadopoulos, Ph.D.
Vice Chairman, SG Cowen & Co., LLC

Biotech IPOs – An Unorthodox Point of View

10:30 a.m.–10:45 a.m.

Break
Visit sponsor exhibits, Main Hall Foyer

10:45 a.m.–11:40 a.m.

Concurrent Panels

Cracking the Code: Understanding the New Landscape of Biotech Venture Capital Investing

South Main Hall 1

As the biotech capital markets continue their recovery, the structure and dynamics of venture capital investing have evolved.  This cross-regional panel, comprised of experienced corporate and venture capital investors, will discuss emerging trends driving life sciences investing.  Topics will include early stage investing criteria, deal syndication, partnering trends and the impact of the public markets on later stage investing and exit strategies.

Moderator:

• Kenneth Eheman, Partner, Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton LLP

Panelists:

• Anupam Dalal, M.D., Partner, Thomas Weisel Partners
• Garheng Kong, M.D., Ph.D., Partner, Intersouth Partners
• Edward Torres, Principal, Lilly Ventures

Raising Human Capital: Keeping NC Number 1 in Biotech Workforce

South Main Hall 2

The good news: North Carolina is recognized globally as #1 in Biotech Human Capital & Biotech Workforce (Milken Institute, 2004). The challenge: North Carolina’s strategic plan for biotechnology, “New Jobs Across North Carolina,” projects 125,000 new jobs in biotechnology by 2023. What must we do to retain our top ranking while efficiently meeting the needs of the rapidly growing biotechnology industry in NC?

How will we find new entrants to life science companies given that the competition is already fairly intense? Quality hires with experience in clinical development, regulatory affairs, biomanufacturing operations and project management, who see how science and business fit together, will be key drivers in achieving NC’s biotechnology employment goals.

How many of those new hires need which degree: A.A.S., B.S., M.S., MBA, M.D., or Ph.D.? Do we recruit or retrain? If we recruit, how do we retain? If we retrain, how do we quickly respond to the industry’s changing critical needs? How do costs compare (recruit vs. retrain) and what does that mean to industry’s growth?

The global war for life sciences talent is real; bold vision and innovative solutions involving industry, education and government must be developed rapidly to be sure that the bio-ready human capital needed by NC’s growing biotechnology industry is ready, willing and capable.

Moderator:

• Gary Green, Ed.D., President, Forsyth Technical Community College

Panelists:

• Michael Kamarck, Ph.D., Senior Vice President - Biotech, Technical Operations and Product Supply, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
• Terry McAdoo, Director R&D Human Resources, Discovery Research, GlaxoSmithKline
• Jan Turek, President and Chief Executive Officer, Biolex Therapeutics
• Brad Wiggins, Industry Lead, Business Relations Group, Employment & Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor

Anti-Infective Drug Development and Partnering Challenges for Biotech Companies

South Main Hall 3

A large number of anti-infective drugs that are currently marketed are useful in treating the vast majority of microbial infections. Many of these drugs are generic and many are inexpensive. Thus, the financial incentive to discover and develop new anti-infective agents is currently low. However, the number of infections caused by microbes resistant to available anti-infective agents is on the rise.

These resistant microbes are selected for the wide-spread use of currently available drugs and will continue to increase in numbers, impacting human and animal health. In addition to the growth of resistant microbes, the diseases of developing nations, the possibility of biological weapons and the threat of emerging disease all present threats to global health. Thus, it is important to discover and develop new drugs to treat infectious diseases.

The potential for developing anti-infectives, as well as the hurdles, will be addressed by this panel. Philanthropic foundations are addressing the diseases of developing nations, and the government is acutely aware of bio-warfare possibilities. However, the exit of many major pharmaceutical companies from the anti-infective field has created a deficit of future anti-infective agents to meet the growing needs.

The panel will discuss why biotechnology companies are uniquely positioned to take advantage of the niche created to develop drugs for infectious diseases. The compounds being developed by biotechnology companies have a variety of funding and partnering opportunities available.  Partnering opportunities with the pharmaceutical companies and with the federal government, funding resources offered by the biodefense initiatives, as well as funds available through philanthropic foundations will all be discussed.

Moderator:

• Richard White, Ph.D., former Chief Scientific Officer, Vicuron

Panelists:

• Carl Craft, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Medicines for Malaria Venture
• Hans Liu, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University & Infectious Diseases Consultant, Bryn Mawr Medical Specialists
• Katherine Taylor, Ph.D., Therapeutics Development Program Officer, Office of Biodefense Research Affairs, Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NIAID, NIH, DHHS

11:40 a.m.–12 noon

Break
Visit sponsor exhibits, Main Hall Foyer

12 noon–12:55 p.m.

Concurrent Panels

Door #2: A Discussion on Alternative Exits to IPO Given Today's Capital Markets

South Main Hall 1

Biotechnology and other life science companies need to access large sums of capital in order to fund the development of their products and, typically, exhaust traditional private venture capital sources well before achieving positive cash flow. 

In today's capital markets, a traditional IPO is a viable exit vehicle for only a select few emerging life science companies.  And, the liquidity provided by an IPO to founders and investors may be illusory and dependent on after-market performance of your stock, your ability to continue to achieve critical development milestones and other factors that inhibit sales of stock and capital raising following an IPO. 

This panel will explore what's behind Door # 2--both traditional alternatives to an IPO, such as a sale to a strategic partner or larger competitor, as well as other non-traditional means of accessing the public capital markets, such as reverse mergers into public shell corporations and the evolution of Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations (SPACs). 

Moderator:

• Jeffrey Howland, Attorney, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC

Panelists:

• Ski Chilton, Ph.D., Professor of Internal Medicine and Physiology & Pharmacology, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
• Stephen Hurly, Managing Director - Head of Health Care Investment Banking, Janney Montgomery Scott
• Dale Sander, Chief Financial Officer & Senior Vice President, Finance, Biolex Therapeutics

The Evolution of University Tech Transfer to Commercialization Catalyst

South Main Hall 2

The economic reality is that in 2005 both the average size and number of seed stage life sciences deals were at the lowest level of the past 6 years (only 0.03% of total VC investments). Moreover, strategic investors are limiting their funds to very specific projects that match precisely their corporate goals.  Universities in general and technology licensing offices in particular, must add significant value and must focus their ideas in order to allow them to be funded.  Increased value will result from efforts to place scientific ideas into proper business contexts and efforts to participate directly in the capitalization process.  Collaboration between the technology licensing offices, appropriate business schools and mentoring programs will be an excellent way to accomplish these goals.

This panel will discuss some specific ways North Carolina universities are catalyzing the generation of new commercial entities. These processes might even serve as a model for commercializing early technology, regardless of the source of these ideas.

Moderator:

• John Richert, Vice President, Business and Technology Development, North Carolina Biotechnology Center

Panelists:

• Michael Batalia, Ph.D., Director, Office of Technology Asset Management, Wake Forest University
• Cathy Innes, Director, The Office of Technology Development, UNC-Chapel Hill
• Richard Kouri, Ph.D., Entrepreneur-in-Residence/Professor, The Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, UNC-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School

Back to the Future Biotechnologies: From Stem Cells to Tissues to Nanotechnology

South Main Hall 3

Traditional Pharma-move over! Over the last several decades the area of biotechnology has been dominated by drugs and, more recently, small molecules and bioinformatics. Alternate biotechnologies in the areas of gene therapy, cell based therapies and nanotechnology have been around the research realm for a number of years. A small number of these technologies even ventured into the business world but many of these lingered as an important lesson was learned - that the typical pharma business model does not necessarily fit these new technologies and that different business strategies are essential for these technologies to succeed.

Today, an important component of almost all large pharma strategic planning involves these technologies. Listen to experts in the fields of cell based therapies, gene therapy and nanotechnology as they share their most exciting advances that are revolutionizing the way we think about biotechnology. Organs made to order, cells that cure, nanoparticles that help to diagnose and genes that transform. Learn what these businesses have done to grow and what large pharma strategic planners already know: that these technologies hold a great promise for the future, and the future is now.

Moderator:

• Tim Bertram, Vice President Science and Technology, Tengion, Inc.

Panelists:

• Richard Czerw, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, NanoTechLabs Inc.
• Tracy Gentry, Director, Preclinical Development, Aldagen, Inc.
• Sharon Presnell, Ph.D., Director, Cell & Tissue Technologies, BD Technologies
  

1 p.m.–2:30 p.m.

Lunch and Featured Speaker:
North Main Hall

Ira Flatow
Host of NPR’s Talk of The Nation: Science Friday

Talking Science In a World That Doesn't Care
While science and technology become more important to the future of our society, the public receives so little news about it. What can journalists and scientists do to break through the "anti-science" barrier to the public?

2:30 p.m.–4 p.m.

Closing Networking Reception