Newswise — AstraZeneca, Pfizer and other top bioscience companies will come together with some of the nation's leading universities to lead the development of the Life Sciences Summit 2009" Showcasing Innovation, Promoting Collaboration. The Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University is the organizer of the Summit, which will bring the world's leading companies together with the world's most innovative scientists and entrepreneurs to explore the next generation of biomedical solutions. The event will take place on September 23-24, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Long Island in Hauppauge, New York.
The annual event will bring academic and industry scientists, business development professionals, entrepreneurs and early stage investors together from across the United States. Its purpose is to build a community of academic and industry professionals who share a common goal of accelerating the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human disease. Focus areas include neurosciences, cancer, cardiovascular, and regenerative medicine, among others.
The Steering committee is led by Honorary Chairs " Shirley Strum Kenny, Ph.D. President, Stony Brook University; Bruce Stillman, Ph.D., President & CEO, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory; Samuel Aronson, Ph.D. Director, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Edward Reinfurt, Executive Director of NYSTAR.
"We are honored to be on the Steering Committee to spearhead this important venture. Forging collaborations between industry, the nation's leading research institutions and new companies emerging from these universities is a critical component of the Committee's efforts to accelerating the development of next generation scientific advances," adds Gabe Leung, Executive Vice President, OSI Pharmaceuticals.
John Maraganore, Ph.D, Chief Executive Officer of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, will be the keynote speaker. Dr. Maraganore will address more than 500 key industry executives, leading academic scientists, entrepreneurs, and early stage investors on the importance of innovation to the future of the industry. As CEO of Alnylam, Dr. Maraganore has become one of the most influential figures in biotech. Under his leadership, Alnylam is pioneering a new field of biology that has the potential to truly revolutionize medicine, all while fueling the company's growth through collaborations that have brought more than $660 million in realized funding to Alnylam.
"The biotechnology industry has made a significant contribution in developing novel medicines to treat diseases affecting patients and their families," said Dr. Maraganore. "It is through a commitment to innovation and collaboration that the industry will continue to thrive and be successful."
"The ability of the Summit to showcase the most significant scientific advances that have commercial relevance from throughout the United States, as well as emerging companies seeking investment and corporate partnerships undoubtedly provides participants with the best business, the best science, the best value under one roof," states Ramana Sonty, Ph.D., Director, Neuroscience, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
In addition to Dr. Maraganore's keynote address, the Summit will feature therapeutic roundtables, industry relevant workshops, a Partnering Forum, technology showcases and provocative plenary sessions. This year's event, expanded to a two-day format that is national in scope, will feature commercially promising breakthrough science, new technologies that will become next generation products, and emerging new companies that will shape the future of human healthcare. The formal program will be augmented by an online partnering system that will allow meeting participants to search for interesting opportunities and schedule meetings with each other throughout the event.
Proceeds from the Summit 2009 help seed a bio-innovation research fund to support the discovery, development, translation, and commercialization of the next generation biomedical technologies. See http://www.lifesciencessummit.org/default.aspx
About the Summit OrganizerThe Center for Biotechnology at Stony Brook University is a cooperative research and development partnership between universities, private industry and New York State. The Center's technology development initiative has contributed to an active pipeline of more than forty commercially promising technologies, the commercialization of more than a dozen novel biomedical products, and the formation of eighteen new bioscience companies. The Center is funded by the New York Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR). www.Biotech.sunysb.edu.
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