Thursday, August 17
7:30am Registration and Morning Coffee
BUSINESS MOVES TECHNOLOGIES THROUGH SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS
8:15 Chair’s Remarks
Bruce Cohen, Ph.D., President & CEO, Cellerant Therapeutics Inc.
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8:25 Patents as Business Tools
John Iwanicki, Patent Attorney, Legal, Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
Patents are the cornerstones of “emerging growth technology.” They serve important marketing functions, provide justification for outside investment and
ultimately protect revenue-generating technology. Making the most of your patents means early and continued communication between R&D, marketing and finance. Learn how it all fits together in one gold-sealed document issued by the Federal Government.
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9:05 Tapping into Capital – A View from Two Perspectives
Annette Reynolds, Executive Director, 128 Innovation Capital Group
We will detail the process a company followed in order to receive outside funding - how an investor was chosen, and how the deal was negotiated by the
company. We will then hear from the investor as to why they found the company attractive as an investment opportunity and their perspective of the deal and term sheet.
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9:15 Creating & Realizing Value- Something from the Venture Capitalist
Perspective
T. Forcht Dagi, MD, MPH, FACS, FCCM, HLM Venture Partners & Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) and the MIT Sloan School of Management Faculty |
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9:55 Negotiation and Strategies- Identifying the Right Business Model
Bruce Cohen, Ph.D., President & CEO, Cellerant Therapeutics Inc.
Stem cell-based therapies have been handicapped by a perceived inability to
make a meaningful and measurable clinical difference and to do so in a cost-effective way. This perception has inhibited the flow of capital into the field. Strategies for addressing this problem will be discussed as they pertain to business model selection, partnership opportunities and the degree to which therapies with curative intent can be commercially viable.
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10:10 Federal Support for Industrial R&D
Rosemarie Hunziker, Ph.D., Director, Technology Development and Industrial Relations Center for Biotechnology and Innovation, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health |
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10:25 Refreshment Break
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11:00 Mentoring Moves Biotech
Lydia Villa-Komaroff, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Cytonome, Inc.
The importance of mentoring and networking is well recognized in academia and in big business. Its value is sometimes overlooked in younger
companies as they strive to survive. Strategies for incorporating mentoring within a new company and the value it can bring will be discussed.
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Critical Components to Raising Money in Difficult Times - A Reality Check
Annette Reynolds, Bruce Cohen, John Iwanicki, Lydia Villa-Komaroff
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12:30 Lunch Break
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY PRESENTATIONS
2:00 The W.M. Keck 3D Fusion Multi-Modal Microscope
Gary Laevsky, Ph.D., Facility Manager, CenSSIS, Northeastern University
The Keck Three-Dimensional Fusion Microscope (3DFM) is designed to combine at least five different modalities for resolution and contrast. We have available three scanning modes; Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy (LSCM), Two-Photon Laser Scanning Microscopy (TPLSM), and Reflectance Confocal Microscopy (RCM), and two staring modes, Quadrature Tomographic Microscopy (QTM) and Differential Interference Contrast (DIC). The information we can collect on this microscope allows the user to see contrast features not available in other microscopes. Our primary project is studying the parameters associated with the growth of mouse embryos, specifically mitochondrial distribution and the proliferative rate of the inner cell mass. Fluorescent images have been collected that validate the QTM phase measurements by the microscope, and demonstrate the ability to image embryos with single and multiple cells. We are also looking at particle tracking, neuronal regeneration, protein localization, and cell distribution
2:15 Gene and Stem Cell Therapies for Skeletal Repair
Lee A. Sylvers, Partner, TreMonti Consulting, LLC
The U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs desires innovative partnerships with industry through collaborative research and/or licensing to further adult stem cell technology for use in cell-therapy or regenerative medicine, currently under development at the VA Medical Center in Miami, FL. The subject adult stem cells (MIAMI cells) are pluripotent, capable of differentiating into cells from all three germ layers (ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm), and express markers typically only associated with embryonic stem cells (Oct4, Rex1, hTERT). MIAMI cells can be expanded to homogeneity after only three to four passages and display a unique molecular profile, distinguishing them from all other adult stem cell lines described to date. Specific culture conditions have been defined to maintain maximum cell viability and pluripotency, as well as to promote transdifferentiation into various cell progenitors useful for cell-based therapies and regenerative medicine, particularly for the treatment of bone, cartilage and neurological indications. MIAMI cells have shown early therapeutic efficacy for accelerating the healing of fractures and the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and spinal cord injuries.
2:30 Stemride International Limited
(SIL)
Yury Verlinsky, Ph.D., Scientific Director and CEO, Stemride International Limited and Reproductive Genetics
Institute
Stemride International Limited (SIL) offers human Embryonic Stem Cell (hESC) lines to organizations conducting genetic, biological, and medical research. It provides training and consulting to professionals working with hESC.SIL has a bank of more than 100 lines including 20 lines with genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. The company is closely affiliated with the Reproductive Genetics Institute (RGI of Chicago, USA) – world leader in Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). SIL capitalizes on the great experience of the RGI in IVF, PGD, stem cell research, etc. SIL’s leading scientists and specialists work in close cooperation with RGI’s specialists and actively participate in research and development of both companies. RGI developed an original technique for the establishment of hESC lines from human embryos at the morula stage, which were shown to meet the NIH criteria. These lines are the basis of our bank. Stemride International is adhered to highest moral, ethical, and scientific principals accepted by the contemporary medicine and biology. SIL is a company devoted entirely to providing the best value hESC lines to institutions conducting research in accordance with laws and regulations set forth by their governments or/and regulatory agencies. SIL aims to establish long-lasting relationships with its customers. It is open to strategic partnership and close cooperation with research institutions having common interests in the areas of gene therapy, diagnostics, pharmacology, etc
2:45 Synthetic Oligonucleotide IMT504 is a Potent Signal for Adult Stem
Cell Expansion “in Vitro” and “in Vivo” with Potential use in Tissue Repair Therapy
Jorge Zorzopulos, Ph.D., President, Immunotech SA
Bone marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSCs) have the capacity to differentiate in
vitro into different cell lines. This capacity makes them a likely cellular source for clinical application
in tissue repair therapies. We have found that IMT504, the prototype of the PyNTTTTGT
class of immunostimulatory oligonucleotides, is a potent stimulator for MSC expansion both in
vitro, in vivo. On the other hand, when systemically injected IMT504 accelerate reparation of an
experimental bone injury provoked in rats. These results clearly show the potential of IMT504 to
act as a medicine in tissue repair therapy. Regarding this, it should be pointed out that in preclinical
trials we have previously demonstrated that IMT504 is a very safe drug.
3:00
Meeting the Challenge of Personalized and Cell-Based Therapies: A Solution for Producing Thousands of Individual
Therapies
Mr. James Carroll, General Manager, Advanced Instrumentation, BioVest International
Inc.
Biovest International develops personalized immuno-therapies for life threatening cancers of the blood system as well as automated cell culture instrumentation. In order to facilitate the manufacture of thousands of individual therapies per year Biovest’ developed the Autovax instrument. The Autovax is a sophisticated, user-friendly, self-contained automated cell growth instrument. While having a small footprint, the Autovax functionally replaces conventional cell growth chambers that would take up over ten times the space. The Autovax is expected to be a significant enabling technology for the emerging field of personalized medicine. Biovest is currently evaluating potential partnership arrangements with both instrumentation manufacturers and other companies within the personalized medicine field.
3:15 Using Automation to Enhance the Utility of 3D Cell Culture for
Tissue Engineering
Uday Gupta, MBA, Global Cell Solutions, LLC
GCS has developed a process that can dramatically increase the diversity of cells available to
researchers while dealing with the limited space and increase productivity needs of biopharmaceutical
development. Our proprietary technology improves on conventional microcarriers (small
optically clear bead-like structures created on demand) by providing a surface for anchorage dependant
cells that has all the benefits of suspension culture. Improved phenotype in a variety of cells
(HEK293, CHO, MDCK, C2C12) and response in biochemical assays (cAMP, Na+K+ATPase,
Succinate Dehydrogenase) have been obtained. The ability to perform hands free high yield primary
cell production in primary human cell culture, suggests that it may be useful in regenerative
medicine. Due to the clear optical nature of our proprietary material, the microcarriers allow the
cells to be observed using microscopic techniques such as confocal microscopy and in calcium imaging
systems. GCS can build, validate, and deliver fully automated cell culture processes, or provide
tools for the research laboratory with limited resources who wish to take full advantage of the technology
before moving up to full automation.
3:30 Arteriocyte: Cellular Therapies for Ischemic Disease
Donald Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Arteriocyte, Inc.
Arteriocyte is a clinical stage research and development company focused on developing cellular therapies to treat ischemic disease. The company will capitalize on the bench to bedside expertise of its scientific founders to develop stem cell-based therapies for ischemic diseases with an initial focus on coronary applications. The clinical objective is "therapeutic angiogenesis" or the generation of new blood vessels to replace or supplement those blood vessels which no longer adequately supply a tissue. These cellular therapies will eventually help patients suffering from a number of ichemic conditions including coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease. We wish to present an overview of our company that may generate potential collaborations and new therapeutic applications to potential partnering scientists, organizations, and investors.
3:45 Babytooth Technologies, LLC – Preserving the Future of your Health™
Jason Bourgeois, President, CEO, Babytooth Technologies, LLC
Babytooth Technologies is an innovative biotech company pioneering the storage of multi-potent stem cells found in Baby teeth and Wisdom teeth. “SHED” (Stem cells from Human Exfoliated Deciduous teeth) have the natural ability to form bone, tissue and neural cells, offering a host of future therapeutic opportunities in treating many debilitating illnesses. Our unique collection, transport and cryo-preservation process offers clients a sensible opportunity to prepare themselves against hereditary and acquired diseases.
4:00 Closing Remarks
4:10 Close of Conference
