This conference is designed to serve as both a forum for discussion and priority setting for a new Research Center in Hyderabad. This Center has been funded for the purpose of advancing re-engineering of the drug discovery process in order to reduce costs and timelines for the development of innovative therapeutics and diagnostics. This conference will serve as one way of launching the Center, and is envisioned as an annual event for the dual purpose of helping to set priorities and the facilitation of discussion and collaboration with organizations, both governmental and commercial, within India. With this in mind, a concerted effort has been made to engage senior officials within the Indian government to become part of the Steering Committee for the Research Center, and to participate in the conference. 

Among the prominent people from India who have made a commitment to serve on the Conference Steering Committee and to participate in the conference are:

• Prof. Govardhan Mehta, Professor in Organic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
  
• Seyed E. Hasnain , Vice Chancellor, University of Hyderabad, AP, India and Member of SAC ( Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister)
  
• Dr. M. K. Bhan, Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, New Delhi.
  
• Dr. N. K. Ganguly, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi
  
• Dr. D. Balasubramanian, Research Director, L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad
  
• Prof. G. Padmanaban (formerly Director), Honorary Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
  
• Ms. Kiran Majumdar Shaw, CMD, Biocon Ltd., Bangalore
  
• Dr. K. M. Cherian, M.D., Cherian Hospital, Chennai 

(These talks, primarily by speakers from the U.S. and Europe, will be complemented by additional speakers, particularly from India, on related topics. The program will also include substantial time for panel discussions, networking and private meetings.)

Aligning Drug Discovery and Development with the Process of Disease and the Needs of the Patient
Dr. Michael Liebman, Windber Research Institute 

Prospects and Challenges in the Road from Pathway Discovery to Therapeutics: The Immune System as a Model
Dr. Abul Abbas, UCSF 

Some Important Considerations in Biomarker Discovery and Clinical Qualification 
Dr. Viswanath Devanarayan, Abbott Labs 

Oncologic Biomarkers: Shortening the Timeline of Clinical Trials
Dr. Sudhir Srivastava, NCI 

Early Hazard Identification: A New Paradigm for Predictive Drug Safety
Dr. Jack Reynolds, The Hamner Institutes for Health Sciences 

Translational Biomarkers Assessment by Genomics and other Technologies
Dr. Rakesh Dixit, MedImmune 

Translational Research in Drug Development – Selecting the Patients to Maximize Clinical Benefit
Dr. Hans Winkler, Johnson & Johnson Research & Development 

Translational Medicine: Will India ever Lead the Charge?
Dr. Sudhir Borgonha, Translational Medicine India (TMI) 

Rapid Translation from Target Validation to Clinical Evaluation of Targeted Cancer Therapeutics
Dr. Nikhil Munshi, Dana Farber Cancer Institute (tentative)

Achieving the Maximum Benefits from Adaptive Clinical Trials
Dr. Jerald Schindler, Merck & Co., Inc.

Nanomaterials for Overcoming Formulation and Delivery Challenges
Dr . Rakesh Jain, Massachusettes Institute of Technology

A Collaborative Model for Commercial Success in the Indian Life Science Industry
Gene Williams, Cambridge Healthtech Associates

Are Indian Pharma Companies Really Ready for the Financial Risk Taking Required?
Michael Webb, Ascent Therapeutics