French Embassy Scientific Directors Panelists Inserm Inserm Transfert Inserm Transfert Initiative French Embassy OST Venue Sponsors & Acknowledgements     PANELISTS   Bernard Malfroy-Camine CEO, ViThera Pharma Bernard Malfroy-Camine is a US-based serial entrepreneur with almost 30 years of experience in Biotechnology. He is currently CEO of the Cambridge-based startup ViThera Pharma. Previously he was Founder and CEO of MindSet Rx and Eukarion, Director of Development at Alkermes, and Scientist and Project Team leader at Genentech. He serves on the Board of Directors of EyeGate Pharma, and two French Biotech companies, Genomic Vision and Sensorion Pharma. Since 2002 he has been serving as Foreign Trade Advisor to the French government. In 2002 he was awarded the Chevalier de L’Ordre National du Mérite for his contributions to biotechnology in France and in the USA. Bernard graduated from Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, in 1976, and earned a Ph.D. in Neurobiology from University Paris VI in 1982. He started his scientific career as a researcher at CNRS, France, and has more than 80 scientific publications and about 20 patents. Moderator for the conference Colin J.H. Brenan Chief Technology Officer, Head of Business Development, HiFiBiO SAS Colin J.H. Brenan is a serial life sciences entrepreneur and senior executive with 30 years experience in scientific research, project management, product development, strategic marketing and financing of early-stage life science companies. Dr. Brenan is currently the Chief Technology Officer and Head of Business Development for HiFiBiO SAS. Formerly he was Managing Director of the Monsanto-Atlas Seed Fund Alliance at Atlas Venture (Cambridge, USA) and prior to Atlas, the Director of Strategic Relationships for Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology (Boston, MA). Previous to joining CIMIT, Dr. Brenan was the Founder, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, Business Development for BioTrove Inc. (Woburn, USA), a life science tools and consumables company spun-out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and acquired by Life Technologies Inc. (LIFE:NASDAQ); and a Founder of Biocius Inc., a drug development instrument and service provider spun-out from BioTrove and acquired by Agilent Inc. (A:NYSE). BioTrove is a MIT TLO Success Story and winner of the 2009 North American Frost & Sullivan Award for Growth Strategy Leadership of the Year. The acquisition by Life Technologies was recognized by PriceWaterhouseCooper as one of the top ten M&A IVD transactions in 2009. Dr. Brenan holds multiple patents and has published extensively in the fields of microsystem technologies applied to biological analysis. He received his B.Sc. (Honors Physics), M. Eng. (Electrical), and Ph.D. (Biomedical Engineering) from McGill University (Montreal, Canada) and completed post-doctoral training at MIT (Cambridge, USA). Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013 David E. Brook Founder and Principal, Hamilton, Brook, Smith, Reynolds David Brook is a founding Principal of the firm. He has represented university and corporate clients for over forty years in intellectual property matters in many fields, including chemistry, chemical engineering, materials, biotechnology and medical devices. Previously, he served on the corporate patent staffs of Itek Corporation, the Atlantic Research Corporation and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Dave has been a member of the Board of Directors of several high technology corporations and serves on the Board of Associates of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and as a Corporator of Boston Biomedical Research Institute. He is also a former Adjunct Professor at Suffolk University Law School and at the Franklin Pierce Law Center, where he also served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Intellectual Property. Dave has presented many invited lectures, including lectures at the M.I.T. Innovation Center and for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, and has appeared as an expert witness in litigation. Dave has been rated for over thirty-five years by Martindale-Hubbell “AV,” the highest possible rating for legal competence and ethics. Additionally, he has been elected a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Round table 2 – Alliance management: a true necessity to combine cultures – December 5th, 2013   Fred Chereau Senior Vice President and Franchise Lead, Shire Pharmaceuticals Mr. Chereau joined Shire as Senior Vice President and Franchise Lead in September 2012. In his role, Fred defines and oversees the execution of a global, functionally aligned strategy for the Franchise and determines the optimal strategy and investment mix on an ongoing basis. From September 2008 through April 2012, Mr. Chereau assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer at Pervasis Therapeutics which had been acquired by Shire. Prior to Pervasis, Mr. Chereau was the Vice President and General Manager of Genzyme Cardiovascular, a business unit of Genzyme Corporation. In addition, Mr. Chereau served as the Chief Operating Officer of MG Biotherapeutics LLC, a Genzyme and Medtronic joint-venture formed to develop cellular therapies for cardiac repair. From 1999 to 2005, Mr. Chereau held various marketing and business development positions within Genzyme with growing responsibilities in France and Europe. Prior to Genzyme, Mr. Chereau started his career in sales and product management for a French medical device retail company in the hemodialysis and blood transfusion field. Mr. Chereau serves as a member of the board of directors of the French-American Chamber of Commerce New England Chapter (FACCNE) and is a member of the Comite Strategique d'Orientation at La Rochelle Business School. Mr. Chereau holds a B.S. in Physics from Paris University, completed graduate studies at the La Rochelle Business School and received an M.B.A. from INSEAD. Round table 4 – Patient advocacy association: a catalyst for innovation? – December 5th, 2013 Ivan Cohen-Tanugi President and CEO, Eyevensys Doctor Ivan Cohen-Tanugi joined the ophthalmology gene therapy company Eyevensys, a year ago, as President & CEO. Mr Ivan Cohen-Tanugi, held various position during the past 22 years in the pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries in the US as well as in Switzerland with Sanofi, Roche, Amgen and Teva, in various Marketing, R&D Project Management, business unit management positions. Prior to joining Eyevensys, Mr Cohen-Tanugi was Vice President & General Manager at Teva Pharmaceuticals North America, Biologics & Specialties. French and American citizen, Mr Cohen-Tanugi hold a Medical Degree from Grenoble Medical School and a MBA from HEC Business School in Paris. Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013 Matthieu Coutet Managing Partner, Inserm Transfert Initiative Matthieu Coutet, MSc has been its Managing Partner of Inserm Transfert Initiative since January 2012. Previously, Mr. Coutet served as an Investment Director of Inserm Transfert Initiative. He joined Inserm Transfert Initiative in 2005, where he progressively managed the investments and their follow up. He has piloted the launch and funding of several start-ups like CellVir, Eyevensis, Hemarina and DNA Therapeutics. He has managed many company cessions, particularly Cellvir to Pharma Omnium, Innate Pharma and Immupharma. He serves as a Member of the board at Eyevensys, Neurokin and Hemarina, at Sensorion SAS and Axilum Robotics SAS. Mr. Coutet graduated from Institut Supérieur de Technologie et de Management in Paris, France. Round table 3 – Entrepreneurship: a Pandora box or a holy grail? – December 5th, 2013 Brandon Doan Founder & Managing Partner, Hemova Medical Brandon Doan is an innovator and entrepreneur focused on developing new medical technologies to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes, especially within the field of chronic disease management. Previously, Brandon had been responsible for the oversight and execution of academic research in polymer science and has published in the realm of drug delivery. Following his academic work, Brandon shifted his focus towards translational and commercialization efforts to bring value and impact to unmet needs within the clinical community. Brandon’s current venture is focused on the renal and vascular space, and he has been dedicated to this cause for the past three years, leading technical as well as commercial efforts. In addition, Brandon has a keen interest in developing communities and organizations to support the efforts of early-stage medical innovators, and is regularly involved in current programs in the New England and Mid-Atlantic region. Brandon holds degrees in management, biomedical engineering, and materials science from the Johns Hopkins University. Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013 Johannes Fruehauf, M.D., Ph.D. Founder & Executive Director, Lab Central Dr. Fruehauf is a serial life sciences entrepreneur. After studying and practicing medicine in Germany, he came to Boston as a post-doc (2002) and became a co-founder and Head of R&D of Cequent Pharmaceuticals in 2006 (sold to Marina Biotech; NASDAQ: MRNA). In 2009, he founded Cambridge Biolabs (CBL), a research service laboratory, which has become one of the most successful incubators for life science companies in the Boston area. In 2012 Dr. Fruehauf founded LabCentral, a large 501(c3) non-profit, shared laboratory and coworking space designed to accelerate the formation of new life science companies and to create a central hub for the early-stage biotech activity in Kendall Square. Dr. Fruehauf is a named inventor on numerous patents in molecular biology and drug delivery and author on over 30 peer reviewed articles. He is actively involved in mentoring startup companies and non-profits through MassChallenge and BioInnovation and serves as a Board member or co-founder at ViThera Pharmaceuticals, T1DFirst, Deltix, BMT and the German International School Boston. He blogs and tweets at @jfruehauf and @labcentral. Moderator of round table 3 – Entrepreneurship: a Pandora box or a holy grail? – December 5th, 2013 Jean-Jacques Garaud, MD CEO of Inotrem Dr. Jean-Jacques Garaud is a senior executive with a broad experience in Research and Development in the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Garaud was most recently Head of Pharma Research and Early Development at Roche (2010 to 2012) and prior to that Head of Development and Chief Medical Officer at Roche (2007 to 2010). He previously held other senior positions within Schering-Plough in the USA (1991 to 2001) and Novartis in the USA and Switzerland (2001 to 2007). He is also a board member of several European biotech companies. Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013 Julia Gershkovich Head of US, R&D Alliance Management, Sanofi Julia Gershkovich is the Head of US R&D Alliance Management for Sanofi managing the portfolio of early stage to proof of concept strategic alliances. Prior to joining Sanofi in 2012, Julia spent 20 years with Genzyme holding a variety of positions in R&D, alliance management, and general management. She built a profitable Aesthetics and Biomaterials Business by securing strategic alliances with commercial and development partners: Alcon, Allergan, Davol and J&J and by creating a competitive product portfolio. Julia received an MS in polymer science from Chemical Technological University of Russia and did a doctorate study in polymer chemistry at GIPI LPC / Instititute of Physical Chemistry, Academy of Sciences. Round table 2 – Alliance management: a true necessity to combine cultures – December 5th, 2013 Nina Green Director, Tufts University Office for Technology Licensing and Industry Nina Green is Director of the OTL&IC, an office of seven professionals that also have responsibility for the technology transfer activities of Tufts Medical Center. Nina has held a variety of positions in academic technology transfer, including director positions at Harvard Medical School and Brown University. In addition to large projects with other universities, Nina has consulted to a variety of governmental and commercial organizations on technology licensing and university-industry relations. Nina has significant experience in licensing early-stage technology to start-up companies, particularly in the life sciences sector. She is an active member of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) and has been a frequent speaker on university technology licensing at AUTM and other professional organizations including the World Patent Organization and the Licensing Executives Society. Nina holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Antioch College and a master’s in information science from Simmons College. Round table 3 – Entrepreneurship: a Pandora box or a holy grail? – December 5th, 2013 Erik Halvorsen Executive Director of TIDO, Boston Children’s Hospital Erik Halvorsen, Ph.D., Is the Executive Director of the Technology and Innovation Development Office (TIDO) and Managing Partner of the Technology Development Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital. TIDO is responsible for translating Boston Children's laboratory and clinical research into devices, therapeutics, diagnostics, and informatics products to benefit patients worldwide. Prior to joining TIDO, Erik was the Director of Business Development at Harvard University's Office of Technology Development. In 2006, Erik became the first Director of Business Development for the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Prior to that, Erik worked at the University of Virginia Patent Foundation and the UVA Patent Foundation for-profit subsidiary, Spinner Technologies Inc. Erik earned his Ph.D. in neuropharmacology and his B.A. from the University of Virginia. Round table 1 – Open innovation: fad or strategy? – December 5th, 2013 Denise Hirsh IP Director, Inserm Transfert Before joining Inserm Transfert in 2006 as Head of the Intellectual Property department, Denise worked as a patent attorney for twelve years with Cabinet Lavoix, then for three years as Head of Patents International Therapeutic Area “Allergies and Lung Disease” at Pfizer, and subsequently as Head of Patent Group - IP Department Pfizer Europe. Denise is a graduate of CEIPI, and holds a Master (DEA) in Organic Chemistry, Université Louis Pasteur and a Master in Business Law, Robert Schumann University. She is an expert in intellectual property as a European patent attorney in the field of Life Sciences. She is a member of the Patent Group of LEEM (the French Pharmaceutical Companies Association) and member of the Patent Committee of the French group of the AIPPI. She was also appointed state representative for the IMI IP Working Group. Round table 2 – Alliance management: a true necessity to combine cultures – December 5th, 2013 William Kohlbrenner Director Discovery Scientific Assessment/External Research, AbbVie Dr. William Kohlbrenner is a director in the AbbVie (formerly Abbott pharma) Discovery Research organization, with a primary focus on identifying, evaluating and pursuing early stage therapeutic opportunities around the world. Prior to his current role, Dr. Kohlbrenner was a director in Abbott's Cancer Research Department, where he was involved in the exploration of novel therapeutic approaches and the identification of novel targets in the oncology area. In addition to his scientific responsibilities, he was extensively involved in the technology assessment and the strategic planning that ultimately led to several collaborations directed toward the identification of RNAi-based cancer therapies. Dr. Kohlbrenner has a background in the infectious diseases area. Previously, he was Director of Antiviral Research at where his key responsibility was building a research team and bringing in technology to support the Abbott’s HCV program. In addition, he spent four years at Pfizer as Manager of Infectious Diseases Research. He did his undergraduate work at the University of Rochester, received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York (SUNY) and completed postdoctoral training at the Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA. Round table 1 – Open innovation: fad or strategy? – December 5th, 2013 Mark Levin Partner, Third Rock Ventures Mark Levin is an industry leader with more than 25 years of experience building and operating leading biotech companies. Mark co-founded Third Rock Ventures in 2007 and focuses on the formation, development and business strategy of our portfolio companies, as well as actively identifying and evaluating new investments. He also assumes active leadership roles in our portfolio companies, functioning as CEO through the first 12-18 months post launch. Mark was co-founder of Mayfield Fund's life sciences effort where he was also the founding CEO of Tularik, Cell Genesys/Abgenix, Focal, Stem Cells and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Mark served as CEO of Millennium Pharmaceuticals for 12 years. Earlier in his career, Mark was a scientist at Lilly and Genentech. Mark holds an MS in Chemical and Biomedical Engineering from Washington University. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the Friends of Personalized Medicine, and he co-founded the Possible Project in Cambridge, MA. Round table 3 – Entrepreneurship: a Pandora box or a holy grail? – December 5th, 2013 Nicolas Lévy Director, Fondation Maladies Rares Professor of Human and Molecular Genetics, head of the Medical Genetics Department and Inserm research unit 910 in Marseille, his group is leader in genetics and therapy of laminopathies and neuromuscular disorders. He created and was named director of the French National Foundation for Rare Diseases in February 2012. He identified in 2003 the mutation causing the premature aging Progeria syndrome. Considering that a combination of two drugs was beneficial in preclinical studies, his group started in 2008 a phase II therapeutic trial for European Progeria children, which recently terminated. His team also established the preclinical efficacy of exon skipping in dysferlinopathies, leading to an imminent clinical trial. Besides, he is co-inventor of molecular combing, a high resolution DNA barcoding technique allowing precise genotyping of FSHD patients. Round table 4 – Patient advocacy association: a catalyst for innovation? – December 5th, 2013 Sacha Loiseau CEO, Mauna Kea Technologies Sacha founded Mauna Kea Technologies in May 2000 and has been the CEO ever since. He piloted the development of the Cellvizio product line and brought together a world-class executive team to raise over € 32 million with investors specialized in the health industry. In July 2011, he successfully led the company to an initial public offering on the NYSE Euronext Paris index and raised € 56.5 million to fund a large-scale commercial development. Sacha started his career at the National Center for Space Studies (CNES) in Toulouse and at the Paris Observatory, then joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, as a research scientist. Sacha is a graduate of the École Polytechnique in Paris and has a Ph.D. in Astrophysics and Optical Instrumentation. Round table 3 – Entrepreneurship: a Pandora box or a holy grail? – December 5th, 2013 Denis Lucquin Managing Partner, Sofinnova Partners Denis Lucquin is a Managing Partner and Chairman of Sofinnova Partners. In life sciences, he specializes in industrial biotechnology investments. He joined Sofinnova in 1991. Denis began his career in academic research. For five years, he was in charge of the technology transfer department at the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), France’s agricultural research institute. In 1989, he joined the venture capital industry as director of investments at Innolion (Crédit Lyonnais). He carried out many investments in Europe such as Nicox, Oxford Glycosciences, Oxford Molecular, PPL Therapeutics, Conjuchem, Exonhit, IDM, Innate Pharma, and Ablynx (all of which successfully went public) as well as Novexel (sold to Astrazeneca), Crop Design, Cerenis, and Noxxon. He recently invested in BioAmber, a developer of bio-sourced molecules for the chemical industry, and in Avantium, a renewable chemicals company developing biobased plastic bottles for food and beverage. He acts or has acted as a board member for all these companies. Denis is also a founder of the France Biotech Association. He is a graduate in engineering from Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole du Génie Rural des Eaux et Forêts. He has a degree in Innovation Management from the Université de Paris-Dauphine. Round table 3 – Entrepreneurship: a Pandora box or a holy grail? – December 5th, 2013 Brad Margus President, AT-CP Brad Margus is CEO of Genome Bridge, a non-profit spin-off of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, building a cloud-based platform for aggregating genomic and clinical data to improve medicine. From 2009 to 2012, as CEO of Envoy Therapeutics, Margus raised $8 million from investors, discovered compounds for brain diseases, and sold the company within three years for $140 million. From 2000 to 2007, Margus was CEO of Perlegen Sciences, a leader in genetic analysis that raised $257 million from investors, exceeded $100 million in revenues, and identified diagnostic markers. Margus also currently serves on the Boards of Second Genome and Arvinas, as Chairman of the A-T Children’s Project, and as Co-chair of the Network for Excellence in Neuroscience Clinical Trials (NeuroNEXT) External Oversight Board. He obtained his MBA from Harvard Business School. Moderator of round table 4 – Patient advocacy association: a catalyst for innovation?   Bertrand Nadel Scientist, CIML/Inserm Bertrand Nadel is a member of the Carnot Institute on lymphoma (CALYM) consortium (FR), of the Henry Kunkel Society on Translational Research (NY, USA), and a committee member of French research institutions (INSERM, AERES, LNCC, GIP Canceropôle PACA). Bertrand Nadel’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis in human lymphoma/leukemia, and aims to identify pertinent bio-markers and innovative therapeutic approaches targeting early and potentially more curable phases of these cancers. He has developed a translational research in strong partnership with clinics and Bio-pharmas. Bertrand is currently Lab Head of Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy (CIML). He holds a PhD in Genetics from University of Paris 6 (Pasteur Institute). Round table 2 – Alliance management: a true necessity to combine cultures – December 5th, 2013   Laurent Nguyen, MD, MPH. CEO Sensorion Laurent Nguyen joined Sensorion as CEO in 2012 after having gained over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry in France and internationally. He has developed an in depth understanding of the development of new therapeutic drugs, from research all the way to commercialization, in several companies including Hoechst-Roussel, Merck KGaA-Lipha, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and Pierre Fabre SA. In his last two positions, as Global Business Development Director at Roche, Basel, and Vice President, Corporate Licensing & Acquisitions at Pierre Fabre, he has been instrumental in maximizing creation of value from strategic partnerships and the implementation of a number of in- and out-licensing agreements, R&D collaborations, sales and co-marketing agreements, and M&A activities. Laurent graduated as Doctor in Medicine and holds a Master Degree in Public Health. He subsequently completed his post-graduate studies in Business at University Paris I-VII-XII, at the London Business School, and at the Wharton School of Philadelphia. Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013 Brian Piper Senior Director, Strategic Investment Group, Shire Pharmaceuticals Brian is Senior Director, Strategic Investment Group (SIG), for Shire Pharmaceuticals, LLC. Brian has 20 years operating experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, the last 10 years spent with Shire Pharmaceuticals. While with Shire, Brian has held responsibilities in a variety of roles within the organization, the most recent being as a founding member of the SIG, Shire's corporate venture arm. Brian began his affiliation with Shire in 2002 as Director of Finance for Shire's North American Development group in Maryland. In 2004 he established the first US Investor Relations group, based out of Philadelphia. After three years running US Investor Relations, Brian transitioned to an alliance management role and spent two years overseas helping establish geographic expansion strategies. Prior to joining Shire, Brian held a strategic planning role for Celera Genomics, was Controller for a start-up Contract Research Organization, and worked as a program planner and financial analyst for Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Brian received a B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland. Round table 1 – Open innovation: fad or strategy? – December 5th, 2013 Michael Pratt Executive Director, Business Development, BU Technology Development Mr. Pratt joined Boston University’s Office of Technology Development in May 2000. He worked in Technology Transfer, responsible for the transfer of technologies from the fields of physical, engineering, and computer sciences, as Director of the Office of Corporate Business Development, responsible for building long term partnerships with a special focus on technology development between Boston University/Boston Medical Center and industryand as Director of Translational Research & Corporate Relations, providing support to faculty that participate in translational research programs through proposal development, implementation of translational research, and facilitating collaboration with industry. As Executive Director Business Development he leads a team of business development professionals across all technical fields to connect Boston University discoveries with commercial opportunities. Prior to OTD, Mr. Pratt was the Global Support Manager at NESLAB Instruments, Inc. of Portsmouth New Hampshire. His duties included management of the Application Engineering and Technical Support departments, P&L responsibility for the field service operation, and maintaining relationships with their International Dealer network. Mr. Pratt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Holy Cross College. He is a member of the Licensing Executives Society and the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013 Laura Richman Vice President, R&D-Translational Sciences, MedImmune Laura Richman is the Head of Translational Sciences (TS) where she is responsible for overseeing translational activities for programs in oncology, respiratory, inflammation, autoimmunity, infectious diseases and neurosciences. Translational Sciences interfaces with research and clinical development so that early understanding of target-disease linkage, clinical hypothesis, safety, PK/PD endpoints, dose selection, patient selection, and potential biomarker development are integrated into clinical development and inform project progression. Dr. Richman received her Veterinary Medical Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from University of California at Davis. Moderator of Round table 2 – Alliance management: a true necessity to combine cultures – December 5th, 2013 Amber Salzman Aavilife Dr. Salzman is President and CEO of AAViLife, developing therapies for rare diseases. Prior to AAViLife she served as President and CEO of Cardiokine, Inc until its sale to Cornerstone Therapeutics. Prior to joining Cardiokine, she was with GlaxoSmithKline for 25 years and as a member of the GSK R&D executive team she planed and managed drug development projects and clinical trials with over 30,000 active patients around the world. She led initiatives to accelerate drug development and moderate costs, and established a Development Support Center in India. Prior to joining GSK, she worked at Medical College of Pennsylvania (now Drexel University College of Medicine). Concurrent with Dr Salzman’s roles in industry, she leads the Stop ALD Foundation, driving research and development of therapies targeting Adrenoleukodystrophy, and was a member of the team that succeeded in showing the efficacy of using lenti gene therapy to treat boys with ALD. Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013 Mihir Shah UE Life Sciences Mihir Shah is the Founder & CEO of UE Lifesciences Inc. (UELS), maker of non-radiological, low-cost and user-friendly breast cancer screening tools for underserved areas and developing countries. Mihir is passionate to address global health disparities related to secondary prevention of breast cancer. Under his leadership, UE LifeSciences received FDA clearance for the NoTouch BreastScan in record time and budget with sales in more than 5 countries. Mihir is the Principal Investigator for UELS' recently won CURE grant award by the PA Department of Health to support the commercialization of a non-invasive, smartphone connected, hand-held breast scanner. In collaboration with several clinicians, scientists and researchers, Mihir recently spearheaded a global crowd-funding campaign to offer free breast exams to 25,000 women in 5 developing countries Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013   Marcus Semones WaveGuide Marcus Semones is a Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of WaveGuide, an early stage medical diagnostic company with technology exclusively licensed from Harvard University for the first of its kind hand held Nuclear Magnetic Resonance instrument to diagnose at Point of Care Ovarian Cancer and Tuberculosis as well as multiple industrial applications. Marcus was previously a Senior Investigator in Drug Discovery Oncology at GlaxoSmithKline where he delivered multiple compounds into preclinical and clinical development in the oncology area. Marcus served as the Director/Faculty member of the Small Molecule X-ray Crystallography Center at Harvard University and is the co-author of over 40 patents and publications. Marcus sits on the Harvard Business School Alumni Angel Association Screening Committee and is a Partner at JMM Partners, LLC a holding and investment / company and consulting firm that has advised governments and corporations on business strategy and technology matters at the highest levels. He was educated at Harvard and Emory University. Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013   Melissa Stevens Deputy Executive Director, FasterCures Melissa L. Stevens is deputy executive director of FasterCures, the Milken Institute’s center focused on accelerating medical solutions. In this capacity she leads planning and implementation of FasterCures’ priorities and programs to improve the efficiency of the medical research system. Specifically she directs the FasterCures’ Philanthropy Advisory Service, a service that provides philanthropists with data to make informed investments into high-impact nonprofit medical research that can accelerate the development of innovative treatments. Stevens also leads efforts to identify, evaluate, and construct innovative financing vehicles to provide capital for promising, early-stage research. She also helps to coordinate Partnering for Cures, an investor-style conference that facilitates innovative, collaborations across all sectors of the medical research system. Finally, she manages strategic partnerships across pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, foundations, and the investor community. Prior to joining FasterCures, Stevens worked in the health sciences consulting practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, advising clients across the healthcare continuum. She graduated with honors from The Pennsylvania State University’s accelerated Science BS/MBA Program with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and MBA with an emphasis in both finance and marketing. Round table 4 – Patient advocacy association: a catalyst for innovation? – December 5th, 2013   Mark Tepper Primatope Therapeutics Dr. Tepper has over 25 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. He has led drug discovery & development programs that span a wide array of therapeutic areas including Oncology, Immunology, Endocrinology, Metabolic Diseases, Inflammation and Pain and novel technology development programs in the area of RNA interference, biosensors, microfluidics, and biomaterials. During the last 12 years, Dr. Tepper founded and served as CEO of 4 biotech companies based on technology spun out from local academic institutions (Harvard and UMass Med). His role in these companies included the identification and vetting of the foundational technology, development of the commercialization strategy and business plan, negotiating IP licenses, recruiting and serving as executive management, commercializing the technology, raising capital and building shareholder value. As founding CEO he has raised over $50M in capital and brought one company public. His most recent venture Primatope Therapeutics, developing novel best-in-class humanized monoclonal antibodies to treat autoimmune diseases and organ transplant rejection. Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013   Gregory N. Tew Chief Technology Officer, Business Developer, Intrata Prof. Gregory N. Tew, has established a robust academic research program over the last 12 years with a primary focus on development of simple polymers and oligomers endowed with biological activity rivaling proteins. His interest in innovation can be traced to the beginning of his independent career, in which he was a scientific co-founder of PolyMedix, establish in 2003. Before closing its doors this year, PolyMedix raised over $150 million and placed two compounds into the clinic including a completely novel antibiotic derived from IP originating from the Tew lab. Dr. Tew has continued his research on the development of simple polymers and oligomers with robust biological activity rivaling the proteins. Startup presentation – December 6th, 2013   Cécile Tharaud CEO, Inserm Transfert Before joining Inserm Transfert as CEO in 2006, Cécile Tharaud worked for 10 years in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry as Intellectual Property Director at Genset and COO at Valigen. She has also held interim management positions in biotech companies and worked as a consultant to venture capital firms. Cécile started her career in marketing and business development for the French subsidiaries of pharmaceutical groups Glaxo and SmithKCécile Tharaudline Beecham. Cécile Tharaud has an engineer's diploma from the Ecole Polytechnique (Paris), an MBA from INSEAD and a PhD in Molecular Genetics and Immunology from the Institut National Agronomique-Paris Grignon. She sits on the Board of Directors of LFB SA and is also President of Inserm Transfert Initiative Supervisory Board. Emmanuelle M. Voisin, Ph.D. CEO, Voisin Consulting Life Sciences Dr. Emmanuelle M. Voisin Lestringant is the founder and CEO of Voisin Consulting Life Sciences. The company is a leading product development consulting, specialized in assisting with the design and implementation of customized regulatory and market access strategies, for the innovative development and registration of healthcare products. Emmanuelle has more than 25 years of experience in the design and implementation of drug development plans and harmonized regulatory strategies between Europe and the USA. Emmanuelle holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology (Oncology), and worked both in research and industry before becoming a consultant. Round table 4 – Patient advocacy association: a catalyst for innovation? Susan R. Windham-Bannister, Ph.D. President & CEO, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Dr. Susan Windham-Bannister is the first President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), a quasi-public organization charged with administering the 10-year $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative enacted by the Massachusetts Legislature in June 2008. The MLSC is the hub for all sectors of the Commonwealth’s life sciences community – biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medical diagnostics and bioinformatics. Before assuming her role at the MLSC, Dr. Windham-Bannister co-founded Abt Bio-Pharma Solutions (ABS), a boutique consulting firm serving life sciences companies. Within ABS, Dr. Windham-Bannister managed the Commercial Strategy Group. Dr. Windham-Bannister has co-authored two books: Competitive Strategy for Health Care Organizations, and Medicaid and Other Experiments in State Health Policy. She also has written numerous articles on competition in today’s health care marketplace. Dr. Windham-Bannister received a B.A. from Wellesley College, a doctorate in health policy and management from the Florence Heller School at Brandeis University, and a Doctor of Science from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2012 (honoris causa). She completed her doctoral work under a fellowship from the Ford Foundation and was also a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School. Keynote speaker – December 5th, 2013 Mallory Wolff Director Business Development, Strategic Partnerships, Inserm Transfert Mallory Wolff is currently in charge at Inserm Transfert of Strategic Partnerships & Alliances with a specific goal on Open innovation deals. She has a 15-year experience in the Technology Transfer covering biomedical research and human health. She joined Inserm Transfert in 2006 where she progressively became a Business Development/Licensing executive, in charge of the Immunology-inflammation domain with a strong focus on biopharmaceuticals (therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and technology platforms). She has a broad experience of public-private partnership between the academic research (Inserm excellence) and worldwide Biotech/biopharma Industry developing Open innovation deals, early-stage in-licensing, technical evaluation and alliance management). Mallory holds a Ph.D in Immunology and Molecular pharmacology (Universty Paris Descartes) with extensive experience in oncology and endocrinology area (post-doctoral and Inserm Scientific positions). Round table 2 – Alliance management: a true necessity to combine cultures – December 5th, 2013