Second Annual BIO National Venture Conference Features Leading Clinicians and Industry Experts

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) today announced therapeutic and business panel and plenary speakers for the Second Annual BIO National Venture Conference, taking place March 31 – April 1, 2009, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. Experts chosen to speak on these panels represent leading clinical institutions, venture investment groups and private biotechnology companies.

“Our panel sessions highlight the unique issues facing early-stage and start-up companies in the biotech industry today,” said Alan Eisenberg, executive vice president of Emerging Companies & Business Development at BIO. “We have pulled together a dynamic lineup of industry experts who will share their experiences and provide guidance to the companies just starting out in a less than favorable economic climate.”

The BIO National Venture Conference’s opening plenary, Creating a Winning Start-Up Leadership Team: The CEO-Board Dynamic, will address the changing role of the corporate board and its working relationship to the management team in today’s capital- and resource-constrained markets. Taking place Tuesday, March 31, 12:30pm-1:45pm, the panel will be moderated by Jeffrey Baumel, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. Panelists include Joseph Amprey, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Managing Director, MedImmune Ventures, Inc.; Tuan Ha-Ngoc, President and CEO, AVEO Pharmaceuticals Inc.; David Mott, General Partner, New Enterprise Associates; Scott M. Rocklage, Ph.D., Managing Partner, 5AM Ventures; and Bruce Robertson, Ph.D., Managing Director, H.I.G. Ventures.

The program will also include a selection of panels covering timely issues for launching biotech companies today including:

Where is the Venture Model Headed in Biotechnology?
Tuesday, March 31, 3:45pm
Moderated by Christopher D. Earl, President and CEO, BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH) and former Managing Director, Perseus-Soros BioPharmaceuticals Fund, L.P. (PSBF), panelists include Ronald W. Lennox, D. Phil., Founder & Partner, CHL Medical Partners.

The Story Unfolds on Protein Folding: Intriguing Updates on Therapeutic Applications and Investment Opportunities
Wednesday, April 1, 8:45am
Moderated by Christopher K. Mirabelli, Ph.D., Managing Director, Healthcare Ventures, panelists include Andrew Dillin, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Pioneer Developmental Chair of Molecular and Cell Biology, Salk Institute; Gregory La Rosa, Ph.D., Vice President, Biology, BIKAM Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and Dennis Selkoe, M.D., Vincent and Stella Coates Professor of Neurological Diseases, Harvard Medical School.

In the Eye of the Beholder – Attracting the Right Investors and What Makes an Investor Fall in Love?
Wednesday, April 1, 12pm
Moderated by Scott Sarazen, Ernst & Young, panelists include Brian Dixon, Ph.D., President and CEO, BioRelix, Inc.; Steven Tregay, Ph.D., Founder, President & CEO, Forma Therapeutics; and Heather Preston, MD, Managing Director, TPG Biotech.

The second annual Bio® National Venture Conference, co-hosted by the National Venture Capital Association, will bring together an elite group of venture capital investors with fledgling, high quality biotechnology companies and larger company business development executives for a one and half day event. In addition to company presentations, these investors and executives will participate in One-on-One meetings using the BIO Partnering System. This conference also offers four panels featuring clinical and scientific thought leaders and industry and financial experts active in the sector.

To see the complete program and the list of biotech companies selected to debut at BNVC, please visit http://bnvc.bio.org.

Advance media registration is now available at http://bnvc.bio.org/opencms/BioVenture/2009/Media/index.jsp.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,200 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.

Upcoming BIO Events

BIO IP Counsels' Committee Conference
March 25–27, 2009
Phoenix, AZ

BIO National Venture Conference
March 31–April 1,2009
Boston, MA

BIO Windhover 2009
April 13-15, 2009
New York, New York

BIO-LES Business Development Basics Course
May 15–17, 2009
Atlanta, GA

BIO-LES Advanced Business Development Course
May 15–17, 2009
Atlanta, GA

BIO Executive Presentation Workshop
May 17, 2009
Atlanta, GA

2009 BIO International Convention
May 18-21, 2009
Atlanta, Ga.

BioEquity Europe
June 9-10, 2009
Munich, Germany

World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing
July 19-22, 2009
Montreal, Quebec, Canada