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Brewing Science: Improving Science Communication with ASBMB April 23rd At Mission Brewery
Posted by Mary Canady March 30th, 2012 .
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In April we’re teaming up with the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) to host an event at Mission Brewery downtown during the big Experimental Biology conference. You may know we are big proponents of science communication because it helps researchers with their careers, funding, and connecting with other scientists.

The event will feature bloggers, reporters, industry professionals, public speaking experts, and policy makers, all who will be available to help you improve your science communication skills. We’ll have some fun contests to help you meet people, and there will be appetizers and drinks available for purchase as well (we hope to be able to give drink tickets depending on sponsorship, stay tuned…).

We’ll have discussions on blogs and Twitter leading up to the event so that you can participate, connect, and get the most out of the event. Follow #eb2012Tweetup and see the list of science communicators participating here. If you’re a blogger, we’re asking you to write a post describing your science communication success stories and submit them here or tag them on Twitter with #eb2012Tweetup. For example, did you get funding or make an important connection or discovery through a new type of science communication? We’ll post links to the blog posts here and send a weekly email update. We’re hoping everyone will be inspired to communicate science in new ways.

Note: The word cloud featured in the image for this post is from 5,000 Twitter status updates tagged with #scicomm, the ongoing discussion about science communication on Twitter. If you’d like to see more detail, click on the image to enlarge it.

Sponsors

We’re expecting this event to draw at least 200 life science researchers and professionals, and this event will be advertised at the Experimental Biology conference, contact us for sponsorship opportunities.

Event Details

Who: Life science researchers and professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: Brewing Science: Improving Science Communication with ASBMB
When: Monday, April 23rd 2012, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Where: Mission Brewery,1441 L Street, San Diego Ca 92101 (Directions below)
Cost: $15/10 (Academic), appetizers provided, beverages for purchase (Mission Brewery beers on tap, soda), complimentary water. Free for 2012 Experimental Biology attendees, wear your badge.
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/scicomm

Directions: Driving: Exit the 5 south at Imperial, take a right on Imperial, travel 2 blocks to 14th street, take a right and Mission Brewery is at 14th & L on the right, you can park in one of the ballpark lots (there won’t be a game that night) or on the street. Walking from the convention center: Take a right when exiting the convention center front doors, heading southeast along Harbor Drive. Cross over Park Blvd and take the footbridge on the left. Continue along the sidewalk until you hit the light at 10th street, then take a right, walking through the parking lot. You’ll see the sign for Mission Brewery ahead on the right, it’s a brick building and hard to miss. The walk should take 10 minutes. While the neighborhood is not that bad, we suggest walking back to the gaslamp in groups after the event.

Drug Development, Drug Discovery, Headline, SDBN Blog, SDBN Events »

SDBN March 26th 2012 Event with Organovo
Posted by Mary Canady March 6th, 2012 .
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Organovo is an exciting San Diego biotech company with technology to create human tissue through a technique called 3D bioprinting. The tissue can be used for drug discovery and development, and the company has been included in the MIT Technology Review’s 2012 TR50 list of the world’s most innovative companies. The excitement around Organovo has grown since they recently announced funding and their stock is now publicly traded. You’ll get the chance to hear from CEO Keith Murphy at our March 26th event, he’ll give a presentation titled ‘3D Bioprinting – Delivering Tissue on Demand for Drug Discovery & Development.’

At this event, we will delve into innovation and how it happens. What does it take to make an outstanding product – a game changer? We all have ideas but how does an idea get to be a reality? What are the barriers to innovation? It’s not just time, money and people. It’s even how you think about the problem.

We have two companies that are innovating to success:

Organovo, the featured company, will discuss how they overcame barriers to achieve an industry changing technology that still seems futuristic and impossible – printing tissue.

Invetech, the event sponsor, helps people translate their ideas into products. They will share a few key learnings of how to approach innovation.

We want to hear from the local innovators at this event,
- Do you have an idea but are stuck?
- How have you been successful in innovation?
- What barriers are in your way?

We’re having a contest to see who has the best idea for improving innovation in San Diego. During registration, or on LinkedIn or Twitter (tag with #Invetech), complete this statement: “My innovation idea is ______.” It can be a product idea or a general idea to improve the innovation culture in San Diego. We’ll discuss and vote on the best idea for innovation at the event and the winner will get two free passes to an SDBN event and a $15 gift card to Green Flash Brewery.

Sponsors

Premier

Invetech is a contract product development and manufacturing consultancy working with companies worldwide. We provide a range of instrument, medical device and consumables development and manufacturing services that develop break-through products and solve complex automation challenges. With over 200 in-house specialists and experience drawn from over 5,000 projects, we work with medical device, clinical diagnostics, life sciences and drug discovery companies. Operating from locations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, our clients range from start-ups through to multinationals. Our proven design, engineering and manufacturing processes deliver shorter time-to-market, reduced risk, and enhanced product quality.
If you’re interested in sponsoring this event, please contact us.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: SDBN March 26th Event with Organovo
When: Monday, March 26th 2012, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Green Flash Tasting Room, 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92121 (Directions below)
Cost: $25/20 (Academic), dinner provided, beverages for purchase (30 Green Flash beers on tap, soda), complimentary water.
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/marchevent

Directions: From the west: From the 805 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head east for 2.0 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the left/north side of the street at Flanders Drive. From the east: From the 15 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head west for 3.6 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the right/north side of the street at Flanders Drive.
Parking: The Green Flash lot holds about 70 cars, so come early and carpool if you’d like to park there. You can also park on the street, but be very mindful that there are some poorly marked ‘no parking’ areas, especially on Sequence where there is a center lane.

Headline, SDBN Blog »

SDBN February 21st Free Happy Hour: Learning to Leverage Networks
Posted by Mary Canady February 8th, 2012 .
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The SDBN group continues to grow rapidly, with about 6,000 members on LinkedIn, thousands more on Facebook and Twitter, and more than 1,000 biotech professionals attending our events each year. How can you leverage the network and your geographic advantage of being in San Diego? Come to our free happy hour February 21st at Green Flash Brewery and you’ll be able to learn from the Comprendia team about how you can leverage networks and tools to advance your career and business. As usual, we’ll also be open to your suggestions for improving the SDBN. We’ll be circulating with iPads, and if you’re just there to socialize, that’s OK too, there will be many biotech professionals for you to meet.

Sponsor

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: SDBN February 21st Networking Event
When: Tuesday, February 21st 2012, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Green Flash Tasting Room, 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92121 (Directions below)
Cost: Free, food available for purchase from TBD gourmet food truck, beverages available for purchase (30 Green Flash beers on tap, soda, complimentary water).
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/february

Directions: From the west: From the 805 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head east for 2.0 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the left/north side of the street at Flanders Drive. From the east: From the 15 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head west for 3.6 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the right/north side of the street at Flanders Drive.
Parking: The Green Flash lot holds about 70 cars, so come early and carpool if you’d like to park there. You can also park on the street, but be very mindful that there are some poorly marked ‘no parking’ areas, especially on Sequence where there is a center lane.

Headline, SDBN Blog, SDBN Events »

SDBN January 23rd Speed Networking: What Are Your 2012 Goals?
Posted by Mary Canady January 3rd, 2012 .
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It’s a new year! We asked about your 2012 goals in this poll (which you can still take and get a free CST calendar) and got some thoughtful answers. We plugged the text into Tagxedo and got this word cloud which sums it up, with the top words being biotech, pharma, networking, people, learning, companies, job and industry. We’ll post the full results soon along with our vision for 2012, and hope to help you get started quickly with our annual speed networking event January 23rd. Bring your business cards, hone your elevator speech, and prepare to meet as many biotech professionals as is allowed by law in one night! We’ll be at our new venue Green Flash which has been attracting bigger crowds, we expect more than 100 to attend.

Sponsors

Premier

We have more sponsorship opportunities for this popular event, contact us for more details.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What:SDBN January 23rd 2012 Speed Networking Event at Green Flash Tasting Room
When: Monday, January 23rd 2012, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Green Flash Tasting Room, 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92121 (Directions below)
Cost: $25/20 ($50 for recruiters) includes dinner (TBD gourmet food truck). Beverages available for purchase (30 Green Flash beers on tap, soda, complimentary water).
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/january

Directions: From the west: From the 805 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head east for 2.0 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the left/north side of the street at Flanders Drive. From the east: From the 15 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head west for 3.6 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the right/north side of the street at Flanders Drive.
Parking: The Green Flash lot holds about 70 cars, so come early and carpool if you’d like to park there. You can also park on the street, but be very mindful that there are some poorly marked ‘no parking’ areas, especially on Sequence where there is a center lane.

Headline, SDBN Blog, SDBN Events »

SDBN 3rd Anniversary Party December 12th 2011 at Green Flash
Posted by Mary Canady November 17th, 2011 .
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Can you believe the San Diego Biotechnology Network is three years old now? We held our first SDBN event in November of 2008, and our objective was to improve networking opportunities for local biotech professionals. After 3 years, how are we doing? We’d like to celebrate and also get your feedback on how we can help you even more in 2012. Join us again at Green Flash in Mira Mesa from 5:30-8:30 p.m. December 12th for some great networking, food, and beer (for purchase, non-alcoholic beverages available as well). Last time we had upwards of 130 people, and this time we’ve got the place to ourselves and we’ll also get tours of the facility. Beer is biochemistry, and two of the founders of Green Flash worked at Invitrogen back in the day!

In addition, we’ll do the ever popular ‘introduce a colleague’ activity. We’ll collect business cards from those interested in participating, each take one, then find and learn about the person we each drew. Then, we’ll each introduce the person we drew at the microphone. It’s a great way to meet people, practice your presentation skills, and get exposure.

Sponsors

This event is available for sponsorship, contact us for more information.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What:SDBN December 12th 2011 3rd Anniversary Party at Green Flash Tasting Room
When: Monday, December 12th 2011, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Green Flash Tasting Room, 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92121 (Directions below)
Cost: $25/20 ($50 for recruiters), includes dinner (TBD gourmet food truck). Beverages available for purchase (30 Green Flash beers on tap, soda, complimentary water)
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/december

Directions: From the west: From the 805 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head east for 2.0 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the left/north side of the street at Flanders Drive. From the east: From the 15 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head west for 3.6 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the right/north side of the street at Flanders Drive.
Parking: The Green Flash lot holds about 70 cars, so come early and carpool if you’d like to park there. You can also park on the street, but be very mindful that there are some poorly marked ‘no parking’ areas, especially on Sequence where there is a center lane.

Headline, SDBN Blog, SDBN Events »

SDBN October 26th 2011 Happy Hour at Green Flash Tasting Room
Posted by Mary Canady October 6th, 2011 .
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You may know that San Diego is home to at least 36 fantastic breweries. Green Flash Brewery is a great example, and we are lucky that they opened a 4,000 square foot tasting room in the heart of biotech near Sorrento Valley. They have 30 of their great beers on tap, picnic tables outside (which remind me of the happy hours we had back in the genomics boom), and gourmet food trucks which visit nightly.

We thought it would be fun to have an informal happy hour from 5:30-8:30 p.m. October 26th. There will be no admission charge and beer and food will be available for purchase. We’ll have a contest to see who can collect the most business cards (win a $50 gift certificate from Avitus Group), and Comprendia staff will be circulating with iPads to review your LinkedIn profile and give tips. Additionally, Avitus Group gives free business valuations and will answer one HR question for free, speak with Widney Hawthorne at the event for more information.

Join us for our first SDBN Happy Hour, register here!

Premier Sponsor

Avitus Group offers “a family of business solutions” to business owners thereby allowing them to focus on growth rather than back office necessities. We help in the areas of Human Resources, Safety & Risk Management, Employee Compensation, Employee Benefits, Bookkeeping, CFO Assistance, Business Valuation, Strategic Planning, Avitus Payroll Services, Recruiting, Training, and Taxation Services.

Our friends in the Scientific Community have told us many times that Avitus Group lets them do what they enjoy and get back to why they got into business in the first place. Visit our website: www.avitusgroup.com and call Widney Hawthorne at whawthorne@avitusgroup.com or call 1-800-454-2446.

Note that this event is NOT at Tango del Rey!

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What:SDBN October 26th 2011 Happy Hour at Green Flash Tasting Room
When: Wednesday, October 26th 2011, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Green Flash Tasting Room, 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92121 (Directions below)
Cost: Free with food and beverage available for purchase (30 Green Flash beers on tap and TBD gourmet food truck)
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/october

Directions: From the west: From the 805 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head east for 2.0 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the left/north side of the street at Flanders Drive. From the east: From the 15 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head west for 3.6 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the right/north side of the street at Flanders Drive.
Parking: The Green Flash lot holds about 70 cars, so come early and carpool if you’d like to park there. You can also park on the street, but be very mindful that there are some poorly marked ‘no parking’ areas, especially on Sequence where there is a center lane.

Diagnostics, Headline, SDBN Blog, SDBN Events »

SDBN August 16th 2011 Event Featuring Pathway Genomics
Posted by Mary Canady July 29th, 2011 .
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We polled you late last year about events you’d like us to have in 2011, and diagnostics was one of the top items on the list. In San Diego, we have a great atmosphere for ‘growing’ diagnostics companies, because we have several world class medical and research facilities as well as biotech companies pushing the envelope in several molecular technologies. Pathway Genomics is a great local company focused on genetic testing for disease risk factors and personal wellness. Tests are ordered by individuals through their doctors to help improve treatment by understanding the patient’s drug responses, personal or offspring disease risk factors, or the impact of diet and exercise. Pathway Genomics uses genotyping and analysis technologies research scientists may be familiar with, and it will be exciting to hear about the possibilities for growth in the region. Join us August 16th to hear from Pathway’s Vice President of Product Development Edgar MacBean present “Current and future applications of personal genomic testing” (Ed’s Bio & talk description). Register here.

We are happy to welcome the San Diego Quantified Self chapter to this event, they are scientists and individuals interested in better health through monitoring personal data.

Sponsors

We’re looking for sponsors for this event, contact us for more information.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network August 16th Event Featuring Pathway Genomics
When: Tuesday, August 16th 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25 Standard/$20 Academic/$50 Recruiter, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/august

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.

Drug Discovery, Headline, SDBN Blog, SDBN Events, Uncategorized »

SDBN July 19th Event: Virtual Biotech Part 1: How to Effectively Outsource a Drug Discovery Program
Posted by Mary Canady July 1st, 2011 .
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Changes in the drug discovery landscape have presented many tough challenges for our region, including downsizing for larger companies and a dearth of VC funding for startups. With these challenges come opportunities, however, because drug companies are hungry for drug candidates to fill their pipelines. Additionally, the abundance of drug discovery contract research organizations (CROs), the ability to manage them remotely, and the ability to find partners and tools more easily on the internet presents an interesting opportunity.

Our July 19th event is our first in a series of Virtual Biotech events this year, and we’ve brought together those who have successfully outsourced drug discovery programs as well as some of the CRO providers. We’ve asked them to discuss the ‘howtos’ of managing an outsourced drug discovery project, and we think they’ll have some great insights, both at a high level and in the day to day details of the processes. In this hands-on event, we’ll take questions from you beforehand so that the resulting presentation and discussions will benefit you the most, and we’re open to what we should cover in future events. In addition, at this event some of our CRO sponsors will be providing credit for services at the event so we’re hoping you go home with some great deals for your projects. Register here.

Sponsors

Our generous sponsors have provided the following promotions exclusive to event attendees, come for a chance to win!

Special Event Giveaways

1. Millipore: $500 credit for Select Services
2. Explora BioLabs: 1 free mouse or rat small molecule pharmacokinetic (PK) study free (worth ~$3500) per standard Explora 24 hr PK design protocol (including bioanalysis).
3. Imgenex: 2 additional compounds added to screen of potential inflammatory and TLR agonists or antagonists using IMGENEX TLR/NF-κB SEAPorter™ HEK 293 stable cell lines. $5,000 value.
4. BioTox Sciences: a free 3 day in-life Dog PK study, up to $4,500.00 in value (not including bioanalysis).
5. Emerald BioStructures: iPad! ($500 value)
6. GenScript: $500 off $3000 (or $1000 off $5000) service discount on non-molecular biology services.

If you want more details on the promotions, or have a promotion to offer to attendees, or want to sponsor contact us.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network July 19th Event:Virtual Biotech Part 1: How to Effectively Outsource a Drug Discovery Program
When: Tuesday, July 19th 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25 Standard/$20 Academic/$50 Recruiter, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/july

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.

Drug Discovery, Headline, SDBN Blog, SDBN Events »

SDBN June 21st Event Featuring aTyr Pharma
Posted by Mary Canady May 27th, 2011 .
No Comments

The San Diego Biotechnology Network’s June 21st event will feature aTyr Pharma, with Board Member and CEO Jeffry Watkins (Bio) giving a talk titled “Innovation: Where is our Biology?” aTyr is developing therapeutics based on physiocrines, small proteins involved in signaling pathways for areas such hematology, immunology, and metabolism disorders. The company was founded based on research which originated at the Scripps Research Institute, and Watkins’ title indicates the company is reaching beyond in vitro drug discovery to focus on biological processes. It will be exciting to see the way this translational research is being carried out. Of course, there is always plenty of time for networking, register and join us June 21st!

Sponsors

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network June 21st Event Featuring aTyr Pharma
When: Tuesday, June 21st 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25 Standard/$20 Academic/$50 Recruiter, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/june

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.

Headline, SDBN Blog, SDBN Events »

SDBN May 17th Speed Networking Event: Meet Your Next Opportunity
Posted by Mary Canady April 28th, 2011 .
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There are many indications that the biotech economy is looking up in San Diego, what’s next for you? Whether it be a new job, business opportunity, or just expanding your network, our May 17th Speed Networking event will help you to meet the people who will help you meet your goals. We always get a great mix of life science researchers and professionals at our events, you’re sure to see some new faces. Prepare your elevator speech, make sure you have lots of business cards, and get ready to make as many connections in one night as you can. Register now for this popular event!

Update: Mary Canady from Comprendia will give a short LinkedIn workshop! Learn how to maximize your presence for job searches, business development, and promoting your company.

Note to recruiters: The admittance fee for anyone working as a recruiter will be $50 going forward, see the benefits you will receive and contact us with any questions.

Sponsors

We’re looking for more sponsors for this popular event, contact us!

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network May 17th Speed Networking Event
When: Tuesday, May 17th 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25 Standard/$20 Academic/$50 Recruiter, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/may

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.