We’re going to try something new for the San Diego Biotechnology Network in September. The folks at Halozyme have offered to start hosting events quarterly at their site in Sorrento Valley, and we’ll kick of the first event learning about their exciting science September 28th. They focus on therapeutics that work subcutaneously by targeting the extracellular matrix (the image is from a mural in their lobby) and have had lots of great news lately, so it will be nice to hear more. As always we’ll have plenty of time for networking in a casual atmosphere, and we’ll provide a light dinner. Hope to see you there!

Sponsored by:

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology August Event Hosted by Halozyme
When: Tuesday, September 28th, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Halozyme Therapeutics, 11388 Sorrento Valley Road, San Diego, CA 92121 (Map)
Cost: $20/$15 Academic
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/september

June 2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the sequencing of the human genome. As Francis Collins has pointed out, “we invariably overestimate the short-term impacts of new technologies and underestimate their longer-term effects.” As a member of the community for 14 years, I can tell you that this is true for San Diego, as the expectations in 2000 were likely too high, but the last ten years have brought unexpected progress in many areas.

San Diego has a great ecosystem to take advantage of these exciting longer-term benefits, ranging from our expertise in creating cutting edge research tools, to ground breaking drug discoveries, to new classes of diagnostics, to the exciting new field of synthetic genomics. Of course, Craig Venter has given us a big vote of confidence by relocating here. Let’s bring together experts in an interactive environment August 18th to discuss how we can take advantage of these exciting opportunities. Register here.

Panelists:

Michael Cooke, Ph.D., Director of Immunology Discovery, Genomics Institute of the Novartis Foundation (GNF) (Bio)
Kelly Frazer, Ph.D., Chief of the Division of Genome Information Sciences for the UCSD Department of Pediatrics (more info)
Tom Novak, Ph.D.,, SVP of Research, of Fate Therapeutics (Bio)
Aristides A. N. Patrinos, Ph.D., President, Synthetic Genomics (more info)
Emily Winn-Deen, Ph.D.,, Vice President, Diagnostics Development at Illumina (Bio)

Moderators:

Scott Markel, Principal Bioinformatics Architect, Accelrys, and Paul Flook, Senior Director, Life Sciences R&D, Accelrys

Here are some seed questions for the discussion, and as always feel free to submit your questions as comments below:

• How will the direct to consumer genomics market impact our economy?
• How is genomics being used in drug discovery, and what therapeutic areas have the most promise for San Diego?
• Will the continuing affordability of sequencing affect the landscape of companies?
• What are the best adaptations we can make to take better advantage of the opportunities?

Sponsors

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology August Event: The Human Genome 10 Years Later: What Does it Mean for San Diego Biotech?
When: Wednesday, August 18th, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25/$20 Academic
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.

Our January Speed Networking event went so well that we promised we’d do it again so that you can meet as many local biotech professionals as possible in one night. How does it work? Check out our report of the last speed networking event for more details, and basically show up with plenty of business cards, something to take notes with, and craft a thirty second ‘elevator speech’ which describes who you are and what you’re looking for professionally. We always have a nice mix of professionals at our events, so it’s a great place if you’re looking for a job, for business partners, or just want to make a lot of new connections.

Our friends at Life Technologies are sponsoring the event, and we’re very excited because you’ve told us you want to learn more about them (2010 Poll). They’ll bring information on the business and open positions. With so much exciting news always coming from them, it will surely be an interesting night!

Sponsor

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Speed Networking Event July 21st Sponsored by Life Technologies
When: Wednesday, July 21st, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $20/$15 Academic, +$5 at the door (cash/check only)
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.

To share this post easily, cut and paste: SDBN July 21st Speed Networking Event Sponsored by Life Technologies http://sdbn.org/july

Advanced BioHealing (ABH) is a great local company that has turned their product for diabetic foot ulcers, Dermagraft, into a success story for regenerative medicine. I met them at the BIO convention in May and wrote a blog post about their work. They really impressed me, and we thought SDBN members would be interested in hearing their story. ABH doesn’t fit neatly into a single category (perhaps somewhere between medical devices and stem cells, according to the ‘buckets’ we used in our 2010 poll), but perhaps that is part of their success. As we’ve discussed, San Diego Biotech has seen its share of companies who have difficulties traversing the ‘valley of death’ leading to product commercialization, so we think this story is of great interest.

Kathy McGee, Advanced BioHealing’s Vice President and General Manager, will give a short presentation (Bio/Abstract), and representatives from ABH will be on hand to network with throughout the event. ABH is HIRING so this will be a great opportunity for you if you are interested. Sponsorships for the event are also available, contact us for more information. The event will take place June 23rd at 5:30 p.m., and you can register here.

Sponsors

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network Event June 23rd featuring Advanced BioHealing
When: Wednesday, June 23rd, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $20/$15 Academic, +$5 at the door (cash/check only)
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.

These days we hear a lot about the possibilities of translational research, which promises to better apply innovations from academia for public good. Who’s been successful locally in applying this model, and what are the challenges our region faces? We are lucky to have two thought leaders successfully implementing translational research in San Diego, come hear their stories and discuss how this model can be used to stimulate growth at our March 16th event.

We’ll hear from Gary Firestein, M.D., UCSD Dean of Translational Medicine (Bio) who will talk about ‘New Paradigms for Drug Discovery.’ Dr. Firestein was a member of our July panel (summary) and is incredibly knowledgeable, doing exciting work, and very interested in engaging in discussions about the promise of translational research/medicine and the issues we face.

Beth Anne Baber, Ph.D., M.B.A, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Nicholas Conor Institute for Pediatric Cancer Research (TNCI), will speak about ‘New Translational Research Models for Battling Rare Diseases’ (more info). Dr. Baber is one of my personal heroes as she founded TNCI after her son was diagnosed with a rare cancer. TNCI was described as a ‘translational research catalyst’ in a recent California Healthcare Institute report (full report PDF, see p. 53). Dr. Baber is understandably very passionate about her work, and it will be interesting to hear how the institute is using translational research to fight childhood cancer.

We know you’re interested in Translational Research based on our 2010 poll, and we want to make sure you will be able to learn what this model means to you. We’ll have a ‘mini-panel’ after the talks so you can ask questions, and we’ll also solicit questions beforehand. Feel free to leave them below so we can start the discussion, or submit them when you register. Tell your friends! Here is the flyer (PDF).

Sponsors

Sponsorship opportunities are still available, contact us for details. You’ll get exposure to 3500+ Biotech Professionals and show that you support translational research.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network’s March 16th Event: Translational Research: San Diego’s Successes and Challenges
When: Tuesday, March 16th, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $20, including appetizers ($15 for Academics) +$5 at door, cash/check only
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/march

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 Tango del Rey.

To share this post easily, cut and paste: San Diego Biotechnology Network’s March 16th Event: Translational Research: San Diego’s Successes and Challenges http://bit.ly/dhcffP