| Events
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9/14
8:45 am - 6:00 pm
Ubifrance, the French Agency for international business
development, cordially invites CURE members to this year's
second French Biotech Tour, which aims to connect French
and American Biotech companies specialized in
neuroscience, inflammation, and auto-immune diseases.
Philadelphia, PA. more |
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9/16
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
CURE/Yale BioHaven
presents Al Mann: 'Creating a successful medical device
enterprise.' Hope Auditorium, Yale University, 315 Cedar
Street, New Haven. more |
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10/20
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
CURE/Yale BioHaven presents Axerion Therapeutics. Anlyan
Center, Yale University, 300 Cedar Street, New Haven.
Watch for details. |
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11/18
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
CURE/Yale BioHaven presents Biodel Inc. Anlyan Center,
Yale University, 300 Cedar Street, New Haven. Watch for
details. |
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| Opportunities
for collaborating with Chinese life science industry
explored at New Haven meeting
CURE organizes
seminar together with Chinese VC and Yale
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Lin Wan of BioTrand
Joan McDonald of the
Connecticut Department of Economic and Community
Development
Hongjian Ma of the
China National Center for Biotechnology Development
Jon Soderstrom of the
Yale Office of Cooperative Research
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On June 22 CURE teamed up with the venture capital firm Columbus Growth Partners and Yale University to organize the first annual Symposium on U.S.–China Life Science Industry Collaboration.
Designed to introduce U.S. Biotech to the Chinese opportunity, the meeting attracted more than 90 attendees from New York to Massachusetts. It included presentations on collaboration and cutting edge technologies in Connecticut and China.
Many of the
Americans in the audience were looking for a roadmap for collaborating with China’s
life science industry.
For the visitors from China, it was a chance to learn
more about Yale University and Connecticut’s biotechnology industry.
For
Chinese-Americans working in Connecticut’s
pharmaceutical and biotech industries, it was a chance to
demonstrate support for collaboration between the two
countries.
Connecticut speakers kicked off the symposium by giving an overview of Connecticut
bioscience, Yale’s technology transfer activities, and the history of Yale–China collaborations.
The speakers included Joan McDonald of the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development, Paul Pescatello of
CURE, Jon Soderstrom of the Yale Office of Cooperative Research, and Nancy Yao Maasbach of the Yale-China
Association.
Then it was the Chinese visitors’ turn. Hongjian Ma of the China National Center for Biotechnology Development,
together with representatives of three of China’s biotechnology parks, outlined the state of biotechnology in China today, its history, and its central role as a strategic emerging industry for the country.
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After lunch there were two panel discussions that further illuminated the opportunities and
challenges of collaboration between the two countries.
Organizer W. Roy Hua, a partner in Columbus Growth Partners of Beijing, was joined by Laura Sailor of the contract research organization Crown Bio; Jun Song of Luye Pharma, a Chinese Pharmaceutical
company; David Schaffer and D. Terrence Jones of Wiggin and Dana; and Sam Liao, Business Development Director at
Novartis. The speakers discussed their companies' capabilities and activities in China,
the lessons learned from collaborations in the past, and their thoughts on what can be anticipated in the future.
Ms. Sailor, for example, outlined collaboration
opportunities with her cancer-focused CRO. "We have moved from functional
sourcing to partnership," she said. "We provide an integrated program
'from hit to candidate'."
Next came a second panel, organized by Paul Pescatello of CURE, on Cutting Edge Biotech Developments in the U.S. and China. Stem
cell research
featured prominently, both in the presentations of Dr. Wei Han of the Stem Cell Center at Shanghai Jianotong University and Dr. Haifan Lin, Director of the Stem Cell Center at Yale University.
Dr. Lin
focused his remarks on the efforts of two Yale physician scientists who are
coaxing cells to form artificial blood vessels that can be used to repair or
replace faulty blood vessels in the body. The blood vessels rely on stem cells
harvested from a patient’s own bone marrow.
Michael Schmertzler of Kolltan Pharmaceuticals and Harry Penner Jr. of New Haven Pharmaceuticals provided insight into their companies’ technologies and Lin Wang introduced the audience to BioTrand and
in vitro diagnostic technologies in China.
More than 90 participants representing 30 companies and institution attended the symposium. On hand were representatives of Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim, Yale University, University of Connecticut Health Center, and Wesleyan University,
as well as several biotechs.
More than 30 attendees stayed for a banquet and networking reception afterwards.
The symposium was cosponsored by the China National Center for Biotechnology Development
(CNCBD); Luye Pharma; BioTrand; and the
Economic Development Corporation of New Haven
(EDC New Haven).
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