ZURICH & AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 6, 2012 - BIO-Europe Spring®
2012 produced by EBD Group, the leading partnering firm for the life science
industry, will be held in Amsterdam March 19–21, 2012 at the Amsterdam RAI
Convention Center. This year's exciting event will kick off with opening
remarks from Eberhard van der Laan, the Mayor of Amsterdam; David Thomas,
Director of Industry Research & Analysis for the Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO); and Carola Schropp, President of EBD Group.
The real flavor of the event will be provided by BIO-Europe Spring keynote
speaker Hans Schikan, CEO of Prosensa, a Dutch biopharmaceutical company that
targets genetic disorders that have a large unmet medical need, with a primary
focus on neuromuscular disorders. Schikan's address, “About polders, pioneers
and partnerships,” will highlight the thriving Dutch biopharmaceutical sector,
and focus on the importance of partnerships as an essential ingredient of
success in biopharmaceutical pioneering. In light of the Amsterdam conference
setting, Schikan will also explain the role that lowlands and “polders” have
played in the Dutch way of cooperation. A polder refers to the Netherlands' characteristic
lowlands, or reclaimed farming soil, that are enclosed by embankments known as
dikes and that, like windmills, are part of the rich agricultural history of
Dutch farm life.
“Multi-stakeholder partnerships with academia, big pharma, other biopharmaceutical
companies, healthcare professionals, payers and most importantly with patient
organizations are essential to biopharmaceutical innovation,” said Schikan.
“Prosensa is a great example in this respect: our RNA modulating technology
comes originally from our academic partner Leiden University Medical Center.
Since our foundation we have worked very closely with patient organizations and
in 2009 we established a fruitful collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline for part
of our portfolio of personalized medicines for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a
rare and severely debilitating neuromuscular disease. Partnerships are embedded
in our genes,” said Schikan.
The keynote will be followed by a dynamic plenary session entitled, “Are
orphan indications the only viable model for future drug development?” The
panel will be moderated by Vaughn Kailian of MPM Capital, with panelists Roger
Longman of Real Endpoints; Anna Protopapas, Takeda Pharmaceuticals; Hans
Schikan of Prosensa; and Philip Vickers, Shire Human Genetic Therapies.
BIO-Europe Spring will also feature other meaningful presentations on the
importance of life science partnering, including Monday's panel, “The
opportunity of community drug development partnerships for personalized
oncology and drug development.”
“This panel is really about the future of personalized medicine, and how
partnerships form the basis of a new model for transforming cancer drug
development,” said panel moderator John Freshley of Compendia Bioscience. “We
will be examining the feasibility of drug development as a collaboration among
research institutions, diagnostic and bio/pharma companies and how to ensure
the goals do not exceed the means in delivering cancer drugs to patients that
need them. The focus on the delivery of medicine to the patient will continue
to drive partnering discussions.”
Another panel entitled “Unconventional deals to herculean strategies” will
explore multifaceted examples of powerful strategies and non-traditional deals.
“Dealmaking used to be more straightforward—perhaps optimizing a portfolio,
maybe adding an asset as an insurance policy,” said panel moderator Lee
McCracken, formerly of Prometheus Laboratories (acquired by Nestlé Health
Science). “Now some of the biggest global stakeholders are kicking over the
chessboards and upping the stakes with strategies that weave together M&A,
partnerships/collaborations, strategic financing, and structured incentives.
And by the way, the non-healthcare players are on the rise. ”
Evening networking events include a welcome reception at De Industrieele
Groote Club (IGC) on Sunday, March 18. IGC is a historic business club and
society located in the monumental "Industria" building on Dam Square,
long the vibrant heart of Amsterdam and the business and cultural center of the
Dutch capital. On Monday, March 19, there will be an evening networking
reception at Beurs van Berlage, the home of the third Amsterdam Stock Exchange
built by H. P. Berlage in 1903. The building is considered to mark the
beginning of modern Dutch architecture. Finally, on Tuesday, March 20, there
will be another evening networking reception at Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, the
cultural anchor connecting the newly developed IJ banks with the heart of
Amsterdam.
Partnering is generated by partneringONE®, the leading conference
partnering system for the life sciences. There are thousands of partnering
opportunities now ready for your engagement on the system. Information on how
to create a partnering profile and begin efficiently identifying and requesting
meetings with potential collaborators can be found at http://www.ebdgroup.com/bes/partnering/index.php.
The online registration deadline for the conference is March 16, 2012,
13:00 CET, after which all registrations will be handled on site.
Information on the conference and registration details can be found online at http://www.ebdgroup.com/bes/registration/index.php.