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| Investing in our Health |
Supporting research in Pennsylvania
by Fritz Bittenbender
The 21st Century has been dubbed by many to be the bio-century. Advancements in biotechnology and the biosciences are fueling breakthroughs that hold out the promise for treatments and cures to life threatening and debilitating diseases. At the heart of these breakthroughs are talented Pennsylvanians at our institutions and companies who are working to target, treat, cure, and possibly even reverse the effects of disease to improve patients’ lives and gain knowledge that can be applied to other unmet medical needs.
In many cases today, surgeries and long hospital stays can be avoided, and with a continuing emphasis on research, more breakthroughs will happen. The value of the research that brings about these advancements is inestimable. Two recent events—the 50th anniversary of the Salk Polio vaccine and the announcement that rubella has been eliminated in the United States draws national and international attention to the Commonwealth and the research happening here. These events should remind us of the great strides we have made and the work that is still left to be done. They should also serve to remind us all of the continuing commitment we need to make to the biosciences in Pennsylvania. Read more >> |
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Pennsylvania Bio Breakfast Program |
 Pennsylvania Bio Breakfast Program
Please join Pennsylvania Bio at a Breakfast Reception
with special guest
Jim Greenwood, President & CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization
Friday, April 8, 2005
7:30-10:30 a.m.
Conshohocken Marriott
111 Crawford Avenue
West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Sponsored by Ballard Spahr
For more information, visit www.pennsylvaniabio.org
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Inside The Industry
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| Antares Pharma, Inc. Files IND for Its Frist Proprietary Pharmaceutical Product: Transdermal Gel to Treat Overactive Bladder Syndrome
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| INNOVIVE Pharmaceuticals Licenses Opioid Growth Factor form the Pennsylvania State University
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| TheraQuest Biosciences, LLC, Presents Postsurgical Pain Results at the American Pain Society Meeting
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| Global Alliance for TB Drug Development and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Launch Broad Discovery Portfolio to Develop New TB Therapies
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| Plasma Therapies Donated for Post Tsunami Relief Effort: ZLB Behring Supplies Therapies To Health Organizations
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Regional News
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Three upcoming conferences will showcase the biosciences community across Pennsylvania
Innoventure2005 will take place on April 15th at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center
INNOVENTURE2005 is an exposition designed to showcase the outcomes and enormous potential of partnerships among institutions of research and education, business and government in building the future of Central Pennsylvania. By bringing together the region's innovators in research, education and healthcare with leaders from the business and economic development community and government, we facilitate a critical conversation about Central Pennsylvania's role in the technology-based economy, particularly in the life sciences and healthcare. Innoventure2005 is a celebration of our existing strengths and a call to envision an ever more vital future.
The 2005 Pennsylvania Business of Nanotechnology Conference will take place on April 18-20, 2005 at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh.
University and industry overviews, nanotechnology and life sciences (medical and pharmaceutical applications), nano manufacturing and processing (chemicals and materials), capitalization for nano companies, ethics for nanotechnology; regional infrastructure for nanotechnology and legal issues for nanotechnology are among the conference session topics.
The Bioinformatics Priority: Advancing Life Sciences through Academic-Industry Collaborations – A Networking and Cocktail Reception
The Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance (GPBA) is sponsoring a networking and cocktail reception on Thursday April 28th from 6 – 8pm at the Franklin Institute. Dr. David Botstein, Anthony B. Evnin Professor of Genomics and Director of the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University, will discuss the pivotal role that bioinformatics and computational biology will play in the future of life sciences and how academic-industry collaborations can support innovation in this field.
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Life Sciences Greenhouse of Central Pennsylvania Announces Investment in Bellefonte Start-Up
– Acies Inc, Specializing in Development and Marketing of Wound Care Products, Receives $500,000 to Grow Operations –
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| GlaxoSmithKline’s 8th Annual IMPACT Awards Honor Local Community Health Organizations
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Funding Focus
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FEATURE ARTICLE
The Janney Pennsylvania Bio Index
Stephen Hurley, managing director and head of healthcare investment banking, and William Tung, healthcare associate, at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC
As the first quarter of 2005 comes to a close, the national and local biotechnology markets have seen a gradual slide since the beginning of the year. Looking at the year-to-date trends, Janney’s Pennsylvania Bio Index sank 3.9%, declining less than the Nasdaq and Amex Biotech indicies, which fell 13.5% and 7.4%, respectively. This suggests that Pennsylvania’s publicly-traded biotech community has not fared as poorly as the national biotech industry since the start of 2005.
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Penn’s Department of Dermatology Receives $2 Million Grant from the Annenberg Foundation to Support Educational Programs
Gift to Create the Paul R. Gross, MD, Professorship
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| InKine Earns Milestone Payment as Zeria Pharmaceutical Advances Development of Tablet Purgative—Visicol—for Sale in Japan |
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Government Watch
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FEATURE ARTICLE
Profiled Legislator
Pennsylvania Senator Connie Williams (D-17th)
Senator Connie Williams was first elected to the state Senate in 2001, having served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1997 to 2001. She is the Senate Democratic Caucus Administrator. Her committee assignments include Democratic Chair of Communications and Technology, Policy, Aging and Youth, Education, and Finance. Senator Williams is the co-chair of the newly formed, bi-partisan life sciences caucus in the Pennsylvania Senate.
Her district includes parts of Delaware and Montgomery Counties, which are home to leading biosciences companies such as BioRexis Pharmaceutical Corporation, ZLB Behring, Auxilium, and facilities of GlaxoSmithKline.
Senator Williams was the economic development and small business coordinator for Pennsylvania’s 13th Congressional District; a program officer for the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships; and a consultant for the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers.
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| Pennsylvania Bio Convenes Policy Roundtable to Discuss Pennsylvania’s Support of the Biosciences
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Profiled Member
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 ZLB Behring, L.L.C.
www.zlbbehring.com
With worldwide headquarters in King of Prussia, PA, ZLB Behring (www.zlbbehring.com) is a leader in providing innovative and high-quality plasma-derived therapeutics to customers around the globe. The company’s plasma-derived and recombinant products are used in the treatment of individuals with hemophilia and other bleeding disorders, immune deficiency disorders and inherited emphysema, including rare conditions. These products are also used in the prevention of hemolytic diseases in newborns and treatment of cardiac surgery patients and shock and burn victims.
ZLB Behring has a long tradition in the field of plasma-derived therapeutics through its predecessor companies. ZLB Behring was formed in March 2004 when CSL Limited, a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, acquired King of Prussia based Aventis Behring. Those assets were in turn combined with ZLB Bioplasma, a plasma therapeutics company already owned by CSL, to create ZLB Behring.
The company employs over 200 people in King of Prussia and over 2,800 people throughout the U.S. with a combined global workforce of 5,800 people.
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Job Watch
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The Official BIO 2005 Career Fair
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Marriott Philadelphia Downtown
11:00 am – 4:00 pm
The BIO 2005 Career Fair is a unique platform for meeting with local, regional and national job seekers. This one of a kind opportunity is the official career event of the BIO 2005 International Annual Convention.
Why exhibit at the BIO 2005 Career Fair? BIO's Career Fair averages over 3,000 attendees each year. This is because BIO's Career Fair benefits from unparalleled promotion. By leveraging local and national marketing, regional partners and exclusive outreach to Convention attendees, BIO's Career Fair delivers the candidates you need and the results you want.
No other hiring event is sanctioned by BIO, and no other hiring event can match the effectiveness of the BIO 2005 Career Fair.
Join organizations already exhibiting at the BIO 2005 Career Fair: Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Centocor, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Eyetech Pharmaceuticals, Genome Canada, Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Iowa Career Consortium, ICON Clinical Research, ImClone Systems, Invitrogen, Johnson & Johnson, Kforce Professional Staffing, MedImmune, Merck Research Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, On Assignment/Lab Support, Nektar Therapeutics, Quintiles, Sanofi Pasteur, ScienceCareers.org, ScienceJobs.com, Scientemps, Wyeth, and more.
For more information, click here, or contact Ian King of Adsumo at 215-922-0260 ext. 3038 or iking@adsumo.com.
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Events
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BIO 2005 Business Forum
Applications for presentation slots now available
BIO 2005 Business Forum is a major component of each BIO Annual International Convention. The forum offers an unparalleled opportunity for pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, academic research institutions and investors from around the world to gather in one place at one time to learn about each other and meet one-on-one to discuss business opportunities of mutual interest.
You can now submit a request for a presentation slot for the BIO 2005 Business Forum. To be considered for a Company Presentation please complete a company profile on BIO’s website: http://business-forum.bio.org/opencms/bf2005/presentations/. Companies will be selected by a committee of industry representatives and experts in late April, 2005.
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University of Pittsburgh Events Commemorating 50th Anniversary of Salk Polio Vaccine
April 10-12, 2005
University of Pittsburgh
Sunday, April 10, 2005
A Community Celebration: Remembering Polio in Pittsburgh
The people of Pittsburgh hold a special place in medical history. Whether they suffered the crippling effects of the disease, played a role in community inoculation efforts, or as children rolled up their sleeves as the first to receive the vaccine – they are Pittsburgh’s “Polio Pioneers.” The Commons Room of the Cathedral of Learning will be the site of a special event paying tribute to the community, whose spirit and commitment continued in the years following the 1955 announcement that the vaccine was safe.
April 11- 12, 2005
Remembering Polio: The History and Future of Vaccine Development
Scientific Symposium
The two-day symposium will feature local, national and international speakers who will provide perspectives on the history and significance of the development of the Salk polio vaccine; report on the progress of global eradication initiatives; discuss current and future efforts in vaccine development for such diseases as HIV, SARS and flu; and explore ways to prevent disease from being used as a weapon.
For more information, visit www.polio.pitt.edu. |
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Innoventure2005
April 15, 2005
Hershey Lodge & Convention Center
Hershey, PA
Innoventure 2005, a research and technology expo, is part of a community-wide investment to strengthen and diversify Central Pennsylvania's economic base; nurture the technological capabilities of our region; and draw attention to the recent discoveries and intellectual capital of the faculty and staff of our public and private universities, hospitals, and businesses.
For more information: http://www.innoventure2005.org |
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Pennsylvania Nanotechnology Conference 2005
April 19-20, 2005
Westin Convention Center Hotel
Pittsburgh, PA
University and industry overviews, nanotechnology and life sciences (medical and pharmaceutical applications), nano manufacturing and processing (chemicals and materials), capitalization for nano companies, ethics for nanotechnology; regional infrastructure for nanotechnology and legal issues for nanotechnology are among the conference session topics.
Pennsylvania's nanotechnology activities have attracted international attention for the second consecutive year through Small Times magazine's annual “Top 10 Small Tech Hot Spots” rankings. This year, the Commonwealth ranked seventh best in the nation for nanotechnology – up from its 2003 ranking as number 10.
Click for more information.
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BIO VentureForum East
May 9-11, 2005
Intercontinental Hotel-Buckhead
Atlanta, GA
Building upon past successful venture conferences, The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) has partnered with 12 state biotechnology associations and BIOTECanada to develop the most significant East Coast showcase of prominent seed, early- and late-stage biotech firms seeking venture capital funding. The event will bring together a rich representation of the nation's most promising biotechnology companies with a significant emphasis on companies from the Eastern region.
For more information, visit http://bvf-east.bio.org/opencms/bvf-east2005/index.jsp.
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Greater Philadelphia Bioinformatics Alliance
Virtual Institute Summer Session 2005
A series of week-long short courses covering topics including Pharmacogenomics, Modeling in Systems Biology, Bioinformatics Databases and Biomolecular Networks, and more.
Classes begin May 30, 2005
Registration Deadline – April 15, 2005
For more information and to register, visit: www.gpba-bio.com |
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