The 2010 BIO International Convention isn’t just about biotechnology-derived drugs and vaccines. The biotechnology industry as a whole seeks to address current global needs in other areas as well in light of diminishing resources and other environmental concerns. Biofuels development is entering its second wave. Agricultural researchers are finding ways to improve global access to both food and energy. And health-care policy is taking ethics and environmental sustainability into account while looking for new models that can help companies succeed in a changing global economic marketplace — models that could help them bring more and better vaccines/therapies to a wider population than ever before. There is no one single solution for advanced biofuels to become a sustainable energy resource — just as biofuels alone will not solve the energy crisis. Biotech crops could play a crucial role in the coming “bioeconomy,” in which both carbon and water will face constraints. Drought-resistance, increased yield, an...
In 2007, the biopharmaceutical market represented ~$71 billion: 10% of the entire pharmaceutical market. Therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) account for 98% of all biotherapeutics in development, the rest being blood proteins and enzymes — all the products of recombinant DNA technology. Before the recession hit full on, growth of this market was estimated by some at ~15%. (Now it’s hard to predict at all.) Making biotech drugs consumes huge amounts of time and money, but they satisfy unmet medical needs, many that cannot be addressed any other way. Now the biotherapeutics industry is being transformed by lean manufacturing, operational excellence, and the FDA’s quality-by-design (QbD) mandate. The emphasis is on cross-functional design and development teams, new approaches to automated processes and technologies, and even ways to integrate upstream and downstream processes. It’s all indicative of a truly maturing industry. Drug Discovery, Innovations, and Product Development Small/virtua...
All companies — large and small, biotech included — have felt the pinch of the current (or recent, depending on your point of view) recession. From huge multinational companies to virtual start-ups, all are taking a good hard look at the way they do business. And as it does every year, the 2010 BIO International Convention will offer something for every company and every situation. Business-oriented sessions range from hard-earned experience to provocative new ideas. On the BioProcess International website this month, you’ll find interviews about technology transfer, creative business models, partnering and licensing, bankruptcy, and global biotechnology business with these session organizers: FINANCE SESSIONS AT THE 2010 BIO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION Sponsored by Alexandria Real Estate and MedImmune Monday, 3 May 2010 2:00–3:30 PM A New Kind of Non-Dilutive Financing and Fundraising: Partnering with Not-for-Profits 4:00–5:30 PM Life Science Investment Strategies for India: Translating Potential to Reali...