Conference Agenda

Registration Open | Exhibit Hall Open | Breakfast and Networking

BIO One-on-One Partnering Meetings

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Remarks by:
Martin Rosendale, Chief Executive Officer, Maryland Life Sciences
Kelly Schulz, Secretary, Maryland Department of Commerce
Jeff Galvin, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, American Gene Technologies

SESSION A

Track 1

Poised for Disruptive Innovation: Maryland’s Rising Cell & Gene Therapy Industry

What is the current state of affairs for cell and gene therapy companies in Maryland? What keeps these companies here and how are they able to recruit their executive teams into Maryland? How do we make Maryland more attractive to this industry and what resources are available here? This discussion will address these questions while panelists examine the benefits and challenges of partnering in this region and the aspects of cell and gene therapy that are likely to grow over the next decade.

Moderator:
Jon Rowley, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Product Officer, RoosterBio

Panelists:
Emily English, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, Gemstone Biotherapeutics
Murat Kalayoglu, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cartesian Therapeutics
Kimberly Noonan, Ph.D., Founder, Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, WindMIL Therapeutics
William Rust, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Seraxis

Track 2

Alternative Funding Options for Launching Your Company

This discussion will focus on creative, unique, Maryland-specific opportunities for obtaining startup capital for your company and preparing yourself for venture funding. Panelists will discuss the Maryland Biotechnology Investment Incentive Tax Credit (MBIITC), Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS), Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and other options to put your company in a position to attract institutional investments.

Moderator:
Jeff Galvin, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, American Gene Technologies

Panelists:
Henry Ahn, SBIR/STTR Program Director, National Science Foundation
Judy Costello, Managing Director, Economic Development, BioHealth Innovation
Joseph Naft, Director, Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) Program
Paul Silber, Founding Principal, Blu Venture Investors

Keynote Address
Hopes for a Cure – Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Anemia

In his keynote address, Dr. Tisdale will address the importance of medical innovation and new advances in gene therapy, as well as the new curative therapy for sickle cell anemia and the work the National Institutes of Heath is doing to cure the disease.

Sponsored by:

Remarks by:
Kelly Martin, Vice President, Business Strategies, BIO
Doug Doerfler, President and Chief Executive Officer, MaxCyte

Keynote Speaker:
John Tisdale, M.D., Chief, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health

SESSION B

Track 1

Cell and Gene Therapy – How We Successfully Enable Our Future

An intimate, up to the minute, opportunity to discuss the cell and gene therapy landscape with the industry leaders.  Our fireside chat will include:

• How far the field has come
• Recent clinical progress and current commercial challenges
• What’s ahead for therapeutic developers
• Maryland’s growing role in bringing cures to patients.

Moderator:
Brad Stewart, Chief Executive Officer, Immunology Partners

Panelists:
Doug Doerfler, President and Chief Executive Officer, MaxCyte
Lyndsey Scull, Vice President, Communications, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine

Track 2

Employment Opportunities Fulfilled

The demand for life sciences job skills is growing rapidly in this region. Our roundtables will discuss opportunities and challenges while determining actions which can be taken to ensure workforce readiness and availability for the short and long-term.

Moderators:
Sarah Sheppard, Director of Education and Workforce, Office of Strategic Industries and Entrepreneurship, Maryland Department of Commerce

Roundtable Discussion Leaders:
Shiva Fritsch, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, REGENXBIO
Brian Gaines, Chief Executive Officer, Learning Undefeated
Joseph Sanchez, Ph.D., Associate Director of Learning and Talent Development, AstraZeneca Biologics

Networking Lunch in the Exhibit Hall

Sponsored by

Bio One-on-One Partnering Meetings

SESSION C

Track 1

Novel Therapies, Regulatory Realities

During this session, a panel of regulatory experts will discuss key regulatory challenges and opportunities that companies developing novel therapies commonly fail to anticipate or leverage fully at each stage of a product’s life cycle.

Moderator:
Michael Druckman, Partner, Washington, D.C., Hogan Lovells

Panelists:
Julia Barrett, M.D., MPH, Senior Clinical Consultant, Biologics Consulting
David Feigal, M.D., MPH, Partner, NDA Partners
Randy Prebula, Partner, Washington, D.C., Hogan Lovells

Track 2

Strategic Market Planning for Capital and Commercialization

Experts discuss key considerations and timing for market assessments to drive strategic partnering options and optimized commercial launch success.

Sponsored by

Moderator:
Steven Walker, Chief Business Officer and Commercial Strategist, Biologics Consulting

Panelists:
Brian Abraham, Director, Market Access, Life Sciences, BDO
Luis Gutierrez, Past President, Commercialization Services, Covance
Ram Palanki, Pharm.D., Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Operations, REGENXBIO
Tyrell Rivers, Ph.D., Executive Director of Corporate Development, AstraZeneca

SESSION D

Track 1

New Frontiers of Biomanufacturing

As Maryland’s cell and gene therapy industry continues to grow, companies are continuously improving the quality and value of their life-saving products. Industry leaders will discuss the evolution of the manufacturing process, generating new product innovations, ongoing challenges and what the future holds for this sector.

Sponsored by

Moderator:
John Walker, Manufacturers Extension Partnership Liaison, NIIMBL

Panelists:
Jeffrey Hung, Ph.D., Chief Commercial Officer, Vigene Biosciences
Robert Lindblad, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Emmes
Christopher McDonald, Vice President of Manufacturing, Kite Pharma
Jon Rowley, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Product Officer, RoosterBio
Aaron Vernon, Vice President, Engineering and Supply Chain, Autolus

Track 2

Past Seed Stage to the Last Mile

Now that your company is beyond early stage fundraising, how do you attract venture funding? In this discussion, hear from panelists from MRL Ventures Fund and Camden Partners on how they look at potential funding opportunities, as well as an executive who has gone all the way to IPO.

Sponsored by

Moderator:
Linda Segal, Principal, The McCormick Group

Panelists:
Subhendu Basu, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer, Adaptive Phage Therapeutics
Diana Bernstein, Ph.D., Senior Associate, MRL Ventures
Pete Buzy, President, Paragon Gene Therapy, Catalent Biologics
R. Jacob Vogelstein, Ph.D., General Partner, Camden Partners

Keynote Address

Remarks by:
Marc Elrich, Montgomery County Executive
Nicole Palya Wood, Senior Director of State Advocacy, PhRMA

Keynote speaker:
Michelle McMurry-Heath, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, External Innovation, Global Leader for Regulatory Science, and Executive Director of Scientific Partnerships for JLABS @ Washington, DC

Cocktail Reception

Brought to you by Platinum Sponsor