Glimpse the Future in Synthetic Biology, Cancer and Stem Cells at MASS Opportunities

Opportunities on the horizon in synthetic biology, cancer and stem cell research and meeting the challenge of early-stage financing in biotechnology are among the featured sessions at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council’s (MBC) annual investor conference and partnering forum.

MASSOpportunities, New England’s largest biotechnology investor forum, will take place on November 2 at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport, Boston, MA.

"Pioneering academic research and the willingness of investors to support the next generation of innovations have combined to make Massachusetts a world center of biotechnology," stated MBC President Thomas Finneran.

"These compelling sessions will highlight some of the most promising areas that will generate new enterprises and explore new ways to support early-stage ventures."

Opportunities on the Horizon, chaired by Jeffrey Wiesen, Partner & Chairman, Biotechnology Practice of Mintz Levin, will provide a forum for scientific and venture leaders to share their thoughts on where the future lies with synthetic biology, cancer, and stem cell research. The roundtable participants include:

- Drew Endy, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biological Engineering, MIT

- Jonathan Fleming, Managing General Partner, Oxford Bioscience Partners

- Tyler Jacks, Ph.D., David H. Koch Professor of Biology & Director, Center for Cancer Research, MIT

- Leonard Zon, M.D., Grousbeck Professor Hematology/Oncology & Director, Stem Cell Research Program, Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School

The meeting’s second roundtable, Funding Conundrum: Investing in Early-Stage Technologies, will survey the biotechnology industry’s funding landscape and outline new approaches for financing biomedical innovations.

The roundtable, co-chaired by William Asher, Partner, Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP and Janice Bourque, Sr. Vice President & Group Head-Life Sciences, Comerica Bank, will feature commercial, academic and venture capital speakers, including:

- Isaac Kohlberg, Chief Technology Development Officer, Harvard University Office of Technology Development

- Chris Mirabelli, Ph.D., Managing Director, Healthcare Ventures LLC

- Maggie Flanagan, Ph.D., Global Alliance Director, Global Sciences and Information, AstraZeneca

- Donald P. Lombardi, President and CEO, Institute for Pediatric Innovation

The MASSOpportunities Annual Conference is open to members of the biotechnology industry, and members of the press and financial communities.