Fueling the Future
9:45am – 11:00am

With billions being invested worldwide in the research and commercialization of biofuels, we are approaching a new era. Production capacity for ethanol will more than double with recent investments in North America, while the frontiers of several scientific disciplines are being pressed forward by major research projects underway around the world, led in part by the UC Berkeley Energy Biosciences Institute. This session will consider several major themes, including the central role biotechnology will play in the future of energy around the world and how it will align with engineering to make renewable fuels a reality on a commercial scale.

Panel Moderator:

Paul S. Zorner, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer and Director, Principle Energy Ltd.

Panel Speakers:

Doug Cameron, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer, Khosla Ventures
Chief Executive Officer, LS9, Inc.

Robert Elde, PhD
Dean of the College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota

Neal Gutterson, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer, Mendel Biotechnology

Kinkead Reiling
President, Amyris Biotechnologies

Will Your Licenses Ever be the Same? Biotechnology IP Strategies
11:15am – 12:30pm

A Panel of experts will discuss the legal and practical challenges the BioTech Industry faces as the basic economic platform undergoes profound changes. These changes are a result of recent Court decisions and political patent reform initiatives. The panel will examine questions that have been left unanswered by such recent decisions as MedImmune v. Genentech and MercExchange v. Ebay. The panel will also explore the economic and business factors that underlie the opposing positions taken by Bay Area firms (both BioTech and High Tech) on the issues raised in these cases and in patent reform in general. In addition, the impact on future license negotiations and agreements will be addressed and evolving licensing "best practices" in the Bio Tech industry will be identified.

Panel Moderator:

Allison K. Young
Attorney, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

Panel Speakers:

Dan Hunt
Associate General Counsel, Patent Law, Licensing and Contract Management,Genentech, Inc.

Marya Postner
Partner, Cooley Godward Kronish LLP

Ken Serwin, PhD
Vice President, National Economic Research Associates, Inc. (NERA)

Gearing Up for Manufacturing
2:00pm – 3:15pm

Your drug has been developed and approved. Congratulations! Now for production - and oh, those options. Should you build a plant? Or borrow? Either way, where? How about an acquisition? Do you purchase a company with manufacturing capabilities and fatten the pipeline at the same time? These are just a few of the options to consider as your product moves to the next milestone. A panel representing the various options will share their stories on how they addressed these questions.

Panel Moderator:

Glenn Snyder
Principal, Deloitte Consulting

Panel Speakers:

Robert Baffi
Senior Vice President, Technical Operations, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.

Gustavo Mahler
Vice President, Technical Operations, Bayer HealthCare

Tom Mclung
Director, Materials Management, Nektar Therapeutics

Reimbursement: How to Get Paid
3:30pm – 4:45pm

Carefully targeted reimbursement strategies are key to successfully launching new medical products in today’s cost-conscious health care environment. Increased scrutiny by payers on clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness could potentially affect a number of different decisions made by pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturers. More effective planning and dedicated resources to demonstrate product value needs to be factored earlier into the regulatory review process, to develop a comprehensive reimbursement strategy designed to achieve outcomes that fully reflect the value of the technology. In this session, you will receive insight on reimbursement from experts who have diverse experience in crafting strategies for coverage and payment of new technologies.

Panel Moderator:

Nancy McGee, JD
Vice President, Operations, Lash Group

Panel Speakers:

Wade Aubry, MD
Senior Advisor, Health Technology Center
CMS Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee Member
Former Chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Technology Evaluation Center
Former Medical Director for NHIC, the Medicare Part B carrier for California

Ron Dei Cas, MD, MPH
Senior Associate Director, Government Relations, Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Former Medical Officer at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Coverage and Analysis Group

Sheila K. Fifer, PhD
Healthcare Consultant
Senior Advisor for the Fast Adoption of Significant Technologies Initiative
Former President, Founder and Chairman of the Board for the Technology Assessment Group (TAG)

Gerald Rogan, MD
Medicare and Healthcare Consultant
Former Medical Director for NHIC, the Medicare Part B Carrier for California