Therapeutic Workshops*

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• Antibiotics: "Super Drugs Against Super Bugs"

  A recent AMA report that found that deaths associated with MRSA will exceed those attributed to HIV/AIDS, Parkinson?s, emphysema, or homicide. These ?superbugs,? MRSA itself the most infamous, are causing enough problems in hospitals, but they are now creeping into our communities. What antibiotic drugs are biotech companies developing to combat these ever-changing enemies and the genetic mutations that make them resistant to an astonishing number of current drugs?

• Cognition: "CNS Companies to Remember"

  Large numbers of aging baby boomers will soon be inching toward old age, and will therefore be increasingly grappling with diminished cognition. This can come in the form of general memory impairment, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia, among other conditions. Learn about companies that are utilizing novel brain receptors, the familiar gingko biloba, neurological cell death inhibition, and other interesting targets in order to address what will surely be a growing problem in this generation entering their golden years.

• Diabetes: "New Mechanisms, New Opportunities"

  The recent dramatic controversy surrounding Avandia has brought the topic of diabetes treatments (and their safety profiles) back to the top of everyone?s minds. There are plenty of new drug classes in development to treat this important and costly disease. Audience members will learn about what lies ahead, beyond Avandia.

• Drug-Device Convergence: "Beyond Drug-Eluting Stents"

  While not a new concept to marry drugs and devices, the union is, in many ways, still in the honeymoon phase. New ideas continue to be tested, multi-year deals are signed, and the resulting combinations are proving to be worthwhile investments for many biotech, pharmaceutical, device and diagnostic companies, as well as for investors. These blended products? values in the worldwide marketplace are anticipated to grow at an average of 14% annually to more than $11 billion in 2010. A major catalyst for this growth is drug-eluting stents but there are many other dual products in discovery and development that seek to improve the efficacy, safety and delivery of new medicines. This panel will focus on emerging drug and device combinations.

• HAE: "Who's on First?"

  HAE or Hereditary Angiodema is a very rare and potentially life threatening disease. Patients experience spontaneous episodes of very painful edema (swelling) in various parts of the body that can last for days. Hope for these patients is just around the corner with four different treatment approaches nearing approval within the next two years. How do these treatments compare? Who will be first to market? Who will capture the market?

• HCV: "Beyond Coin Toss SVRs"

  Several HCV drugs in clinical trials have suffered setbacks this year. Rather than looking at these events in a negative light, they instead could potentially open the door to drugs with new mechanisms of action and new targets. Learn about the companies that are trying to emerge from the ashes by addressing this huge market opportunity of more than 250 million people worldwide.

• Neuro-Oncology: "Breaking Down the Barriers to New Neuro-Oncology Drugs"

  Brain cancers, particular glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and most aggressive, leave patients with a poor prognosis and limited treatment options. The standard of care includes invasive surgery and whole brain radiation, and even with this treatment, the survival rate for these patients remains very low. Beyond effectively killing brain cancer cells, another major challenge for drug developers is developing drugs that can successfully cross the blood-brain barrier in order to reach therapeutic concentrations. What companies are up to the challenge and are developing novel new targeted therapeutics and delivery technologies?

• Non-Cancer Immunotherapy: "It's not just about cancer anymore"

  When we think of immunotherapeutics, we tend to associate them as anti-cancer candidates. However, their utility is much more far-reaching than just oncology. Recent clinical setbacks for cancer immunotherapies may increase visibility and attention on how we can effectively harness and train the immune system to recognize and attack threats such as HIV, HCV, neurodegenerative disorders, asthma and allergies, and even addiction. Panelists will discuss their fascinating use of their unique immunotherapy technologies for indications that you may not expect.

• Novel Cancer MOA: "New Cancer-Killing Mechanisms"

  MEK, MET, BCL, HSV, ROS ? having trouble keeping track of all of the acronyms in today?s emerging cancer therapeutic pipeline vocabulary? Attend this panel to learn about the biological target, new drug profiles, cell cycle point of intervention and specificity and emerging use of biomarkers to create development continuity from non-clinical to clinical science and clinical progress behind these acronyms? promising cancer-killing methods-of-action.

• Pain: "A Pain-Free Guide to Current Therapies"

  Pain is the most common reason patients seek medical attention. Studies suggest that 40% of U.S. adults experience pain daily, while 90% experience pain monthly. It is therefore no surprise that the worldwide pain management market is expected to reach over $30 billion. Pain comes in all shapes and sizes ? individuals suffer from acute and chronic pain, post-operative pain, sports-related injuries, neuropathy, migraines, arthritis, lower back pain, and fibromyalgia, among other conditions. Despite the prevalence of pain, clinically effective treatment options are limited. This panel will discuss recent efforts to develop drugs that confer greater efficacy and fewer side-effects.

• RNAi: "Fast-Forwarding a Nobel Idea"

  The discovery of RNA interference (?RNAi?) has been heralded as a major breakthrough in science, opening up the potential for treatment of an exhaustive list of human diseases. Yet development of RNAi therapeutics still remain by and large early-stage endeavors as companies focus their efforts on securing intellectual property and developing proprietary delivery methods. In this session panelists will discuss why IP and delivery are essential to the RNAi development path and tell us where they think the field of RNAi will be in five years.

Business Roundtables

• A New Era of Shareholder Activism: Aligning the Interests of All Parties

  Shareholder activism has been a splinter in the heel of several prominent industry executives, but others maintain that it compels healthy transparency. Increasingly, biotech investors scrutinize spending, challenge corporate decisions, and even design the ouster of top execs. Do activists hinder long-term research efforts, or do they help CEOs realize true company value? Join us to take a look at what happens when an aggressive shareholder buys into a particular company and discuss what this controversial trend may mean for the industry at large.

• A Primer on Post Approval Regulatory and Reimbursement Issues

  The goal posts are moving with new requirements for post-marketing studies under REMS (Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy) and it seems like the reimbursement landscape is changing on a daily basis. When does an emerging biotechnology company dial these issues into their strategy? How will they affect timing, uptake and profitability of a new drug launch?

• Elusive Cancer Endpoints - How to Survive the Uncertainty

  There has long been confusion over the ideal design of cancer drug trials and which endpoints are most appropriate to pursue, particularly for cancer vaccines. The issue of whether overall survival or progression-free survival is the better clinical endpoint was most recently highlighted by Dendreon's Provenge. This roundtable brings together a diverse panel of experts who will tackle the most important issues relevant to this tricky topic, provide recommendations on ideal trial design, and discuss how best to work with the FDA.

• From the Hill to the Street - Examining Policy Issues in Biotech

  Tracking and predicting how policy changes will affect the marketplace is a crucial task for biotech companies. Public perception of drug safety, the lack of a regulatory pathway for follow-on biologics and recent legistlation to reauthorize PDUFA and reform the FDA are all transformative issues. How does policy affect the marketplace? What kind of action can we expect to see from Washington this year? This roundtable will review current regulatory issues in Congress and discuss how a wise policy agenda can ensure Street support for biotech.

• Mind the Gap: Pharma Chasing Biotech Assets

  Facing impending patent expirations and a dearth of novel drug candidates in its pipeline, Big Pharma is willing to take big risks on Biotech assets. The prices paid to the more entrepreneurial and innovative biotech companies in recent licensing deals, particularly for earlier-stage programs, have been significant and demonstrate Pharma's desire to strengthen its pipeline, broaden its IP and technology base, and keep competitors at bay. This discussion will focus on waht therapeutic areas and mechanisms Pharma is chasing to fill its pipeline, how these deals are being valued, and how investors perceive these transactions. The panel will also discuss how a biotech company can get validation from a Pharma partner and still retain enough rights to maintain sufficient upside and independence.

• Redefining the EXIT Strategy

  Liquidity and access to Wall Street money is the goal of most biotechnology companies to fulfill the capital needs of an emerging pipeline of products. The traditional IPO is still valid, but the bar is rising each year. This panel will explore what it takes to do a successful IPO today and the pros and cons of the more creative approaches to achieving public status, including M&A, foreign exchanges, reverse mergers, etc.

• Valuing a Technology Platform

  Platform deals are definitely back, demonstrated by multiple high-profile acquisitions and partnership deals in 2007. These platforms range from new drug discovery landscapes like RNAi, TLRs, and NNRs to new tools, technologies, or diagnostics that make drugs better or enhance the discovery process. What has changed since the bottom dropped out of this sector? What are the drivers that will keep this sector alive and growing?