Biotech Research

On February 4th, BIO hosted a media briefing on how efforts to restrict gene patenting and licensing would threaten advances in public health and harm the national economy. Participants included:

New vaccines employing biotech innovations are changing the way we prevent illness.  Dr. Targan explains how biotech researchers are discovering new ways to prevent illnesses such as HPV, hepatitis-B, meningitis, and even the flu through new and improved research, manufacturing, and delivery mechanisms.

Download to listen or view the podcast.

BIOtech Now’s Tracy Krughoff talks to Dr. David Agus of the University of Southern California’s Westside Prostate Cancer Center and the Center for Applied Molecular Medicine. His research focuses on the application of proteomics and genomics for the study of cancer and the development of new therapeutics for prostate cancer. Dr. Agus also is one of the judges for the Biotechnology Humanitarian Award, which will be given at the 2010 BIO International Convention.

Listen to the podcast:
http://www.bio.org/podcasts/agus.wma

We issued a late breaking call for sessions for the 2010 BIO International Convention today. Open for 4 Days  - Due Thursday, February 4th http://tinyurl.com/yej8j8c To respond to requests for recent and timely session topics, we are accepting six new late-breaking sessions for the 2010 BIO International Convention.

BIOtechNow’s Tracy Krughoff talks to Dr. Louise Perkins, Chief Scientific Officer at the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation is one of the advocacy organizations presenting at the upcoming BIO CEO & Investor Conference, being held February 8-9 in New York City.

Listen to the podcast here:
http://www.bio.org/podcasts/MMRF.wma

Patient advocacy groups have many different roles.  They are educators, they provide a support system for individuals and families of people living with illness, they lobby for increased research, and are increasingly providing funding to biotech companies to encourage further research and development of promising, and potentially life-saving therapies.  At the 2009 BIO International Convention, we met with patients  and patient advocates to learn more about how advocacy groups are working together with biotech researchers to promote innovative research and creation of therapies that may one d

Biosimilars, also known as follow-on biologics, may eventually expand access and provide patients a more affordable alternative to innovative, lifesaving medicines. However, there are a few important safeguards that must be put into place before these “similar but not the same” versions of biologics can be safely introduced to the public.  Join Dr.

Bonnie Erbe's "To The Contrary" program on PBS will be airing a three-part series on genetic technologies and their impact in diagnosing rare disease, beginning this week. The series will describe the evolution of DNA sequencing and show how DNA may be an effective tool in understanding diseases. Part 1 of the series begins Jan. 22-24; Part 2, February 19-21; and Part 3, March 26-28.

The first segment is set at Baylor Medical School, and profiles Dr. James Lupski and Dr.

Last summer, BIO joined with former Vermont Governor Howard Dean to advocate for biosimilar legislation that protects patient safety and promotes necessary incentives for continued innovation of biologics.

BIO is a key co-sponsor for a key meeting on genomics policy being held by the FDA and the Drug Information Association (DIA).

The meeting is entitled: 5th Workshop in a Series on Pharmacogenomics: Generating and Weighing Evidence in Drug Development and Regulatory Decision Making

It will be held February 2, 2010 8:00AM – February 4, 2010 3:00 pm at the Marriott Bethesda North Hotel.