Which San Diego biotech companies have the potential to rewrite the history of medicine? Who are the brightest young scientific entrepreneurs at San Diego’s research centers? What does this place have going for it that other biotech hubs around the world don’t?
Yes, you can say I’m a little excited. These are some of the questions we’re going to dig into at the big event Xconomy San Diego is organizing for Monday, Dec. 14. The keynote speakers include David Baltimore, the Nobel Laureate and Caltech biology professor, and John Maraganore, the CEO of Cambridge, MA-based Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]), a leader in the emerging field of RNA interference treatments.
While those speakers can talk about what they see happening around the world in biotech, we will also feature some of the most exciting local companies that are making their names on the global stage. We’ll hear 15-minute presentations from Paul Grayson, the CEO of Fate Therapeutics, a leader in stem cell biology; Troy Wilson, the CEO of Intellikine, a pioneer in making drugs for cancer and immune disorders; as well as Kleanthis Xanthopoulos, CEO of Regulus Therapeutics, a leader in microRNA therapies.
The other part of the event that I can’t leave out will be a panel discussion featuring a few of the brightest young scientists at San Diego’s research centers who have a keen eye for applying their ideas in the business world. They are Sheng Ding, a professor of chemistry at The Scripps Research Institute; Trey Ideker, the chief of genetics at the UCSD School of Medicine; and Peter Kuhn, an associate professor of cell biology at Scripps. This panel will be moderated by David Kabakoff, executive-in-residence at Sofinnova Ventures
There are still tickets available for this event, and you can find out all the details you need to know about registering by clicking here. The full agenda is available here, too. I’ll be there as the emcee, and I’ll be roaming around the room with a microphone to give you a chance to ask questions you’d like to put to these biotech luminaries. I look forward to seeing you there Monday.
