It may be freezing in New York, but that doesn’t apply to a biotech scene that continues to gain steam.
No, biotech in the Big Apple isn’t yet the bubbling cluster you’ll find in Boston or San Francisco; there is much work still to be done. But if you take a look across various areas of the ecosystem—from startup initiatives, to basic research, to homegrown big biotechs—you’ll see several pieces are in place. A new environment of collaboration has taken hold, laying the groundwork for the formation of a startup culture, and for the city to take advantage of its research and financial might to turn its scientific ideas into a commercial reality. And yes, for the city to capitalize on President Obama’s precision medicine plan with one of the most sizeable genomics efforts in the country.
But who are the key architects behind this movement? What lessons can they bestow on the next generation of New York biotech entrepreneurs trying to succeed here? And how can the city’s life science scene take the next step in its transformation?
Join Xconomy as we tackle these issues and more at our latest event, “New York’s Life Science Disruptors,” on March 12 at the Alexandria Center for Life Science at East River Science Park. We’ve put together a series of candid, interactive discussions with some of the region’s biggest biotech names.
Here are some of the names you’ll see:
George Yancopoulos: Scientific founder and chief scientific officer of Tarrytown, NY-based Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:REGN]]). Yancopoulos is a principal inventor of Regeneron’s three FDA-approved drugs, and helped launch the Regeneron Genetics Center, which aims to sequence DNA from some 100,000 volunteers.
Robert Darnell: President and CEO of the New York Genome Center, a collaborative effort between 12 of the region’s big research institutions.
Thong Le: CEO of Accelerator Corp., which invests in early-stage biotechs and just opened a New York branch last year.
Misti Ushio: Managing director of New York venture firm Harris & Harris Group, and boardmember of Accelerator-NYC.
Sam Waksal: Chairman and Founder of New York-based Kadmon, and the former president and CEO of ImClone Systems.
You can get your tickets here, and there’s still time to grab some at our discounted Saver rate if you register by Feb. 19. Looking forward to seeing you all at the Alexandria Center on March 12.
