Synthetic Biology Today and Tomorrow: The Way Entrepreneurs and Visionaries Want the World to Be
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Event Preview
Our February program will focus on the entrepreneurial opportunities and challenges of building a business based on synthetic biology. “Synthetic biology” is the term that has come to mean the development of fundamental building blocks that can be used to create biological elements with predictable characteristics, but which do not exist in nature. Early commercial applications include microbes created with synthetic biology techniques and already used as sources of alternative fuel sources. However, the frontier will be the engineering of biological elements that can be used in medicine. That will take large, risky investments, and long periods of time, and it will raise a variety of issues of ethics and how to regulate the new technology appropriately.
Our panelists will include a mix of entrepreneurially-oriented academics who are pushing the envelope, business executives who are already immersed in developing and selling the building blocks and experts in the finance and future regulation of those emerging businesses. The program will highlight how the leading edge of research will turn into entrepreneurial opportunities that will transform medicine.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Animesh Ray
Professor, Faculty Chair, Director of the PhD Program, Director of the Center for Network Studies
Keck Graduate Institute
www.kgi.edu
Animesh Ray applies systems biology approaches to studying chromosome dynamics, imprinting, and gene regulation. His laboratory has co-discovered and patented a gene that is central to micro-RNA metabolism in plants. He has been a pioneer in computing with molecules, and has designed the first artificial logic circuits with DNA. His current research focus is on deciphering and analyzing complex gene-regulatory networks and their evolutionary mechanisms.
For the past five years Ray was a member of the annual site visit panel of the National Science Foundation’s Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center (SynBERC). The Center is located at UC Berkeley, with MIT, Harvard, UCSF and Stanford as participating institutions. In this capacity he interacted with industry leaders who are participating in various capacities with SynBERC.
Dr. Ray conducted research on molecular mechanisms of homologous recombination at the Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, and in the Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was also a faculty member at the University of Rochester, an adjunct professor at the UC San Diego, a visiting professor at Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, and also at the University of Hyderabad in India. Dr. Ray also worked as a research director at a startup plant biotechnology company in San Diego while on sabbatical leave from the University of Rochester, and served on the Scientific Advisory Board of a venture fund company, Finistere Partners, LLC.
He currently teaches courses on molecular systems biology that includes the logic and methods of gene function discovery and the application of this work to human therapeutics, molecular mechanisms of diseases, and the impact of personal genomics on human health. He is the director of KGI’s PhD program and also of the Center for Network Studies. Professor Ray earned his PhD in microbial genetics from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.
Panelists
Dr. Animesh Ray
Professor, Faculty Chair, Director of the PhD Program, Director of the Center for Network Studies
Keck Graduate Institute
www.kgi.edu
Jaime Humara
Global Manager, Cloning and DNA Assembly
Life Technologies Corporation
www.lifetechnologies.com
Jaime M Humara obtained his Ph.D. in Plant Genetic Engineering from the University of Oviedo (Spain) in 1998. His thesis was aimed at developing transgenic pine trees resistant to insect attack. Soon after that he started his postdoctoral studies at Purdue University (Indiana) working on the molecular interactions between plant cells and pathogenic bacteria. In 2001 he was hired as a Senior Scientist by JR Simplot in Boise, Idaho to develop intellectual property enabling novel transformation systems for plants as well as leading a production lab geared towards the commercialization of improved varieties of potato through genetic engineering.
After over 20 scientific publications, Jaime decided to leave the bench and moved to San Diego to join Life Technologies. In the last 5 years, Jaime has managed global custom and catalog businesses within the Genomics Sector for the company. Since 2009 he has been focused on Strategy and Development for Synthetic Biology and launched the first DNA assembly tools in the market for this space with applications both in the research and applied markets.
Dr. Rajendra Deshpande
Senior Director, Emerging Technologies
Corporate Office of Science and Technology
Johnson & Johnson
www.jnj.com
Raj is a Senior Director in the Corporate Office of Science and Technology at Johnson & Johnson. Based in California, he is responsible for identifying on the West Coast the early, innovative approaches to improving human healthcare. He has been in the healthcare industry since 15 years, and has held a succession of leadership roles in Research & Development at Johnson & Johnson, Amgen, and Pfizer. Raj has authored several worldwide and international patent applications and peer reviewed scientific publications. Raj was a post-doctoral research fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He has a Ph.D. in Immunology, a Master of Science in Medical Microbiology, and a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology.
Ira D. Moskatel
Arnold & Porter LLP
www.arnoldporter.com
Ira D. Moskatel, practices law at Arnold & Porter LLP in Los Angeles, where he focuses on the representation of businesses that depend on intellectual property or technology, with emphasis in licensing, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances. Ira was a founder of Teradata Corporation, a manufacturer of massive parallel database computers (acquired by AT&T several years after a major public offering), and served as a member of the Board of Directors of Peter Norton Computing, Inc. before its acquisition by Symantec. He is a past chair of the Caltech/MIT Enterprise forum and has served as Chair of the Law and Technology Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has lectured and written extensively for major publications on legal aspects of technology, electronic commerce and data security.
Moderator
Russell M. Frandsen
Attorney at Law
The Business Legal Group
www.businesslegalgroup.com
Mr. Frandsen has over 32 years experience with the major corporate law firms in Los Angeles, including Reed Smith LLP and Squire Sanders & Dempsey LLP. In June 2007, Mr. Frandsen established his own law office in Pasadena. During the course of his practice, Mr. Frandsen has developed expertise in five practice areas: Corporations, Corporate Finance and Securities and Corporate Transactions; Real Estate; Technology, Biotechnology and Medical Devices; Venture Capital; Taxation and Retail and Consumer businesses.
In particular, Mr. Frandsen has an established record of accomplishment and well-regarded reputation in high technology companies, entrepreneurial businesses and venture capital investing. In this connection, he has handled numerous technology start-up firms, mergers and acquisitions, federal and state securities law issues, including public and private securities offerings, intellectual property licensing and technology transfers, technology joint ventures, securing and protecting trade secrets and intellectual property and related general business problems. Mr. Frandsen has served as outside general counsel to a number of clients in the high technology field.
Mr. Frandsen has advised a range of clients which includes individuals and companies involved in such diverse technological activities as biotechnology and pharmaceutical development, medical devices, solar energy and green technology, Internet commerce sites, Internet access companies, uranium enrichment through laser diffusion technology, industrial acoustic imaging, document imaging, storage, and retrieval through systems integration and proprietary software development, electronically controlled and metered fuel injection systems for internal combustion engines, pressure and temperature sensors, optical data storage, proprietary computer board manufactures, carbon, fiber and other composite material, molding technology, solar energy development, fluid control valves for the semiconductor industry, high performance general aviation aircraft engines, piezo electric telephone switching technology, data base search engine software, Internet software, medical software, web site software, optical filters, multiplexing and demultiplexing telecommunications devices, genetic diagnostic tools, domestic and foreign technology, licensing agreements among others.
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating awarded by Martindale-Hubbell for integrity and professional expertise.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS: American Bar Association – Section of Business Law, Section of Taxation, Section of Law, Science and Technology, Section of International Law, Section of Real Property Law. State Bar of California – Section of Business Law, Section of Taxation, Section of International Law, Section of Intellectual Property, and Section of Real Property Law. Caltech MIT Enterprise Forum (Executive Committee, Chair 1998-2000; 2003-2007)
Producers
Russell M. Frandsen
Attorney at Law
The Business Legal Group
www.businesslegalgroup.com
Stephanie Yanchinski
SCY & Associates+
Stephanie C. Yanchinski currently administers the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum, a unique program in Los Angeles which is celebrating 25 years of assisting entrepreneurs to start their new ventures. She was formerly the founding Executive Director of Entretech, a highly respected non-profit assisting the growth of technology companies in Southern California. Over her eight year involvement with Entretech the organization grew from a founding Board of six people to a membership base of close to 250 organizations. Entretech helped companies raise over $1.5 million in financing. She launched a novel Strategic Partnering Program, matching entrepreneurial ventures with Big Corp participants, which was broadly applied to aerospace, biotechnology, energy and the new materials industries.
Stephanie Yanchinski currently works with cities in their strategic planning for growing tech clusters and completed a major study on behalf of Caltech and the City of Pasadena. She advises and implements strategies to assist large corporations wishing to partner with technology ventures. She is affiliated with Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL), California’s premier Health and Technology Executive Membership Organization, where she facilitates mentoring programs for executives.
An award-winning writer and marketing and communications specialist, Ms. Yanchinski successfully built and managed a business consulting company serving a diverse clientele in the high tech arena. She takes particular pride in the many start-up ventures that used her services to attract finance and partners. Here, her intuitive sense of how business works added value and credibility. First established in London UK, she operated successfully in Europe, Singapore and Toronto. In Toronto, she drove the foundation stages of a $20 million medical science incubator, located in the downtown core and ran a $1.5 million CEO mentoring and training program. She was an early founder, and leading Board member of Canada’s largest and most successful biotechnology industry association.
A graduate of McGill University in Canada, Stephanie C. Yanchinski trained as a scientist and pursued medical research in hormone metabolism in Canada and the UK, where she earned a second degree before turning to a career in science journalism. She worked for the leading British science publication New Scientist as Biosciences Editor, where she won Britain’s foremost prize for science reporting. As European Bureau Chief for McGraw Hill’s newsletter Biotechnology Newswatch, and through her writings for Business Week, the Financial Times newspaper, The Times and Guardian newspapers, and European investment newsletters, she tracked the emergence of the biotechnology industry in Europe. She authored Setting Genes to Work, (Penguin Press) and The Biotechnology Revolution, (Lutterworth), two books on the early development of the biotechnology industry.
Ira D. Moskatel
Arnold & Porter LLP
www.arnoldporter.com
Rogelio Nochebuena
President
Nochebuena R&D
Rogelio is President of Nochebuena R&D, a small consulting organization based in Pasadena, CA. His primary industry focus is breakthrough technologies and devices. He is also a Sr. Consultant for MindForce Consulting an international network of consultants that specialize in conducting Technology Assessment and Commercialization of Intellectual Property for companies that range from global telecommunication providers to national laboratories.
Mr. Nochebuena’s areas of expertise include semiconductors design and processing, flexible and lean manufacturing, business strategy, marketing, new product development, and managing R&D.
He is a proven business strategist having assisted companies to expand operations, create additional sources of revenue; and has also worked on divestitures and evaluated M&A deals. He has strong expertise in increasing market share and improving the new product development process, an area where he has demonstrated a consistent ability to introduce novel technologies and design new products and services.
Mr. Nochebuena has more than 20 years of experience in high technology; he has worked in Fortune 100 as well as start-ups, including Agilent Technologies, Xerox Corp, Perkin-Elmer, Carl Zeiss, etc. Having the correct mixture of physical and biological sciences, and has been involved in the development of a variety of projects; serving in senior technical and marketing positions.
While working at world famous Xerox PARC, Rogelio was tutored in Nanotechnology by Prof. Cal Quate the co-inventor of the Atomic Force Microscope, since then he has been involved in a variety of projects that include super capacitors using Nanolaminates, organic nanotubes, and avant-garde Photovoltaics (CIG/CIGS, CdTe and solar concentrators). He holds several patents in lasers and quantum electronics. He also wrote a newsletter with global reach for JETRO on the effect that Nanotechnology has on Biotech, Energy, etc. and a new series on Technology Innovation.
Rogelio is an Executive Coach for Japanese companies that want to enter the US Market where he assists them to write Business Plans, create and execute their Strategy and prepares them to raise capital from Angel and VC’s. He frequently conducts technology assessment and due diligence projects for the Angel Community in: medical devices, advanced materials and photovoltaics and energy storage technologies.
Mr. Nochebuena got his BSEE from National Polytechnic Institute and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University; he holds a MBA from Pepperdine University.
He has spoken in a number of panels in local and international seminars and conferences; he is member of the Executive Committee for the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum and held the position of Chapter Vice-Chair for the IEEE Laser and Electro-Optics Society Los Angeles Chapter. He is an Adjunct Professor of Business Strategy at Pepperdine University.
Date
Saturday morning, February 12, 2011
Registration and Continental Breakfast:
8:00 a.m. Baxter Lecture Hall
Program:
9:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. at Baxter Lecture Hall
Networking:
11:15 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Baxter Lecture Hall
Location
Baxter Lecture Hall
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
Directions/Maps: Directions to the Forum
Cost
$40 on-line registration fee. $50 at-the-door. $10 for students with full-time student ID (must show at door).
Registrations are taken on-line until 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 10, 2011. There are no refunds for no-shows.
Event Sponsor
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Christie, Parker & Hale, LLP |
Founding Sponsors
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Caltech Industrial Relations Center |
| Caltech Alumni Association | |
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MIT Alumni Association |
Operating Sponsor
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Caltech Office of Technology Transfer |
