The House vote Wednesday coincided with a press conference to tout an upcoming international biotech conference in Boston, which could give Gov.

A new report on Global Beta-Arbutin Market 2018 estimates a decisive analysis for the Beta-Arbutin industry on a international and regional level.

Trace Sheehan, writer and producer of the highly-acclaimed documentary film Food Evolution, will be a keynote speaker at BIO’s International Convention in Boston, the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) announced today.

Since its premier in November 2016, Food Evolution has contributed to a robust discussion about science, facts, and food. The film focuses on the GMO debate because the filmmakers found it to be emblematic of the public misunderstanding about the science of food and food sustainability. In his keynote on Tuesday, June 5, Sheehan will share his experience in making the film and explain how the process influenced his own opinions along the way.

Other food and ag-related programming to note:

On Monday, June 4, BIO will host “One Health Day,” a half-day of speakers and panel discussions focusing on how the One Health concept – the interconnectivity of human, animal and environmental health – can help address today’s greatest challenges. The program starts with a keynote presentation and panel introducing the One Health concept before diving right into an exploration of the business case for One Health with a panel of senior leaders from the private sector. The program also looks to global perspectives on One Health policy development and insights into U.S. government funding and research decisions.

On Tuesday, June 5, a second half-day of programming is dedicated to food and agricultural innovation in our “Food, Health, and Environmental Future Day.” This program, featuring Keynoter Trace Sheehan, will include this series of panel discussions:

• A Two-Part Food Innovation Dialogue: Cutting-Edge Food, Health, & Environmental Products and Tools…Coming to a Grocery Store Near You(?)

  Part 1 looks at the landscape of innovation now and on the horizon, including applications of genome editing in animals and plants, microbes for soil health, and more…

  Part 2 brings the food value chain together in a conversation about consumer preferences and trends around sustainability and transparency, and how the innovations discussed in Part 1 will fit in today’s (and tomorrow’s) marketplace.

• Biotech in Our Backyard: New England’s Booming Food and AgTech Innovation Ecosystem
• AgTech Investment: Opportunities for Plants, Animals, Microbes, and Beyond…

On Wednesday, June 6 and Thursday, June 7, BIO’s 2018 International Convention also features a track dedicated to Genome Editing, including programming about Engaging Our Nation and Our World in the Era of Gene Editing and genome editing as The Next Frontier in Agriculture.

Held in conjunction with BIO, CRISPRCon: Conversations on Science, Society and the Future of Gene Editing will take place on June 4-5 at the Boston Seaport Hotel & World Trade center (Separate registration is required).

The BIO International Convention, the world’s premier life sciences event, will take place at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, June 4-7.  Hosted by BIO, the 2018 event is expected to attract more than 16,000 attendees and 1,800 exhibitors from 74 countries.

Advance media registration is now available for qualified reporters working full time for print, broadcast and web publications with valid press credentials.

“…we not only received important and relevant feedback about our presentation and technologies, we also received solicitations from angel investors…”

The success of the Start-up Stadium, now in its fourth year at the BIO International Convention, is reflected in the increased demand for participation and the number of finalists approved to participate. Designed to provide a forum for a select group of early stage biotech companies-vetted and approved by subject matter experts-to engage with key stakeholders at the beginning of their life-cycle, the popular venue has grown from 30 to 50 participants. There will be a total of six sessions over the four days of the conference and each session will have a winner.

Participants from nine countries and 15 states will engage in an interactive experience before seasoned judges from investment, venture philanthropy, economic development, academia and industry sectors.

Early stage biotech companies face many uphill challenges, not the least of which is where to find the right partners to help turn their promising technology into viable, commercial products. Several years ago, BIO created the Start-up Stadium at the BIO International Convention-the largest annual global gathering of biotechnology professionals.

Much like a reality TV show competition, the event creates a dynamic interplay between the contestants and judges. After delivering a six-minute pitch, the early-stage company receives feedback in real time from hand-picked judges and often continues the relationship beyond the initial meeting at the Convention. In the end, six winners are chosen from among the more than 40 finalists. Most of the start-ups find the experience to be beneficial and a few have agreed to share their stories with us.

This is the third in a series of blogs that highlight Start-up Stadium success stories.

Craig Arnold, President and CEO of Nanopareil LLC

Today we talked with 2017 participant, Craig Arnold, President and CEO of Nanopareil LLC about his Start-up Stadium experience.

BIOtechNOW (BTN): Can you tell us about your start-up?

Nanopareil LLC is a South Dakota based start-up that produces nanofiber membranes for membrane chromatography and other bioseparation/purifications.  The company was founded by two professors, Drs. Todd Menkhaus and Hao Fong on the South Dakota School of Mines Campus.

BTN: Was the Start-Up Stadium platform able to assist you in gaining visibility?

Start-up Stadium proved to be a great venue to introduce our membrane technology to the bio industry for the first time. Immediately following our presentation, we not only received important and relevant feedback about our presentation and technologies, we also received solicitations from angel investors.

BTN: Did you receive constructive live feedback at the Start-Up Stadium from stakeholders and subject matter experts?

The constructive feedback that we received after our Start-up Stadium presentation provided us with immediate reaction and feedback from the subject matter experts that we could not get anywhere else.  Their feedback helped us hone in on our technical presentation as well as our features and benefits.

BTN: How have you implemented any feedback to achieve success and continued growth?

Absolutely, we walked off the stage and immediately began to integrate the feedback we received into our presentation that we used in our One-on-One Partnering meetings. 

BTN: Were your BIO One-on-One Partnering™ meetings successful? Did they generate valuable connections with potential for meaningful partnerships?

Our credibility shot up with our Start-up Stadium presentation and was significantly enhanced with our 1^st place win of Buzz of Bio. Our unknown South Dakota start-up was able to secure more than 20 meetings with top tier biopharma and bioprocessing technology companies from around the world.  The valuable connections we made within the industry began at BIO 2017 and continue to this day.  We continue to have on-going discussions, evaluations and negotiations with multiple companies that understand that membrane chromatography a key component to low-cost, small footprint, highly efficient analysis and bioproduction.

BTN: Although no longer eligible to participate in the Start-Up Stadium, will you be returning the 2018 BIO International Convention in Boston?

The good news is that BIO 2017 was very successful for us and we are well on our way to the commercialization of our membrane chromatography products. As much as we would like to participate in BIO 2018, we are all hands on deck trying to keep up with all of our engagements and business development activities as well as the production of our membranes.  Please save a spot for us in BIO 2019!

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) are the two most active stocks in the Biotechnology industry based …

Mother’s Day couldn’t be during a better time of year. The threat of snow is no longer, giving way to vibrant colors and fragrances stemming (pun intended) from revitalized plant life. Flowers are ripe for harvesting, making the perfect gift for moms around the world. In fact, next to Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day is one of the most popular holidays to gift flowers.

We’ve covered how biotechnology, specifically genetic modification and gene editing, can enhance plants for human or animal consumption, but many probably don’t realize the role biotechnology can play in making sure we have plenty varieties of blooms for Mother’s Day arrangements.

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications (ISAAA) has a page for the many ways biotechnology can improve some of the most popular ornamental flowers, including how some of the more popular flowers have been, or will be, enhanced through genetic modification. Whether it be for color, fragrance or plant architecture, biotechnology plays a key role in making sure we can grow flowers that any mother would love.

Carnation

To date, the “Moon” series from Suntory Limited and Florigene Pty Ltd are the only GM ornamental products commercialized on a significant scale. The Moon series carnations, containing various flower colors, have been commercially available in Australia, European Union, Japan and USA since the late 1990s while Colombia approved them in the early 2000s. In recent years, four new carnations were added to the “Moon” series namely: Moonpearl (lavender), Moonique (purple), Moonberry (light purple) and Moonvelvet (dark purple) carnations. These four recent events have been approved for commercial use in Malaysia in 2012. Carnations with longer vase life have been developed, but were not commercialized.

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum is one of the most important ornamental plants in the world. Like rose and carnation, molecular breeding for the blue chrysanthemum is on-going. Then again, molecular technology has been widely used to improve other aspects of chrysanthemum. These include insect resistance, flower color modifications, abiotic stress resistance, pollination control and altered plant architectures achieved through various transformations techniques. Currently, there are no GM chrysanthemums commercially available yet.

Roses

The most popular transgenic today is the blue rose. This transgenic rose contains three-genes: a synthetic RNA interference gene to shut off the DFR gene, a delphinidin gene from blue pansy, and another DFR gene from iris that had an affinity for producing delphinidin. Although the resulting rose is more lavender than blue, Suntory released the blue rose “APPLAUSE” in Tokyo, Japan in 2009. In November 2011, Suntory introduced the blue rose in North America.

Researchers in Suntory are now considering different approaches, including other bluing factors, for the development of a true blue rose. Fragrance is also a trait being researched on since most of the rose cultivars that came from Hybrid Tea roses have inadvertently lost their fragrance due to the selection, being more focused on vase life and flower form.

Petunia

Currently, the Petunia-CHS, an event with an altered flower color developed by Beijing University, is the lone petunia event commercially available. Ornamental Biosciences in Germany is now focusing on improved abiotic stress resistance, specifically frost tolerance. This would increase the range of environments in which this bedding plant could be grown.

Read the full piece to discover other ways biotechnology is improving ornamental plants, including a comprehensive table of the genes used in GM flowers and their resulting traits.

On June 4^th, thousands of individuals from across the globe will head to Boston – but not for a Red Sox game or a world-famous lobster roll – they’ll be in town for the 2018 BIO International Convention.

It’s not just the packed agenda that will draw nearly 17,000 to attend in Boston this June, it’s BIO One-on-One Partnering™ that helps make Convention the “can’t miss” global event for the biotechnology industry year after year. As BIO continues to celebrate its 25^th anniversary over the course of 2018 by looking back at the many important milestones that have been achieved over the years, we look forward to adding another notch to the belt in an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ attempt while in Boston – the record for the “Largest Business Partnering Meeting” – which is made possible through our industry-leading technology.

BIO One-on-One Partnering™ allows users to efficiently identify potential partners, craft compelling company profiles showcasing their company’s offerings, and communicate with senior business development executives and investors at the touch of a button. In fact, this state-of-the-art platform has proven to be the most efficient way to do business in the biotech and pharma industry without traveling all over the world.

Don’t believe us? Let’s take a look at the numbers:

• BIO’s One-on-One Partnering™ system will facilitate nearly 1,300 partnering meetings per hour during 2018 Convention;
• In 2017, more than 41,400 partnering meetings took place – that’s up 16 percent from 2016 – and BIO anticipates that this number will exceed 45,000 in June;
• 3,500 organizations from nearly 75 countries participated in One-on-One Partnering™ last year; and
• Since 2015, scheduled partnering meetings at Convention have increased by over 40% and the steady growth is expected to continue at this year’s event.

Be a part of history and join us, June 4-7. Attendees can look forward to a keynote address from Robin Roberts, co-anchor of ABC’s Good Morning America, and dozens of fireside chats and breakout sessions with global biotech and pharma leaders who will discuss everything from innovation to the latest trends and topics being debated on Capitol Hill.

To learn more about the event and available registration packages, please visit convention.bio.org/register.

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Una charla magistral acerca de la diversidad versus la inclusión, las reinas creadoras versus princesas que esperan, el lenguaje que empodera o deslegitima, y la necesidad urgente de dejar de etiquetar a las PERSONAS por su genero para acabar con la desigualdad y la brecha laboral y apostar por una sociedad mejor que no perpetua estereotipos basados en sesgos cognitivos.

Cristina Aranda Gutiérrez es cofundadora de Mujeres Tech (asociación sin ánimo de lucro que tiene por objetivo promover iniciativas para aumentar la presencia femenina en el sector digital, y, al mismo tiempo, establecer lazos con hombres dispuestos a generar las mismas posibilidades al talento femenino), Chief Marketing Officer en Intelygenz y una apasionada de la lingüística aplicada (doctora en Lingüística Teórica y Aplicada por la UAM y el I.U.I. Ortega y Gasset).

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx Doctora en Lingüística Teórica y Aplicada por la UAM y el IUI. Ortega y Gasset, licenciada en Filología Hispánica por la UAM, Máster en Internet Business por el ISDI y en Digital Technology for Business Program por IGZ Academy. Chief Marketing Officer en Intelygenz, dedicada al desarrollo de Software y tecnologías con impacto en negocio con sedes en Madrid y San Francisco. Tiene más de 16 años de experiencia en marketing, comunicación y transformación digital con empresas del Ibex35, Top500, Pymes y Startups. Cofundadora de Mujeres Tech, asociación que tiene por objetivo promover iniciativas para aumentar la presencia femenina en el sector digital, Social Innovation Fellow del Meridian Intl. Center y la Embajada de EE.UU. en Madrid, miembro del comité de Mujeres Líderes de América, del Comité de Expertos de Empresas de Base Tecnológica, Startups y Talento de la Comunidad de Madrid y asesora sobre Diversidad en las STEAM de diferentes stakeholders públicos y privados. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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Writing for the National Review, Sally Pipes of the Pacific Research Institute authors a stark warning about the dangers associated with importing drugs from Canada. As Pipes explains:

“[P]atients risk their lives every time they fill prescriptions through online pharmacies that claim to be based in Canada. The risk is even greater now that counterfeiters are lacing many pills with fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times more powerful than heroin. Last July, law enforcement in Alberta seized 130,000 counterfeit pills that contained fentanyl.”

This warning comes in the wake of a recent decision by a U.S. district court in Montana who imposed a $34 million fine on Canada Drugs – an online pharmacy charged with selling counterfeit medications to Americans who were simply unaware of the potential trouble ahead.

Policymakers in Washington are working hard to ensure individuals and families have access to affordable medicines, but allowing these treatments to be imported from abroad is an ill-advised solution that poses significant safety risks.

“Lawmakers in nine states have recently considered bills that would permit American patients or pharmacies to import huge quantities of drugs from Canada. Congressional Democrats, led by Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), are also pushing hard for importation. … If they succeed, the influx of counterfeit drugs could precipitate a public-health catastrophe. Widespread importation would also stifle research and development of legitimate new drugs.”

As BIO has pointed out before, while the Canadian government works to ensure the safety and authenticity of medicines entering their market that are intended for use by patients in Canada, they do not apply those standards for medicines intended for export only.

“Passing legislation to encourage drug importation would expose more Americans to harmful counterfeits,” Pipes continues. “Such laws would also discourage pharmaceutical research and development.”

Read the full op-ed here.