As BIO celebrates its 25-year anniversary, the upcoming BIO International Convention June 4-7 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center will highlight the organization’s past and imagine the future. With the theme and tagline, “make history”, BIO 2018 will be remembered for its high-profile speakers, over 16,000 attendees, 1,800 exhibitors, record breaking partnering meetings, stellar education program, global pavilions and super fun networking events.

The first keynote speaker was announced today: TV’s Robin Roberts. A well-known broadcast journalist, Roberts has conducted interviews with countless newsmakers, musicians, authors, athletes and celebrities. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2007. Five years later after beating cancer, she was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare disease of the blood and bone marrow once known as pre-leukemia. Roberts underwent a bone marrow transplant in September 2012 and has become an outspoken advocate for bone marrow donations and blood cancer research. The keynote session, will be held Tuesday, June 5 from 9-10:30 AM (EST).

Why Boston?

As the world’s epicenter of biotechnology innovation, Boston – which last hosted BIO in 2012 – is the prime location for BIO 2018. The city is home to nearly 1,000 biotech companies, academic centers, hospitals and life science centers advancing breakthrough research and product development. Over the last decade, Massachusetts has become a powerhouse for industry growth, with a 30 percent increase in jobs and no signs of slowing down. At last year’s convention, Governor Charlie Baker unveiled a 5-year, $500 million plan to increase infrastructure, research and development, and workforce training to continue building upon Massachusetts’ scientific excellence.

What to Expect

Registration is open for this year’s event, which promises to be the most comprehensive biotech convention in the world. BIO 2018 will offer:

• Nineteen educational tracks, covering all sectors of biotechnology including genome editing, opioids, digital health, oncology, personalized medicine, food and agriculture and more.
• Discussions by top thought leaders from:
  

  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – Dr. Penny Heaton and Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann
  • Food and Drug Administration – Dr. Scott Gottlieb
  • Novartis – Dr. Jay Bradner
  • Merck – Kevin Ali, Dr. Christine Brennan, Dr. Julie Gerberding and Michael Nally
  • Sanofi – Dr. Heather Bell, Dr. Justin Huddleson, Dr. Adam Keeney and Stephen Meunier
  • Kraft Group and New England Patriots President – Jonathan Kraft

• Engaging exhibits such as the Patient Advocacy Pavilion, Emerging Innovators Zone, Digital Health Zone, and Start-Up Stadium – a “Shark Tank”-like program where startups present to leading subject-matter experts in the industry.

Networking

BIO 2018 will play host to countless networking and partnering opportunities including receptions on Monday and Wednesday and Hospitality receptions on the exhibit floor at the end of the day on Tuesday.

Party-goers for Wednesday’s evening reception will be entertained by no other than DIANA ROSS!

Receptions are great for networking but BIO’s proprietary One-on-One Partnering™ program holds the key to making the right connections and building relationships-and it opens next week. The system allows attendees to identify potential partners and schedule meetings prior to the conference. In 2017, there were over 41,400 individual meetings held over the course of four days. Anyone registered for Convention Access + Partnering can use the system and the chances for getting the meetings you want improve the earlier you log in and set up your company profile.

Scheduling

With proper planning, in just four critical days, you can set up a full year of business connections, partnering possibilities and exposure to many innovations for the future of biotech. BIO offers a variety of programming, connection points and networking resources to ensure success. Begin by outlining your organization’s objectives (and a few personal ones too) and start evaluating how you can make the most of your time at BIO.

All of this points to Boston as the place to be from June 4-7 for you to “make history” with promising partnerships.  To learn more about the event and available registration packages, please visit convention.bio.org/register.

Like many mothers, Allison Bernstein was overwhelmed with the information about what makes food safe. So overwhelmed, in fact, she thought “everything was killing us, and everything was destroying her.”

However, that all changed when she started working at a toxicology lab, where the science around biotechnology cannot be misconstrued by the internet or the organic industry.

In a recent piece for the Lansing State Journal, reporter RJ Wolcott profiles Bernstein’s journey from science skeptic, influenced by misinformation perpetuated by the organic industry, to science advocate, engaging in healthy debate and providing education on biotechnology and GMOs through her blog Mommy, Ph.D.

Even in the wake of threats against her and her family, Bernstein continues to be a vocal critic of unscientific practices.

Alison Bernstein used to be a “fear-based mom.”

In the documentary “Science Moms,” she described feeling overwhelmed with dread that the food she brought from the store could have life-long impacts on her daughter.

Then, Bernstein got a job in a toxicology lab at Emory University in Atlanta.

“I thought I was going to go there and find out that everything was killing us and everything was destroying her.”

Instead, the experience helped her put exposure to various chemicals into the larger context of everyday life. For instance, she said, the same chemical that prompted outrage over its use as an artificial coloring in pumpkin spice lattes – 4-MEI – is naturally present in coffee, soy sauce, beer and bread.

Bernstein, who now works as an assistant professor of translational science and molecular medicine at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine in Grand Rapids, didn’t find that level of nuance and understanding online.

She found bloggers relying on their experience as mothers to make unscientific claims about the dangers of genetically engineered crops and vaccines.

“Pseudoscience and anti-science stuff provides really simple, easy answers,” Bernstein said. “It gives a clear boogeyman, like GMOs or vaccines, and a clear solution, and that is much easier to deal with.”

She decided to reserve a tongue-in-cheek name on Facebook for her own blog – Mommy, PhD. – in 2011, though she didn’t start writing it in earnest until a few years later.

“I welcome discussion,” Bernstein wrote under her rules section. “In fact, I love a good discussion about science. But I do not tolerate trolls.”

Challenging unscientific views online comes at a cost.

When Bernstein started blogging about GMOs and vaccines, she got messages wishing cancer upon her and her children. She asked her family to restrict their social media visibility out of fear that they would get harassed, too.

It hasn’t stopped her from being a vocal critic of unscientific practices. She sees real value in being both a mother with relatable interests who also can speak with authority on these topics.

“I think most people don’t have time to spend time reading the scientific literature, but it helps to know someone who is like them, someone they can trust, someone who is an expert also, has formed an opinion about something and can back it up if asked.”

Bernstein was asked by her Pilates instructor last fall about a poster hung inside the studio that highlighted produce with purportedly high levels of pesticides. Her instructor asked whether she trusted it. Bernstein said no, and after a two-minute conversation about why not, the instructor took the poster down.

“She didn’t want piles of data,” Bernstein said. “She just wanted to know that someone she knows and trusts, who is a scientist and has some knowledge of this, doesn’t trust it.”

Bernstein joined her fellow Science Moms last week for the first Michigan screening of the film at MSU.

Wearing a blue Science Moms necklace, she sat in front of a classroom of two dozen people and talked about her experiences bringing scientific understanding into online debates.

“She brings that science background and expertise but also communicates it so well,” said Natalie Newell, the filmmaker behind “Science Moms”. “I’m not an expert in science at all, but I can listen to her and understand what she’s saying and she’s a person I wanted in front of parents who might have fears.”

Bernstein also gets her daughters involved with her work. She uses her oldest’s Legos for comics, most recently introducing the villain Sue Doe Syence.

Her daughter even drew her a picture of a troll that she could use whenever someone attempted to subvert the comment section of the blog.

“Don’t feed the trolls” is one of Bernstein’s favorite adages.

One incident from 2015 was particularly upsetting for Bernstein and fellow science mom Kavin Senapathy, an author and co-executive director of March Against Myths, an organization that fights against misinformation.

Both of them are “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fans. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy on the television show, was among several celebrities who came out in favor of labeling GMOs out of concern for their potential impact on consumers.

Bernstein and Senapathy were among several scientists, farmers and science writers who put out an open letter in response. It read, in part, “Please, don’t co-opt motherhood and wield your fame to oppose beneficial technologies like genetic engineering.”

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released a far-reaching report the following year that reaffirmed, in part, “no substantiated evidence that foods from (genetically engineered) crops were less safe than foods from non-GE crops.”

Still, the labeling GMOs movement persists, and labels saying that no GMOs were used in a given product can be found on products ranging from Cheerios to Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

Worse than the anti-GMO advocates are the anti-vaccine proponents, Bernstein said. It was the measles outbreak in California in 2015 that pushed her to be more vocal as a mother and scientist.

She remembers being a graduate student at Washington University when Jenny McCarthy first started propagating the idea that vaccines were dangerous and linked to autism in the mid-to-late 2000s. The research underpinning McCarthy’s view has long since been discredited, but anti-vax beliefs continue to persist online.

Had scientists come out strongly against those claims earlier, maybe it wouldn’t have gotten so popular, Bernstein said.

Kristina Kamensky, a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering at MSU who came to the film screening, knows that challenge first-hand. Her father frequently uses cayenne pepper mixes rather than prescribed blood thinners. He doesn’t trust conventional medicine, which is concerning to Kamensky. Seeing Bernstein and her fellow Science Moms tackle misinformation is heartening, she said.

“It’s encouraging that success can happen after brief conversations with people.”

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Emerging solutions are striving to find ways to combat disparaging financial management data.

Spotlight on Tomorrow’s Leaders is a series of guest blogs from young science professionals attending the BIO International Convention in Boston, MA. Today’s guest is Erin Conn, PhD candidate, Georgetown University.

Equal Opportunity in Academia

As a PhD student in Cell Biology at Georgetown University, I’m constantly asked “what’s next” in terms of my career path in STEM. If you asked me that question as I was entering my program, I would have told you that I couldn’t wait to become a tenure-track faculty member of a reputable academic institution and continue my work studying pediatric cancers. However, over my four years in academic research, I’ve learned the reality that new PhDs face upon graduating: jobs in academia are not readily available for new PhDs and, for the few that do exist, they are not equally accessible to everyone.

One thing I wish I could change about the field of science is the culture of academia and the attitudes surrounding graduate students who make the decision to leave academia to pursue a career in science elsewhere. Many training programs encourage students to follow the traditional academic pipeline of scientific careers-graduate school, to postdoc, to tenure-track faculty-without mention of other potential career paths, even though there are not enough tenure-track positions to support all PhDs. The lack of available positions is causing PhDs to leave academia at higher rates than ever, yet training opportunities somehow remain tailored for academia. Rather than adapt to the shift in order to better prepare trainees for a variety of career options, many programs and faculty continue to push the traditional career path onto their students. The discordance between what is encouraged and what is realistic has led many students to feel like they are not cut out to be scientists, and may eventually lead to them leaving the field altogether. This means that we as a society could potentially be missing out on important contributions from great scientists.

I strongly believe that the field of science must be inclusive and foster the ability to be creative in our work, but because the current academic job market is so competitive, promotion of inclusive practices is limited and job opportunities are not equally accessible to all. Women in particular face an additional set of challenges when pursuing a career in academic science. Data from several studies show that women are less likely to be perceived as competent, less likely to receive federally funded grants, and less likely to achieve positions of leadership within academia. What’s even more distressing is that men are less likely to acknowledge the gender bias and discrimination that does exist. The odds are already stacked against newly-minted PhDs, and they are stacked even higher against women. As I near graduation, I have made the decision to leave academia due to the lack of prospective job opportunities and the volume of gender-based discrimination that I have experienced and witnessed in the academic community at large.

After a series of alarming gender-bias related incidents at my university, I realized that advocating for women in STEM is a passion I need to pursue. I founded Georgetown University Women in Science and Education (WISE) with the goals of starting the discussion on how we can address the issues women face and elevating and empowering women scientists so they can achieve their full potential. In our first six months, we’ve raised funds from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and obtained matched funding from the Georgetown University administration. This semester, we are hosting a series of events that connect students across disciplines with one another to create an extended network of support and awareness of gender-bias on campus. We’ve also launched a new campaign to ensure that every graduate program includes information on the university’s Title IX policies as a part of new student orientation. We provide students with workshops to develop the skills and access resources they need in order to be successful in any career they choose, not just a career in academic science. We are measuring our impact on campus culture at every stage and plan to report our approach and results upon the completion of our AAUW grant.

I am thrilled to have this opportunity to share my perspective on the struggles of up-and-coming women scientists with the biotechnology community. One of my goals in attending the BIO International Convention is to get a first-hand look at the opportunities that are available for soon-to-be PhDs such as myself. I am looking forward to learning more about how we can better inform graduate students of all of their career options in science–not just in academia. I’m also excited to learn more about the culture of the biotechnology industry and how it compares to academia in terms of diversity and inclusion, particularly in regard to women in STEM.

Attending the BIO International Convention will be such a unique opportunity for me as a graduate student, and I’m certain that my experience will help shape my career trajectory and enable me to communicate back to my peers about the options available after graduation. While finishing my degree, I am doing what I can through WISE to bring about positive change to my institution and make academia less discriminatory towards women. I’m hopeful that I can use my experience and skills to make science across academia and other sectors more accessible and inclusive for future generations of scientists.

About the author: Erin Conn attends Georgetown University as a PhD Candidate, studying Cell Biology with a focus on Ewing Sarcoma. She is also the founder of Women in Science and Education (WISE) at Georgetown, a group formed to start the discussion on addressing the issues women face and elevating and empowering women scientists so they can achieve their full potential.

Follow Erin on Social!

Twitter: @erinjconn (personal)

@georgetownWISE (Women in Science and Education)

Instagram: @notthattypeofdoctor

The future of biotechnology rests squarely on the shoulders of today’s students. To foster an interest in life sciences and to encourage students who are pursuing related careers, the BIO International Convention will be hosting Free Student Day on Wed, June 6 offering complimentary registration to students seeking careers in biotechnology and pharma.

Novel collaborations between industry and academia are driving the commercialization of the next generation of biomedical cures. BIO One-on-One Partnering^TM, BIO Executive Training Programs, Biotechnology Entrepreneurship Boot Camp, and technology transfer programming at BIO 2018 will play a pivotal role in advancing industry-university relationships.

As the world’s largest biotechnology event, BIO provides several specialized opportunities for the academic and tech transfer community, plus significant registration discounts. The BIO International Convention attracts 16,000+ of the most influential biotech and pharma players from 74 countries, offering powerful business partnering, networking and education that go far beyond professional development.

The academic and tech transfer panelists will be Stephen J. Sasalka, CEO of AUTM, Hassan Naqvi, Associate Director of Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, and Sunita Malhotra, Director of Academics AbbVie. Learn about the exciting opportunities for students interested in attending #BIO2018, and how collaborations between industry and academia drive innovation and advance new therapies.

The webinar will take place at 2 pm EST/11 am PST on Wednesday, March 28, 2018. Reserve your spot or request a recording .

This post is part of BIO’s yearlong, bi-weekly series called Flashback Friday, highlighting newsletter stories from BIO’s past.  To learn more about BIO’s history and our 25^thAnniversary visit our interactive historical timeline.

Reprinted from BIONews, August/September 1997

BIO ’97 was held in Houston, TX.  The opening party featured BIO staff members riding in on horseback carrying a “Biotechnology Industry Organization” flag.

We make no promises that there will be horses at BIO2018, but we can guarantee Diana Ross!

Recent announcements that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) plans to allow the listing of pre-revenue biotech companies onto it’s stock exchange has potential to yield significant changes for the global biotech industry. This significant announcement reinforces Hong Kong’s commitment to play a key role in the global biotech ecosystem capable of nurturing companies from development through commercialization stages.

The February 23, 2018 announcement seeking consultation on new rules expanding the listing regime boosts Hong Kong Exchange’s attractiveness for emerging biotech companies. Allowing pre-revenue companies to list on HKEX sends the message that Hong Kong is ready for a dynamic and creative biotech boom.

But what does this really mean for the sector?

After the final round of consultation ends on March 23, 2018, HKEX will publish final conclusions and rulings for pre-revenue biotech listings. A primary benefit of the HKEX ruling will allow for second listings on exchanges. This means all companies that are currently listed on other international exchanges may also seek listing on HKEX. Ultimately this helps companies expand access to public financing.

Garnering investment for biotech projects is challenging for many in the industry regardless of the region. Accordingly, allowing for a second listing may provide legitimacy and aid companies in attracting additional investment to move their product through production. The HKEX ruling supports increasing the collaboration between Chinese and global companies with hopes of expanding the growth that’s already in motion.

But why now?

Over the past 25 years, Hong Kong has been inspired by the Biotech Revolution that swept the early 1980s. Over the past 10-15 years specifically, the Hong Kong biotech investment climate has been particularly challenging. The attrition rate for biotech entrepreneurs seeking financing has been very high with limited success stories.

However, the past 5 years have yielded a new turn for the region’s biotech investment climate. Hong Kong’s biotech industry has become increasingly attractive due to expanding efforts to globalize its industries. More and more, stories of companies finding success after years of financial struggles signaled big changes for the industry.

Hong Kong’s biotech investment climate has improved because there has been a refocused need from government and social enterprises to support healthcare issues. Healthcare has been pushed to forefront and has become increasingly valued across Hong Kong and mainland China.

Another reason for this shift towards biotech has been due to the demands of investors themselves.  With a history of strong investment culture, specifically focused on real estate, more and more investors are looking to diversify. Since entering the biotech sector in the early 1990s, sector growth in Hong Kong has been steady, with steady investment streams from  both public and private stakeholders.

Now in the 21^st century, investors are seeking to diversify and find innovative industries with high potential. Accessibility of pre-revenue biotech companies to list on HKEX allows increased engagement between companies and potential investors. With this new announcement, the strength of its Science & Technology Parks, Hong Kong’s strategic geographic location, and accessibility to the Chinese market Hong Kong is ready for increased biotech business.

Interest in the Hong Kong biotech market is booming and the new HKEX announcement will only aid in developing the sector. With increased investment and increased potential for collaborative partnering, there is great opportunity for Hong Kong’s industry. This potential can already be seen in Hong Kong’s engagement across industry events.

In 2018, as Hong Kong celebrates over 10 years exhibiting at the 2018 BIO International Convention this June in Boston, we look forward to learning more how Hong Kong’s new policy can help fuel biotech innovation both in Asia and abroad. We also invite you to learn more about China’s biotech hubs at the China Summit @ BIO International on Monday, June 4 of the BIO International Convention. Join us for a half-day program to explore China’s regulatory changes, investment trends, and cross-border collaborations in the life sciences sector.

To learn more about Hong Kong’s new HKEX ruling, we hope you tune in to BIO’s President and CEO James Greenwood keynote address to the global investment community on Thursday, March 22^nd at the inaugural HKEX Biotech Summit, as he highlights the global biotech landscape and how collaborations in Hong Kong are helping to make history.

Today we celebrate #NationalAgDay. Started in 1973 by the Agriculture Council of America, National Ag Day celebrates the abundance provided by U.S. agriculture. More recently, the annual national celebration has stretched into a #NationalAgWeek. To help you join in the celebration, we’ve listed below things happening around Capitol Hill all week in honor of American Agriculture:

Tuesday, March 20: Agriculture Secretary Perdue Participating in National Ag Day Events

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue will participate in three events today to commemorate National Ag Day. First, Perdue will introduce Vice President Mike Pence at USDA, who will deliver remarks commemorating President Trump’s National Ag Day Proclamation. Perdue will then head over to the National Press Club to deliver National Ag Day remarks. Finally, tonight Secretary Perdue will be honored with the Abraham Lincoln Vision Award from the National 4-H Council.

Wednesday, March 21: Agri-Pulse Ag & Food Policy Summit

Agri-Pulse holds its Ag & Food Policy Summit this Wednesday at the Hyatt Recency Hotel in Washington, D.C. in honor of National Ag Week. The all-day event will focus on agriculture and food policy and is headlined by some big names in the agriculture sector, including:

• Zippy Duvall, President, American Farm Bureau
• Roger Johnson, President, National Farmers Union
• Ted McKinney, Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, USDA
• Chairman Pat Roberts, Senate Agriculture Committee
• Senator Debbie Stabenow, Ranking Member, Senate Agriculture Committee
• Sara Wyant, Editor, Agri-Pulse

For more information about the event and to register, click here.

Thursday, March 22: CAST Panel Discussion on Regulatory Barriers to the Development of Innovative Agricultural Biotechnology  

This Thursday, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) will be hosting a presentation and discussion, cohosted by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, on the regulatory challenges facing universities and small businesses when it comes to developing innovations. The presentation and discussion will be led by Dr. Alan McHughen, CE Biotechnology Specialist and Geneticist form the University of California, Riverside. For more information and to register to attend, visit the event page here.

Be on the lookout for more content and information about National Ag Day by following #NationalAgDay on Twitter and Facebook.

Joel Embiid turned up in a BIG way for his 24th birthday — dropping 12 RACKS on alcohol and partying the night away with smokin’ hot models and 76ers co-owner Michael Rubin!! The boozy bday bash went down at LIV Nightclub at Fontainebleau…

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