Mid-Atlantic Bio

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Source: Mid-Atlantic Bio

CONTACTS:
Kelly Dieter
Mid-Atlantic Bio
Work: 866-482-7691
Cell: (704) 619-5508 

Major Investor to Address Bioscience Entrepreneurialism in Today’s Economy at the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference

Market Opportunities and Challenges to be Addressed

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2009 – Billionaire bioscience investor and CEO Randal J. Kirk will address the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference, November 4-6, at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center.  Kirk will be a featured plenary speaker at the event which draws more than 800 biotechnology and medical device company-builders and investors from across the mid-Atlantic region and beyond.  Conference attendees will hear Kirk share his views on bioscience entrepreneurialism in today’s challenging global marketplace.

Kirk is the senior managing director and CEO of Third Security, LLC, an investment management firm he founded in 1999.  He is also CEO of Intrexon, a Virginia-based biotech company, and he serves as chairman of Clinical Data, Inc.  In 1996, he founded and served as chairman of New River Pharmaceuticals, which was eventually sold in 2007 to Shire plc for $2.6 billion.

Currently, the global financial crisis continues to impact the biotechnology industry by providing both unique opportunities and daunting challenges.  Access to credit and well-functioning capital markets—both critical to the future prospects of bioscience firms—continues to present challenges for seasoned and start-up companies alike.  At such a critical juncture for the industry, the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Bio provides a timely opportunity for industry leaders to band together to improve the industry’s position by sharing best practices, developing business partnerships, connecting with a broad spectrum of capital sources, and exchanging ideas. 

Now in its fifth year, Mid-Atlantic Bio continues to draw national and international leaders in the bioscience industry, in addition to influential government officials such as senior members of the Obama Administration, Members of Congress, and diplomats.   The conference’s BioMatch experience—a targeted networking platform—enables attendees to make new contacts and explore opportunities with other attendees.

This year’s conference will feature health care policy experts who will share the latest in public policy and regulatory changes that will influence industry innovation and the future direction of many bioscience companies.  By leveraging access to the nation’s policy leaders, Mid-Atlantic Bio provides participants with critical insights necessary in this tough economic climate.

Other conference panels will provide a robust programming line-up with topics on leading innovations and developments within the industry.  Additional prominent scientific, government, and business leaders are expected to address the conference and join the array of luminary alumni keynoters, including the likes of AstraZeneca CEO David Brennan, former MedImmune President and CEO David M. Mott, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., and Nobel Laureate Thomas Cech, Ph.D.

“Mid-Atlantic Bio is a unique event since it is the only globally-focused, yet regionally-based, event to combine components of a bioscience industry convention with an investor conference under one roof,” said Host Committee Member Mark A. Herzog, executive director of Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO).  “Last year’s event featured Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine; Nobel Laureate Kary Mullis; FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach; and, Stuart Rothenberg, editor and publisher of The Rothenberg Political Report, and this year’s conference promises the same high caliber line-up of speakers.“

Last year’s conference included more than 800 national and international industry leaders, government representatives, executives, researchers, investors, entrepreneurs, and service providers—representing 30 states and 10 countries.

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ABOUT MID-ATLANTIC BIO

Mid-Atlantic Bio is co-hosted by the MdBio Division of the Tech Council of Maryland (TCM/MdBio), the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO).  Mid-Atlantic Bio benefits from broad regional support from the investor and greater business communities, academic institutions, government agencies, and partnering regional associations.

The conference convenes a critical mass of public and private stakeholders, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical senior executives, scientists and researchers, academia, policy makers, legislators, and a range of capital sources.  Conference objectives include providing a premiere networking and business development forum, leveraging the Mid-Atlantic’s world-renowned R&D resources and opportunities, and positioning the region’s biotechnology industry favorably in terms of its collective strengths, resources, and competencies among key constituencies.  For more information, or to register or sponsor, please visit www.midatlanticbio.org.