Conference Reports
6th Annual BioPartnering Conference
North America - Vancouver, 3rd-5th February 2008
Overlooking the beautiful snow-capped Rocky Mountains, the 6th Annual BioPartnering North America conference was hosted once again, by the Westin Bayshore hotel and resort in the heart of downtown Vancouver. Covering one of the most populated arrays of biotechnology companies in the world, the Pacific Coast Biotech Cluster, this conference offered an excellent opportunity for networking within this dynamic and innovative area of the pharmaceutical industry. With the Open House booth and podium presentations showcasing 56 companies and a further 22 podium presentations from emerging companies, the 2008 conference once again offered a multitude of interesting and informative sessions, in an environment burgeoning with opportunity.
Sunday's opening reception, entitled "Vancouver Welcomes the Global Biotech Community", set the scene for the 3 days, offering the perfect environment for travelling executives to relax with a glass of wine and prepare for the days ahead. Monday and Tuesday opened the door to the plethora of company presentations set in parallel streams that dominated the meeting.
New Jersey-based company Sapphire Therapeutics kicked off the sessions by offering insight into its lead programs: anamorelin for cancer cachexia and ipamorelin, an iv agent for the treatment of post-operative ileus. It highlighted positive clinical results for both compounds while publicising worldwide licensing opportunities for all of its proprietary pipeline projects. Aquinox also provided an excellent pipeline overview, advising of its extensive work targeting a unique biological enzyme called SH2-containing inositol 5'-phosphate (SHIP), which acts to regulate the PI3K pathway by degrading PIP3. The company reported positive preclinical results and theexpected timing of Phase I trials for its lead SHIP activator program AQX-MN100, informing of additional therapeutic focus for this compound in the fields of asthma, arthritis and gastrointestinal disorders. Aquinox also reported worldwide licensing opportunities for its proprietary preclinical pipeline, including AQXMN278, its SHIP antagonist for the treatment of bone marrow stimulation and haematopoiesis.
Monday evening's festivities involved a fun-filled dinner and casino night! Delegates were greeted by beautiful women dressed in silver glitter and dramatic feather headdresses, before being encouraged to try their luck with their "BioPartnering Bucks" at the various gambling tables.
Following the high-rolling festivities of the night before, Tuesday carried a positive energy making for an excellent last day to the conference. Ontario-based company Critical Outcomes Technology started the day with a presentation on its lead compound COTI-2, which acts to induce apoptosis in cancer cells via inhibition of Akt/PKB phosphorylation and activation of caspase 9. It has shown excellent in vitro activity in several human cancer cell lines including small-cell lung cancer and has shown activity at very low nM levels in 4 aggressive human brain cancer cell lines. The company stated plans to pursue a Phase Ib clinical trial with COTI-2, but are also open to out-licensing the compound or signing a co-development agreement.
For the 6th consecutive year, this conference continued to provide an invaluable asset to the networking and partnering requirements of the ever-expanding biotechnology industry. Hosted once again in Canada, itself representing a vibrant biotech industry, with recognized world leadership in an array of scientific fields, the significance of the meeting was perfectly balanced by the serenity of the beautiful city of Vancouver. It is hoped that with effective partnership and collaboration, the Pacific Coast Biotech cluster will act as a dominant force in the future of worldwide biotech.
The 7th Annual Biopartnering North America will be held in Vancouver , 8-10 February 2009
Jenna Morris
Pharmaprojects Analyst
