Conference Reports
BIO 2007
Boston, MA, USA, 6th-9th May 2007
Situated down the road from Cambridge, MA, the original hub of biotech, and with "More than a feeling" blaring out of the speakers, there was to be no confusion as to where this year's BIO International Convention was being held.
With more than 22,000 attendees and over 1,900 companies taking part, this year's BIO was the largest yet. The exhibition, organized into pavilions for specific countries, global regions and US states, proved a perfect representation of the global scale of both this highly-anticipated meeting, and the ever-growing biotech industry as a whole.
Renowned for its big names, this year's keynote speakers at BIO included Michael J Fox, founder of the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and Queen Noor of Jordan. In a heart-rending speech, Fox appealed to investors and scientists to speed the translation of research and discovery into meaningful patient-relevant advances in human health, asking for research into novel treatments for diseases rather than reformulating drugs for new indications. Highlighting the need for such novel treatments, he pointed out that the 'goldstandard' in the field, and the drug he has used for maintenance of his Parkinson's symptoms for the last 15 years, the dopamine agonist levadopa, has been around for more than 40 years
The 2007 BIO Business Forum set a record for attendance and partnering meetings, with more than 6,000 attendees representing the 1,503 companies that participated. Among these were 9 vaccine companies, each keen to highlight the recent move by large pharma companies such as GSK, Pfizer and Novartis to expand their therapeutic focus with the acquisition of vaccinefocused biotech companies. In contrast, biopharmaceutical company LigoCyte appeared eager to develop its own vaccine products internally, using its non-infectious but highly-immunogenic virus like particles (VLPs), whilst seeking potential partners to advance its monoclonal antibodies.
Probiodrug discussed the paradigm shift in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research by focusing on N- rather than the usual C-terminus cleavage products of APP. Its own AD product has been shown to produce a reduction in amyloid β and improve memory in animal models. Probiodrug announced co-development opportunities for this drug candidate, which looks set to enter the clinic in the first half of 2009.
Jane Hollingsworth, CEO of NuPathe, presented an early-stage pipeline of drug candidates for neurodegenerative disorders. Interestingly, this company's approach does not focus on a particular technology or group of compounds. Instead, it in-licenses or acquires products such as novel delivery technologies, reformulations and new chemical entities, with the intention to develop them independently through Phase III trials. NuPathe's transdermal patch formulation of sumatriptan succinate (NP-101) has completed Phase I proof-of-concept trials and was shown to be effective for 6-8 hours. Phase III trials are expected in 2008, and the company is seeking commercialization partners. NuPathe also provided data on its two preclinical compounds, NP-201 and NP-202, for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, respectively. Both utilizing NuPathe's long-acting delivery (LAD) system, they are expected to address the problems of inadequate patient compliance and peaks and troughs in drug levels.
Continuing in the field of neuroscience was Limerick NeuroSciences, which presented data on its proprietary efflux pump activator, LNS-5663. Its strategy states that by combining existing drugs that have significant CNS side-effects with a proprietary efflux pump activators, it will be possible to reduce the occurrence of these side-effects and increase efficacy. In a recent Phase I/II clinical trial in 60 patients undergoing dental surgery, administration LNS-5663 one hour prior to surgery, followed by 10mg oxycodone at the time of surgery, produced analgaesia for 6 hours and significantly less nausea and vomiting compared with patients who received placebo followed by the opiate. Cerebral depression was also decreased in the presence of the efflux pump activator, as measured by cognitive score analysis.
The scope and scale of BIO 2007 certainly lived up to expectations, with the companies highlighted in this article representing but a handful of those presenting. With the high-profile nature of the event, the absence of protests staged outside the conference as seen in previous years certainly aided the smooth running of events, and may mark a slight shift in public opinion towards the acceptance of the industry. Perhaps the honesty of the biotech community and its clear positive impact on the healthcare industry is finally being rewarded.
The next BIO International Convention will be held June 17-20 2008 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA.
Sophie Green and Leanne Coyne
Pharmaprojects Analysts
