Originally Aired: September 13, 2023
Time: 11:00 am – 4:00 pm ET

Despite the tough market conditions for the industry over the past 2–3 years, the biotechnology sector is poised for big things moving forward. Exciting advances in precision genome editing, cell therapy, synthetic biology, organs-on-chips, next-gen sequencing and artificial intelligence all bode well for the development of new therapies and the health of patients and the industry.

In The State of Biotech 2023—sponsored exclusively by Cytiva—GEN proudly brings together a host of luminaries from industry and academia to discuss the latest research developments, innovations and disruptive technologies that will spur biotech forward to bigger and better things.

Please join us on September 13 for an exciting program featuring:

• Opening keynote conversation with 2022 Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, PhD
• A keynote presentation from David Baker, PhD, (University of Washington/HHMI)
• Panel discussions on the state of CRISPR/genome editing and cell therapy
• Roundtables on the state of synbio and mRNA therapeutics
• A conversation on biotech business trends with the four co-hosts of the popular Biotech Hangout show
• Breakout sessions and much more

The State of Biotech 2023 is GEN’s flagship virtual event, following its successful introduction in 2022. Registration is entirely free.

Produced with support from:

Guest Speakers Include

The post The State of Biotech 2023 appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

In this session, Larry Worden, principal and founder of IVD Logix, present “How COVID-19 Forever Changed the In Vitro Diagnostics Marketplace.” He discusses how COVID put a spotlight on clinical lab testing and the IVD industry, how this focus impacted non-COVID testing, the trend toward at-home diagnostic testing, the rapid emergence and expansion of new companies and manufacturing capacity for diagnostic testing platforms, and the anticipated reemergence of traditional market dynamics.

This session originally aired as part of the September, State of Biotech Summit. Where the Editors of GEN convened an all-star group of thought leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, and commentators for two days of candid conversation regarding the latest breakthroughs, trends, and challenges across all facets of the biotechnology industry. This virtual event was broadcast live over two days to thousands of participants that included business executives, staff scientists, laboratory managers, and students from around the world.

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The field of synthetic biology has seen impressive growth, both in scientific innovation and in financing, over the past few years. At the heart of the field is a mission to use biology to build a better, more sustainable way of living, and different synthetic biology companies are contributing to this overarching goal in diverse ways.

Eben Bayer, CEO and cofounder of Ecovative Design, Deepak Dugar, PhD, CEO and founder of Visolis, and Emily Leproust, PhD, CEO and cofounder of Twist Bioscience each represent a unique area of synthetic biology.

In this discussion with GEN’s Julianna LeMieux, PhD, Bayer, Dugar, and Leproust explain how their synthetic biology companies are working to bring new solutions to the market—from leather, packaging, and food alternatives to improved processes and tools, such as carbon-negative chemical catalysis and synthetic DNA. They also define “synthetic biology” in their own terms and discuss the challenges and successes in the field, the impact of the current market downturn, and the opportunities that synthetic biology offers for future innovation.

The post The Future of Synthetic Biology: A Discussion with Eben Bayer, Deepak Dugar, and Emily Leproust appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

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It’s been a busy and exciting time for next-generation sequencing (NGS). Several new companies have recently entered the U.S. market, which has been dominated by just one company—Illumina—for the past decade.

Leaders from two of these new companies are Eli Glezer, PhD, CSO and cofounder of Singular Genomics, and Shawn Levy, PhD, senior vice president at Element Biosciences.

In this conversation with GEN’s Julianna LeMieux, PhD, Glezer and Levy dug into the impact that emerging NGS platforms and technologies will have in this space, what their companies’ priorities are, and how they plan to carve a niche for themselves. They discuss the accuracy, speed, cost, output, and flexibility of their platforms, the various applications, limitations, and nuances of the technologies, and other areas of omics that the platforms are poised to enter.

The post What’s Next for NGS? A Conversation with Eli Glezer and Shawn Levy appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

Nearly three years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic began to wreak havoc on the world, setting into motion a global scramble to develop vaccines and drugs aimed at vanquishing the virus. However, the pandemic also touched off a flurry of misinformation that left the world’s researchers and public health officials struggling to address outright falsehoods while answering legitimate concerns.

Among the most outspoken of these researchers was Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics and of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine.

In this interview with GEN’s Alex Philippidis, Hotez shares lessons that researchers and public health professionals learned from COVID-19. He assesses the success of FDA-approved vaccines and explains how his team co-developed a COVID-19 vaccine for use in developing countries. He also discusses current public health challenges—ranging from monkeypox to the spread of misinformation—as well as the vitriol and attacks he experienced as a result of his advocacy for vaccination and other public health measures.

The post Lessons from the COVID Crisis: An Interview with Peter Hotez appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, three avid watchers of the biotechnology industry with entrepreneurial, investment, and startup support experience got together to launch “Biotech Clubhouse,” an audio live-stream review of the week’s biotechnology news—including government decisions, deals, data, and broader trends—with plenty of hot takes on the hottest stories.

As co-hosts of the program, Chris Garabedian, CEO of Xontogeny, Brad Loncar, CEO of Loncar Investments, and Daphne Zohar, founder and CEO of PureTech Health, attracted many of the industry’s leaders as listeners every Sunday.

In this conversation with GEN’s Kevin Davies, PhD, and Alex Philippidis, the co-hosts discuss their approach to their program, the state of the markets, and emerging technologies such as gene therapy and RNA-based vaccines. Shortly after this conversation was recorded, the trio paused “Biotech Clubhouse” and then re-launched their program on Twitter Spaces as “Biotech Hangout,” with a bench of regular co-hosts and guests and a new day and time—Fridays at 3 pm ET.

The post How’s the Biotechnology Business? A Conversation with Chris Garabedian, Brad Loncar, and Daphne Zohar appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

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During the recent biotechnology financing boom, investors pumped billions of dollars into startups across specialties ranging from cell and gene therapy to cancer immunotherapy and CRISPR genome editing. But that boom has given way to a bear market in the past year.

Simon Barnett and Ali Urman are senior analysts with ARK Invest, an investment management firm that specializes in public companies with a bent for innovation. Because public markets remain dry, ARK is now also looking to invest in private companies as well.

In this discussion with GEN’s Fay Lin, PhD, and Alex Philippidis, Simon Barnett and Ali Urman explain how ARK Invest came to focus on disruptive public companies, how the firm approaches advancing innovation in its portfolio companies, and their search for startups with promising technologies and enough business expertise to commercialize them. The pair also describes how the new ARK Innovation Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, will allow the firm to accelerate the growth of early-stage companies in the area.

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