BIO International Convention Kicks Off in Philadelphia to Celebrate and Inspire the Future of Biotech

The 2019
BIO International Convention today welcomes more than 16,000
attendees and 1,800 exhibitors from 67 countries to the world’s premier
life sciences event. This year’s Convention includes 18 educational
tracks, covering all sectors of biotechnology including gene therapy,
personalized medicine, digital health, regulatory innovation and more.

“The world’s biotechnology ecosystem is gathered here in Philadelphia
for a week of enriching programming, thought-provoking conversations and
unlimited networking opportunities,” said Jim Greenwood, President and
CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). “We know that it
takes just one meeting, one partnership or one idea to spark
life-changing advances in biotech. We believe that many of these
important moments will happen this week at the BIO Convention.”

Convention Highlights Include:

• Keynote: Siddhartha
  Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, physician and oncologist
  Tuesday,
  June 4, 9:00–10:30 am | Ballroom AB
  • Siddhartha Mukherjee will be interviewed by BIO President and CEO
    Jim Greenwood about the unique challenges and opportunities for
    the biotech community in developing cures for cancer and genetic
    diseases.
  • PLEASE NOTE: Keynotes are open to Convention Access and
    Partnering Attendees. Seating is first-come, first-served.
• Keynote: Jamie
  Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase
  Wednesday,
  June 5, 9:00–10:45 am | Ballroom AB
  • Jamie Dimon will be interviewed by BIO President and CEO Jim
    Greenwood on strategies and actionable steps for improving
    employee satisfaction and cultivating a diverse and inclusive
    workplace.
  • PLEASE NOTE: Keynotes are open to Convention Access and
    Partnering Attendees. Filming is not permitted. Seating is
    first-come, first-served.
• Super Session: Realizing
  the Promise of Gene Therapies for Patients Around the World
  Tuesday,
  June 4, 2:30-3:45 pm | 103ABC, Level 1
  Gene therapies are
  transforming patients’ lives in ways that were unimaginable twenty
  years ago. With recent scientific advances, commercial gene therapies
  have been met with exciting opportunities for treatment for previously
  untreatable genetic diseases. With these advances come challenges and
  opportunities in scientific discovery and new approaches in delivering
  drugs. Attend this Super Session to gain insights and perspectives
  from stakeholders with experience tackling these challenges while
  bringing new types of treatments to patients.
• Fireside Chat: Christi
  Shaw, Senior Vice President and President, Lilly BIO-Medicines, Eli
  Lilly and Company
  Tuesday, June 4, 2:00-3:00 pm |
  108A, Level 100
  For Christi Shaw, “More moments for more
  memories” isn’t just a mantra – it’s a personal and professional
  mission. She leads through the lens of innovation, integrity and
  inclusion and brings an unwavering commitment to addressing the
  evolving needs of patients, in collaboration with healthcare
  professionals, advocacy groups, payers and policy makers.
• Fireside Chat: Jeremy
  Levin, CEO, Chairman at Ovid Therapeutics interviews Jeffrey Solomon,
  Chief Executive Officer at COWEN
  Tuesday, June 4,
  11:00 am – 12:00 pm | 108A, Level 100
  A
  conversation with Jeffrey Solomon, former President, Chief Operating
  Officer and Head of Investment Banking at COWEN, a global financial
  services firm. Currently, Solomon is also a Director of NuGo
  Nutrition, the manufacturer of NuGo Nutrition Bars. Solomon is
  co-chair of the Equity Capital Formation Task Force, a group of
  individuals from across the country’s startup and small-capitalization
  company ecosystems advocating for market structure reform to encourage
  job creation and growth.
• Fireside Chat: Kenneth
  C. Frazier, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Merck &
  Co., Inc.
  Wednesday, June 5, 11:00-11:45 am | 103ABC,
  Level 100
  During his fireside chat, Kenneth Frazier will
  discuss how Merck is delivering innovative, lifesaving medicines and
  vaccines as well as long-term and sustainable value to its
  stakeholders.

Monday, June 3, Highlights Include:

• Fireside Chat: Margaret
  (Peggy) Hamburg, MD, Foreign Secretary, National Academy of Medicine;
  Chairman of the Board, American Association for the Advancement of
  Science
  2:30-3:45 pm | 115A, Level 100
  Dr.
  Hamburg is an internationally recognized leader in public health and
  medicine. As Foreign Secretary of the National Academy of Medicine,
  she serves as senior advisor on international matters and liaison with
  other Academies of Medicine around the world. She is also the Chairman
  of the Board/Past-President of the American Association for the
  Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest scientific
  membership organization.
• Super Session: What’s
  Next: The Landscape of Innovation in 2019 and Beyond
  3:00-4:30
  pm | 103ABC, Level 100
  In this session, biotechnology
  leaders will highlight emerging clusters of innovation attracting
  capital and the key therapeutic targets and novel mechanistic
  approaches with the potential to drive value creation in the future.
  Speakers will also examine how market forces and overall value in
  therapeutic areas may drive investment decisions in R&D and M&A, both
  today and into the future.
• BioGENEius: Posters
  Open and Challenge Judging
  9:00 am - 3:00 pm | 108AB
  Foyer
  The BioGENEius Challenges are an annual
  biotechnology research competition that involves more than 2,000 high
  schools, thousands of biology teachers, over 7,000 students and 15
  state and international. Winners are announced each year at the BIO
  International Convention before thousands of the world’s biotechnology
  leaders. The BioGENEius program not only provides an opportunity to
  encourage young students to fill the ever-growing demand for biotech
  scientists and entrepreneurs but showcases the industry’s commitment
  to BIO’s goals of healing, feeding and fueling the world.
• Company
  Presentations in the Business Forum
  1:30-5:30 pm |
  Theaters 1-4
  Participating companies will deliver
  13-minute presentations on company story, pipelines and objectives to
  a global audience of business development executives, investors,
  research analysts, policy makers and media, representing more than 70
  countries.

Follow the 2019 Convention @BIOConvention
and join the conversation @IAmBIOtech.

About BIO

BIO is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology
companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and
related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other
nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of
innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental
biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO
International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the
biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and
partnering meetings held around the world. BIOtechNOW is
BIO's blog chronicling “innovations transforming our world” and the BIO
Newsletter is the organization’s bi-weekly email newsletter. Subscribe
to the BIO Newsletter.

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