BIO International Convention Begins Day Two with Keynote from Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Siddhartha Mukherjee

The 2019
BIO International Convention, the world’s premier life sciences
event, will open its second day in Philadelphia with a compelling
keynote address from Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of the Pulitzer
Prize-winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
and New York Times Best Seller, The Gene: An Intimate History.

Today’s programming will also include compelling Super Sessions and
Fireside Chats with industry leaders, Start-up Stadium competition and a
BioGENEius award ceremony among other inspiring content.

Hosted by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), the 2019 BIO
Convention will run through Thursday, June 6, at the Philadelphia
Convention Center, convening more than 16,000 attendees and 1,800
exhibitors from 67 countries.

Tuesday, June 4 Highlights Include:

• Keynote: Siddhartha
  Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, physician and oncologist
  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.

• Start-Up
  Stadium
  10:30 am - 1:00 pm & 2:00 - 4:30 pm |
  Exhibitor Hall, 3971
  Designed to provide start-up-level
  companies with the opportunity to engage key members of the investment
  community and venture philanthropy groups. BIO attendees can watch
  these impressive companies pitch their products to a panel of investor
  judges.

• BioGENEius
  Challenges Award Ceremony
  9:00–10:30 am | Ballroom AB
  The
  BioGENEius Challenges provide high school students the opportunity to
  compete and be recognized for outstanding research in biotechnology.

• Super Session: Digital
  Health in Practice: A Conversation with Ameet Nathwani, Chief Digital
  Officer, Chief Medical Officer and Member of the Executive Committee,
  Sanofi
  12:30-1:45 pm | 103ABC, Level 100
  Advances
  in digital and information technology are changing the face of
  healthcare. How does the biotechnology industry evolve to create a
  connected digital strategy across the drug discovery continuum? How do
  we evolve the “drugs plus” concept and engage with healthcare system
  stakeholders to make sure solutions can be fully integrated? Dr. Ameet
  Nathwani, Chief Digital Officer and Chief Medical Officer at Sanofi,
  will discuss strategies around these and shed light on how today’s
  strategies will enable technological advancements of the future.

• Super Session: Realizing
  the Promise of Gene Therapies for Patients Around the World
  2:30-3:45
  pm | 103ABC, Level 100
  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: Understanding
  the Voices of Patients: Unique Perspectives on Healthcare
  11:00
  am – 12:15 pm | 118B, Level 100
  This session will feature
  a conversation with patient advocates as they discuss their journeys
  to diagnosis and their viewpoints on our healthcare system. They will
  also share their perspectives on what it means to be a patient and how
  they are advocating in their own unique ways to achieve a common goal:
  bringing new treatments to patients.

• Fireside Chat: Jeremy
  Levin, CEO, Chairman at Ovid Therapeutics interviews Jeffrey Solomon,
  Chief Executive Officer at COWEN
  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: FDA
  Town Hall
  11:00 am – 12:15 pm | 113ABC, Level 100
  The
  session will be an interactive, roundtable discussion of FDA
  priorities followed by a question-and-answer session with the
  audience. Topics will include the FDA’s perspectives on critical
  topics such as PDUFA VI implementation; efforts to advance innovation
  and expedite patient access to novel therapies for serious and
  life-threatening conditions; novel approaches to integrating new
  scientific tools into FDA regulatory practices at all levels; and FDA
  resources and scientific infrastructure.

• Fireside Chat: Christi
  Shaw, Senior Vice President and President, Lilly BIO-Medicines, Eli
  Lilly and Company
  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.

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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190604005325/en/