Domestic funding is scarce, valuations are depressingly low, VCs
hunger for near term returns, and the cost of operation in this area
increases steadily. Amid this environment, how can a biotech startup
stay afloat and eventually thrive? Traditionally, Biotech companies
have used the virtual model with extensive outsourcing as an early
operating strategy while building the infrastructure and in-house
capabilities. Is this strategy working? Does biotech need a new
business model leveraging the economies of offshoring to access
downstream capabilities?
In this BioE2E forum, our panel entrepreneurs will share the
first-hand experience in creating a hybrid business model involving
outsourcing and off-shoring R&D to Asia, especially China. All eyes
are turning to China as the powerhouse developing economy, with its
unique potential and challenges. The panel will provide an overview of
the developments in China in the area of pre-clinical R&D, and
highlight the pitfalls they encountered.
Networking and light dinner from 6:30pm, plus networking session will follow.
Presenter:
Dr. Yiyou Chen is the Chief Scientific Officer and Co-founder of
Starvax Inc., a bio-pharmaceutical company that has adopted a hybrid
business model, operating primarily in Beijing, China. The company
develops novel drugs for the Asia/Pacific market in partnership with
international pharmaceutical companies. It also provides research and
pre-clinical services for biotech and pharmaceutical companies
worldwide.
Prior to founding Starvax in 2003, Dr. Chen was a senior scientist at
Genencor International, a diversified biotech company with over $ 380
million revenue annually. He has developed special knowledge in
transgenic animal models, protein engineering, immunotherapuetic drugs
against chronic HBV and HPV infection.
Dr. Chen obtained his Ph.D. from University of Utah School of Medicine
in Experimental Pathology, and his BS in Biochemistry from Peking
University. During his graduate research, he identified a novel
adhesion molecule, Patolus, which is involved in leukocyte
trafficking. Dr. Chen is an inventor of over 10 patent publications.
Dr. Chu has more than 12 years of research and therapeutic development experience in biopharmaceutical industry. She has overseen numerous preclinical studies, including proof-of-concept pharmacology studies, non-GLP and GLP PK/PD studies, and non-GLP and GLP toxicology studies in both rodents and primates.
Before founding Bio-Cubed Corporation, Dr. Chu was the Vice President at FivePrime Therapeutics, where she built and ran the companys protein therapeutics platform with an annual budget of fifteen million dollars.
Prior to joining FivePrime, Dr. Chu served as the head of Immunotherapy and Antibody Therapeutics Division at Chiron Corporation, where she engaged in preclinical developments of protein, DNA-based, and small molecule therapeutics for cancer and inflammatory diseases.
Dr. Chu conducted her post-doctoral research in the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Chu received her M.D. from Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences in China, and her Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco.
Moderator:
Dr. Karen Wong is a life science IP attorney at Wilson Sonsini
Goodrich & Rosati. Dr. Wong assists private and public companies in
creating and implementing strategies to capitalize on their new
technologies. Her practice areas include patent prosecution, portfolio
planning, technology transfer or licensing.
Prior to joining Wilson Sonsini, Dr. Wong was an associate at
Howrey Simon Arnold & White, LLP, where she engaged in both patent
prosecution and litigation. Her experience in both practice areas has
allowed her to effectively assist clients in establishing and
enforcing valuable intellectual property rights. Dr. Wong has worked
with a broad range of technologies, including therapeutic delivery,
clinical diagnostics, immunotherapies, bioinformatics, gene therapy,
and cancer biology. She has special technical expertise in antibody
engineering and production, drug screening and delivery, cell
signaling and differentiation.
Prior to practicing law, Dr. Wong conducted doctoral and
post-doctoral research at Harvard and Tufts Medical School in a
multidisciplinary area combining molecular biology, cell biology, and
physiology. She received her B.A. in Molecular, Cellular and
Developmental Biology from the University of
Colorado-Boulder. Dr. Wong also holds a J.D. from Santa Clara
University School of Law.
Yiyou Chen, Chief Scientific Officer of Starvax Inc.
Keting Chu, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Bio-Cubed Corp.
Karen Wong
