Program in PDF - SAPA-NE

Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association-New England
(SAPA-NE)
8th Annual Conference SAPA-NE 2005
Advancing Drug Discovery & Development
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Wong Auditorium
Building E51, Sloan Business School
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA 02139
Organizer: SAPA-NE www.sapa-ne.org
Co-organizer: MIT-CSSA http://cssa.mit.edu/new/
Platinum Sponsor: Eisai Research Institute, Inc.
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
Gold Sponsor: ALTANA Research Institute
ArQule, Inc.
Merck Research Laboratories
Silver Sponsor: Abbott Bioresearch Center
Ariad
Aveo
BlueSky Biotech
Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.
Cyprotex
Sepracor Inc.
Pfizer
Wyeth
Bronze Sponsor: Millennium
Conference Chair:
Harry Huimin Chen, Ph.D.
Conference Co-Chairs:
Lin Han
Bingli Ma, M.D.
Sue Ma, M.D.
Mark Lin, Ph.D.
Wei Zhang, Ph.D.
Liping Zhou, Ph.D.
Wyeth Research;
SAPA-NE, President-elect
MIT Ph.D. Student
MIT-CSSA Vice President
Wyeth Research;
SAPA-NE, Director
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research;
SAPA-NE, Director
ALTANA Research Institute of ALTANA Pharma
SAPA-NE, Director
ImmunoGen, Inc.;
SAPA-NE, Director
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research;
SAPA-NE, Director
Other Conference Organizing Committee Members:
Min Dong, Ph.D.
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research;
SAPA-NE, Director
Kevin Fang, Ph.D.
Sepracor, Inc.; SAPA-NE, Director
Daming Gou, Ph.D.
Jun Han, Ph.D.
Qing Huang
Jenny Li
Johnson Matthew Pharma Services; SAPA-NE, Treasurer
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research;
SAPA-NE, Director
Abbott Bioresearch Center; SAPA-NE, Director
Kechun Li, MBA
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research;
SAPA-NE, Former President
Eisai Research Institute; SAPA-NE, Former President
Shiwen Lin, Ph.D.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; SAPA-NE, Former President
Jiwei Qi, Ph.D.
GLSynthesis, Inc.; SAPA-NE, Director
Ruhui Qiu
ArQule, Inc.; SAPA-NE, Director
Lixin Shen, Ph. D.
ArQule, Inc.; SAPA-NE, President
Yongchun Shen, Ph.D.
Eisai Research Institute; SAPA-NE, Former President
Shallwei Sun
Eisai Research Institute; SAPA-NE, Director
Tou, Liqiang, M.D., Ph.D.
Wenge Wang, Ph.D.
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research;
SAPA-NE, Director
Wyeth BioPharma; SAPA-NE, Director
Yihan Wang, Ph.D.
Erxi Wu, Ph.D.
ARIAD Pharmaceutical, Inc.; SAPA-NE, Former President
Harvard-MIT; SAPA-NE, Former President
Junjun Wu, Ph.D.
Wyeth Research; SAPA-NE, Director
Wenrong Xu, Ph.D.
Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; SAPA-NE, Director
Herong Yang, Ph.D.
Open Channel Solutions, SAPA-NE, Web Master
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Greetings from the Conference Chair
On behalf of the Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association - New
England (SAPA-NE), I would like to welcome you to our 8th annual conference. The annual
conference is entitled “Advancing Drug Discovery & Development” and focuses on
three themes: 1) Strategic Planning and Monitoring in R&D; 2) Emerging Technologies
in R&D; 3) New Opportunities in China.
No one will be surprised if we continue to put a technology theme in our annual
conference, since biotechnology is one of major focuses for many SAPA members. That
is what they are good at, and that is what they want to keep up with. Four speeches fall
into this category. But this year, we’d like to provide our audience with a higher and
broader view on drug R&D, so we have our one theme on strategic planning and
monitoring in R&D. We have two speakers in this section.
Another bright spot in this annual conference is on our third theme: looking for
new opportunities in China. Globalization leads Biopharmaceutical companies to start
integrating their R&D, manufacturing and clinical trials into other countries. Due to its
large population, relatively low cost of labor, abundance of skilled workers, established
or emerging regulations similar to those in the USA, China is becoming more and more
attractive to western Biopharmaceutical companies. SAPA, as a leading pharmaceutical
professional association of Chinese-American heritage, has a clear vision for
globalization of drug discovery and development, and we have a duty to promote
communication and collaboration between the Chinese and American Biopharmaceutical
industries.
SAPA is comprised of more than 4000 pharmaceutical and biotech professionals
across USA and China. SAPA-NE, based in the “Gene-town” Boston/Cambridge area,
has attracted more than 900 professionals who are employed in the local industries and
academic research institutes. SAPA-NE as a non-profit organization, strives to our
mission:
o To promote the advancement of pharmaceutical science and biotechnology;
o
To facilitate scientific exchange and business cooperation between USA and China;
o To foster the career growth of pharmaceutical and biomedical professionals;
o To value community service.
Finally, I would like to thank all the speakers for their presentations. I would like to
thank thesponsors for their generous support, the SAPA-NE organizing committee and our coorganizer, MIT-CSSA, and all the volunteers whose efforts made this event possible.
I hope all of you will have an enjoyable day.
Sincerely,
Huimin Chen
Harry Huimin Chen, Ph.D.
SAPA-NE 2004 Conference Chair
President-elect of SAPA-NE
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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8th Annual Conference SAPA-NE 2005
Advancing Drug Discovery & Development
Saturday, June 18, 2005
7:50 – 8:50 AM
Registration* and Breakfast
Opening Remarks
8:50 – 9:00 AM
Harry Huimin Chen, Ph.D.
SAPA-NE 8th Annual Conference Chair, SAPA-NE President-elect
Session 1: Strategic Planning and Monitoring in R&D
Host: Wei Zhang, Ph.D., Conference Co-Chair
9:00– 9:40 AM
Klaus Melchers, Ph.D.
Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, ALTANA Research Institute
“Application of an Integrated Biological and Chemical Genomics Platform for
Drug Profiling and the Identification and Validation of Drug Targets”
9:40– 10:20 AM
Roberto D. Polakiewicz, Ph.D.
Vice President, Research, Cell Signaling Technology
“Phospho-Proteomics of Cancer”
10:20 – 10:50 AM
Exhibition and Coffee Break
Session 2: Emerging Technologies in R&D (1)
Host: Bingli Ma, M.D., Conference Co-Chair
10:50– 11:30 AM
Steven J. Projan, Ph.D.
Vice President, Biological Technologies, Wyeth Research
"Targeted Chemotherapy: A One Hit Wonder?”
11:30– 12:10 PM
Shi-Chung Ng, Ph.D.
Vice President, Drug Discovery Biology, ArQule
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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“Combining ArQule Chemistry with Chemical Genomics:
An unique approach to oncology drug discovery”
12:10 – 1:30 PM
Lunch and Exhibition
Session 2: Emerging Technologies in R&D (2)
Host: Sue Ma, M.D., Conference Co-Chair
1:30 – 2:10 PM
Alexander Kamb, Ph.D.
Vice President, Global Head Oncology, Novartis Institutes for
Biomedical Research (NIBR)
"What's wrong with our cancer models”
2:10 – 2:50 PM
W. Stephen Faraci, Ph.D.
Senior Director, Head of Biology at the Research Technology
Center (RTC) of Pfizer
“Drug Discovery via a Gene Family Paradigm”
2:50 – 3:20 PM
Exhibition and Coffee Break
Session 3: New Opportunities in China
Host: Mark Lin, Ph.D., Conference Co-Chair
3:20 – 4:00 PM
Brian Seed, Ph.D.
Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
"Preliminary Experience with a Chinese-American
Drug Development Program"
4:00– 4:40 PM
Qian Liu, Professor
Executive Vice President, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
& Peking Union Medical College
“Current Biotechnology R&D in China”
4:40– 5:20 PM
Jiquan Zhao, Ph.D.
Professor; Director of Tianjin D & M Biotechnology Co.
from Chinese Pharmaceutical Delegation
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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“Good Investment Environment in TEDA and the Prospect of
Investment in Manufacture of Medicine Intermediates”
6:00– 9:00 PM
Cocktail Reception
Host: Harry Chen, SAPA-NE 8th Annual Conference Chair
Place: Marriott at Kendall Square
Activity:
1. SAPA-NE introduction; MIT-CSSA introduction;
2. SAPA-NE 2004 Outstanding Contribution Award Ceremony
3. Networking opportunity among speakers, sponsors, vendors and attendees.
Drinks and food will be served.
Ticket is required for Reception, which is available in front registration desk.
SAPA-NE Previous Annual Conference (1998-2004)
06/06/1998 First Annual Conference “Interface of Biochemistry, Biomedicine and Drug
Development”, Yenchin Library, Harvard University
06//29/1999 Second Annual Conference “A Blue Print of Biotechnology/ Biotechnology/
Biopharmaceuticals for 21st Century”, Medical School, Boston University
06/24/2000 Third Annual Conference “Molecular Medicine and Drug Discovery in the
New Millennium”, Sloan Business School, MIT0
06/08/2001 Forth Annual Conference “Drug Discovery: Industry Trends and Business”,
Harvard Business School, Harvard
06/22/2002 Fifth Annual Conference “Drug Discovery and Development in the PostGenome Era”, Sloan Business School, MIT
06/21/2003 Sixth Annual Conference “Drug Discovery and Life Science 2003”, Sloan
Business School, MIT
06/26/2004 Seventh Annual Conference “Integrated Innovative Drug Discovery &
Development”, Sloan Business School, MIT
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Biographies of Speakers/Abstracts of Speeches
Klaus Melchers, Ph.D. received a MS of Science and PhD in
Molecular Biology, both from the Ruhr-University of Bochum
in Germany. He has been Vice President and COO of
ALTANA Research Institute, the US research division of the
ALTANA Pharma, since April 2002. He oversees all the
operations and strategic direction of this research center as well
as managing the significant collaboration with GPC Biotech.
Prior to his US assignment, Dr. Melchers established and headed
up the Functional Genomics Department at the company
headquarters, ALTANA Pharma AG in Constance, Germany. In
parallel, he headed up a project team that provided the
evaluation and planning for a US research facility of ALTANA
Pharma, resulting in the establishment of the ALTANA
Research Institute.
He was also the project leader of the explorative antimicrobials research program
in the Molecular Biology Department. His early project focus at the company was on
Gastroenterology/Helicobacter pylori research and the development of therapeutic
proteins for treatment of lung disease. Dr. Melchers joined ALTANA Pharma in 1987.
He holds several patents and is the author/co-author of many peer-reviewed
scientific articles and book articles in the fields of respiratory/lung surfactant,
Gastroenterology/Helicobacter pylori patho-mechanisms and molecular biology.
“Application of an Integrated Biological and Chemical Genomics Platform for Drug
Profiling and the Identification and Validation of Drug Targets”
Klaus Melchers, Ph.D., Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, ALTANA
Research Institute
The ALTANA Research Institute (ARI) is the US research division of ALTANA
Pharma AG. ARI has been built over the past three years in Boston/Waltham (MA). The
establishment of the institute was accelerated through collaboration with GPC Biotech.
ARI functions within the R & D organization of ALTANA Pharma. The research focus at
ARI is on the application of innovative technologies that support the company’s drug
discovery efforts for treatment of inflammation/respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal
disease and cancer. ARI’s integrated genomics and proteomics technology platform is
strengthened by underlying state-of-the–art IT/bioinformatics and automation
components. Scientists at ARI are decoding complex molecular and cellular mechanisms
associated with disease, for development of novel and safe drugs in ALTANA Pharma’s
core therapeutic areas. The approach uses (i) focused gene libraries (e.g. kinases,
phosphodiesterases, others), (ii) focused functional gene screening campaigns for
identification and validation of drug targets and (iii) the mapping of such targets into
protein interaction pathways linked to disease. Chemogenomics and pharmacogenomics
applications complement disease driven research, integrating target identification and
validation with early and late stage compound profiling.
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Dr Polakiewicz’s received his B.Sc. of Chemistry in1984, M.Sc.
Microbiology in 1987 and Ph.D. in 1992 at Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel. During 1992 to
1995, Dr. Polakiewicz had been a postdoctoral fellow at Whitehead
Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA. He came in
New England Biolabs (NEB), in 1997 as a Staff Scientist. Two
years later, NEB spun off Cell Signaling Technology, and Dr.
Polakiewicz became a director of Research in the new company. In
2003, he was promoted to Vice President of Research, Cell
Signaling Technology.
“Phospho-Proteomics of Cancer”
Roberto D. Polakiewicz, Ph.D., Vice President, Research, Cell Signaling Technology
Tyrosine kinases play a prominent role in human cancer, yet the oncogenic
signaling pathways driving cell proliferation and survival have been difficult to identify,
in part because of the complexity of the pathways and in part due to low cellular levels of
tyrosine phosphorylation. In general, global phosphoproteomic approaches reveal small
numbers of peptides containing phosphotyrosine. We have developed a strategy that
emphasizes the phosphotyrosine component of the phosphoproteome and identifies large
numbers of tyrosine phosphorylation sites. Peptides containing phosphotyrosine are
isolated directly from protease-digested cellular protein extracts with a phosphotyrosinespecific antibody and are identified by tandem mass spectrometry. Applying this
approach to several cell systems, including cancer cell lines, shows it can be used to
identify activated protein kinases and their phosphorylated substrates without prior
knowledge of the signaling networks that are activated, a first step in profiling normal
and oncogenic signaling networks.
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Dr. Steven J. Projan attended M.I.T. for his undergraduate
education, receiving an S.B. degree (in the Life Sciences and
Nutrition & Food Science) in 1974; Dr. Projan’s thesis was on the
production of frozen apple pie. He then graduated with a Ph.D.
from Columbia University in 1980 (receiving M.A. and M.Phil
degrees along the way). Dr. Projan then became a postdoctoral
fellow with Richard Novick at the Public Health Research Institute
in New York City, marking the beginning of a fruitful and ongoing
collaboration studying plasmid replication and virulence in
Staphylococcus aureus. At the end of 1993 Dr. Projan moved to
Lederle Laboratories as a group leader in anti-infectives research.
Lederle, then a part of American Cyanamid, has since been
absorbed into Wyeth Research. Dr. Projan became an Associate Director, Bacterial
Genetics in January of 1997 and then Director, Antibacterial Research in June of 1998 at
Wyeth. In May of 2003 Dr. Projan was appointed Assistant Vice President, Protein
Technologies a group focusing on the discovery and development of novel, protein-based
pharmaceuticals and in September 2004 Dr. Projan was elected Vice President of the
newly created Dept. of Biological Technologies. At Wyeth Dr. Projan was the Biology
Team Leader of the Glycylcycline Discovery Team that produced tigecycline, currently
in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of bacterial infections including those caused
by multidrug resistant strains. Dr. Projan has authored over eighty papers and book
chapters, several short stories and one teleplay and he has published abstracts too
numerous to count. In 2004 Dr. Projan was elected a Fellow of the American Academy
of Microbiology. He is a past chair of the Gordon Research Conference on
Staphylococcal Diseases, served as a member of the Bacteriology & Mycology I.N.I.H.
Study Section and currently serves on the Drug Discovery and Mechanisms of Resistance
Study Section, serves on five editorial boards, is member of the ICAAC Program
Committee, is currently chair of Division A of the American Society for Microbiology.
“Targeted Chemotherapy: A One Hit Wonder?”
Steven J. Projan, Ph.D., Vice President, Biological Technologies, Wyeth Research
For years antibody targeting of chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of
cancer was a lot like the weather. Everyone talked about it but not seemed able to do
anything about it. At Wyeth Research in Pearl River the natural products drug discovery
group discovered a toxic natural product called calicheamicin which was significantly
more potent than virtually all other cytotoxic agents discovered to date, but calicheamicin
itself was too toxic to use a chemotherapeutic agent. To harness this potency,
calicheamicin was conjugated to a monoclonal antibody, discovered by scientists at
Celltech, which specifically bound to CD33, an antigen found commonly on leukemic
cells but usually not found on other cell types. A version of this calicheamicin-anti CD33
Mab now stands now as the only targeted chemotherapeutic agent clinically used
(gemtuzumab ozogamicin, a.k.a. Mylotarg) and is used for acute myelocytic leukemia.
Can this success be repeated?
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Dr. Shi-Chung Ng is currently the Vice President of Drug
Discovery Biology at ArQule where he is also the Head of Chemical
Genomics and Preclinical Development. He was one of the two
founding members of Abbott Laboratories Cancer Research program.
As the Senior Group Leader and Volwiler Associate Fellow on the
apoptosis project, he led the biology efforts on apoptosis to discover
potent Bcl-XL BH3 groove binders based on SAR by NMR, affinity
selection and fluorescent polarization assays. At the same time, he
pioneered in bringing the company’s farnesyl transferase inhibitors,
novel anti-mitotics agents and Bcl-2 antagonists through pre-clinical
discovery to development candidates. Prior to his tenure at Abbott,
Dr. Ng worked at Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Mark Fishman’s
Lab in Mass General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School. He is currently adjunct
Assistant Professor at the Chicago Medical School, and adjunct Faculty Member at
Northwestern University. He was formerly a visiting Professor at Rutgers University, a
visiting Research Staff Member at Princeton University and an Instructor in Medicine at
Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ng is a reviewer on a number of prominent scientific journals
including Brain Research, Oncogene, Biochemical Pharmacology and Journal of
Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. He has published over 180 scientific papers,
abstracts and patent applications and is the recipient of awards such as Abbott Volwiler
Society Award, Howard Hughes Research Fellowship, David Ross Scholarship and Marshall
Scholarship. Dr. Ng obtained his B.S. degree with high honors in Biochemistry from the
Chinese University of Hong Kong, China; his Ph.D. in Biochemistry on full scholarship from
Purdue University, and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from Mass General Hospital and
Harvard Medical School.
“Combining ArQule Chemistry with Chemical Genomics: An unique approach to
oncology drug discovery”
Shi-Chung Ng, Ph.D., Vice President, Drug Discovery Biology, ArQule Inc.
ArQule is an emerging oncology biotech company with an unique approach to drug
discovery. Due to our history as a combinatorial chemistry service company, we have
assembled a diverse chemotype based library with drug-like properties. Combining this asset
with standard and modified chemical genomics approaches such as target based high content
microscopy screening allowed us to quickly establish competitive positions in a number of
areas such as mitotic checkpoint activation, mitotic kinesin motors and histone deacetylase
inhibitors. In this talk, I will illustrate our approaches with three examples to show how this
can be used as a versatile platform for drug discovery. This approach is fully complementary
to current molecular target based approach and when combined with high throughput
eADME and array based chemistry, allowed us to select drug candidates rapidly for
preclinical development.
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Dr. Alexander Kamb, Ph.D. has received his B.A. from Harvard
College in 1982 and his Ph.D. from the California Institute of
Technology in 1988. His postdoctoral work in protein
crystallography was carried out at the University of California, San
Francisco. In 1992 Dr. Kamb joined Myriad Genetics, Inc., a
fledgling genomics company in Salt Lake City, Utah. Until 1996 he
served as Myriad's Director of Research and directed groups that
identified genes responsible for familial melanoma and breast
cancer. In 1996 Dr. Kamb founded Arcaris, Inc., also in Salt Lake
City. In June, 2003 he moved to the Novartis Institutes for
Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass., where he serves as
Global Head of Oncology.
"What's wrong with our cancer models?"
Dr. Alexander Kamb, Vice President, Global Head Oncology, Novartis Institutes for
Biomedical Research
The oncology therapeutic area is characterized by desperate medical need, drugs that
kill human tumor cells and consequently are often toxic, and failure rates in expensive Phase
III trials which eclipse many other disease areas. The poor performance of most
investigational cancer drugs implies that the standard preclinical disease models are faulty or,
at least, improperly used. Such results support the view that animal models can be highly
effective, but only when selected and interpreted with care.
A key objective of future research is to define preclinical models that represent the
clinical population that will be best treated by a new drug. Progress toward this goal requires
that we identify essential and compensating functions specific to cancer cells. Therefore, we
must develop the tools and analytic framework not only to resolve the genetic/epigenetic
states of human cells, but also to untangle the crucial gene-gene interactions that impact
therapeutic response. The challenge of patient stratification thus merges with the problem of
choosing proper preclinical models.
There is, however, a small but increasing number of drugs for which preclinical
models predict clinical success. These models involve tumors that contain recurrent
mutations or translocations, including chronic myelogenous leukemia (Bcr-abl), lung
adenocarcinoma (EGFR), and acute myelogenous leukemia (Flt-3). Rodent and cell culture
models for the genetically defined versions of these diseases display strong shifts in the doseresponse curve to inhibitors of the target, compared to cells that lack the mutant targets.
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Dr. Steve Faraci is Senior Director and Head of Biology at the Research
Technology Center (RTC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He joined Pfizer
Central Research in Groton, CT in 1988 as a Research Scientist in the New
Leads Department, which was pioneering the use of high throughput
screening. In 1999, he relocated to the Discovery Technology Center (DTC)
in Cambridge, MA as head of the Drug Pfinder program and Screening
Technologies group. Recently, the DTC has transitioned to the RTC, whose
role is to address specific challenges at the heart of drug discovery and
development by using Pfizer’s scale and knowledge as well as partnering
with scientific innovators in the Greater Boston community.
Steve received his PhD in Chemistry from Wesleyan University. He then continued
his training as a NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Professor Christopher Walsh at
MIT and Harvard Medical School.
“Drug Discovery via a Gene Family Paradigm”
W. Stephen Faraci, Ph.D., Senior Director, Head of Biology at the Research Technology
Center (RTC) of Pfizer
Drug Discovery is a highly complex process with many difficult hurdles to overcome.
Most drug discovery projects never lead to marketed drugs, with attrition due to both safety
and pharmacology. One component of the industrialization of the drug discovery process is
the categorization of various targets into their respective gene families. This has been made
possible by the sequencing of the human genome such that all possible gene sequences for a
particular family are known. Examples of gene families that are of significant interest to the
Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industry are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and the
kinase gene family. The PDE gene family represents a relatively small (21 distinct gene
products that code for 19 enzymes) family and thus provides an excellent opportunity to
determine the advantages to prosecuting a gene family approach. In this talk I will discuss
the issues surrounding the discovery and development of new drugs and the potential that a
gene family approach can have in this endeavor.
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Dr. Brian Seed is a Professor of Genetics at Harvard
Medical School and Director of the Center for Computational
and Integrative Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital.
He has a long-standing interest in the development of new
technologies to facilitate discovery in basic research, and in
the practical application of those technologies to meet human
healthcare needs. He has served in various advisory roles
across the spectrum of the biotechnological and
pharmaceutical research communities.
Dr. Brian Seed obtained both his B.S. and PhD degrees from California Institute of
Technology. He began his professorship at Harvard Medical School in 1982 and became a full
professor in 1994. He is a world renowned leader of biotechnology in both academia and industry.
His major contributions in Expression Cloning Methodology, Aventis Global Insulin Process and
Therapeutic Fusion Proteins significantly impact the pharmaceutical industrial revolution. In
addition, he co-founded several successful biotech companies including, Phylos Inc. (Chairman),
Connetics Inc., Edge Biosystems, Theracos Inc., and also served on the scientific advisory board
for Aventis S.A., Medigene A.G. and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, etc. He is also an
inventor of 39 U.S. patents, some of which lead to successful drug discovery.
"Preliminary experience with a Chinese-American drug development program"
Brian Seed, Ph.D., Professor of Genetics, Director of the Center for Computational and
Integrative Biology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Small molecule discovery research in China has been pioneered by a few companies
without explicit ties to Western pipelines or funding. For a number of reasons it is attractive
to create collaboration and experience networks that can interweave the needs and
capabilities of Chinese and Western companies to form a stronger partnership for drug
discovery than either individual group could create alone. Some early experience with such a
network will be presented, with a discussion of the challenges and benefits for both sides.
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Professor Qian Liu is currently the executive vice president of
the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) and the
Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), which are recognized
as the most prestigious medical research and educational
institutions in China. He is also the president of the Peking
Union Medical College Hospital, one of the best general
hospitals in China. Before moving to CAMS and PUMC,
professor Liu was the director of the China National Center for
Biotechnology Development (CNCBD) under the China Ministry
of Science of Technology, and was the director of the Biological
Division of the China National High Technology Research and Development Program (863
program). During his tenure at CNCBD and 863 program, professor Liu played a pivotal role
in elaborating biotech regulations and policies, and in coordinating frontier life science
research and biotechnology industry in China. As the director of the China Biotechnology
Node for Interaction with European Union, he made great contributions to promoting
biomedical collaborations between China and other countries. He initiated a number of
collaborations with world-class scientists in different fields, such as HIV and AIDS. In
scientific research, professor Liu pioneered and led the efforts in blood substitute studies and
applications in China. Professor Liu is among a very small group of people who have strong
background in scientific research, regulation and policy making, biotech industry, and
research institution and hospital management. Professor Liu obtained his M.D. degree from
ShanXi Medical College and completed his research training in recombinant protein
production in Professor Daniel Wang’s laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
“Current Biotechnology R&D in China”
Qian Liu, Professor, Executive Vice President, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
& Peking Union Medical College
•
•
•
Overview of biotechnology R&D in China
New collaboration models with overseas
Case studies
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Dr. Jiquan Zhao is the Director of TianJin D & M
biotechnology Co. and a professor in Department of Chemical
Engineering in Hebei University of Technology. He has been a
faculty member in Hebei University of Technology since 1988. His
research interest includes organic synthesis, homogeneous catalysis,
asymmetric epoxidation and synthesis for medicine intermediates.
Dr. Zhao obtained his doctoral degree in Organic Chemistry from
the Institute of Photographic Chemistry in the Chinese Academy of
Science. He also spent two years as a visiting scientist in Lehign
University in the U.S. before his current position.
“Good Investment Environment in TEDA and the Prospect of Investment in
Manufacture of Medicine Intermediates”
Jiquan Zhao, Ph.D. Professor; Director of Tianjin D & M Biotechnology Co.
TianJin D&M biotechnology Co. is located in the center of TianJin economical
development zone (TEDA), the home of 65 hi-tech companies with total investment of $710
million. With the support of local government, the availability of venture fund and the focus
on biotechnology, TEDA has transformed into a research and manufacture center for
pharmaceutical companies. Many multinational pharmaceutical corporations, such as Glaxo
Smithkline, Novonordisk, and Tanbe Seiyaku have established plants in TEDA. TianJin
D&M is one of the fastest growing biotech companies in this region. With initial investment
of more than 5 million RMB, TianJin D&M Biotechnology Co. plans to build a modern drug
development platform, bridging domestic and multinational pharmaceutical companies. Our
state-of-the-art research capacities and innovative environment create a great opportunity to
help you achieve success in China.
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
Page 15 of 25
SAPA-NE 2005 Outstanding Contribution Award
Dr. Yuanhua Ding: Pfizer, Inc., SAPA-NE coordinator
Yuanhua is SAPA-NE coordinator since 2004(?). He helped to promote SAPA within the
Cambridge site of the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. This year he was able to help
SAPA-NE to get the sponsorship from Pfizer, and invited Dr. W. Stephen Faraci, Senior
director, head of biology at the Research Technology Center (RTC) of Pfizer to speak at our
annual conference.
Bingli Ma, M.D., Wyeth Research, SAPA-NE director
Bingli became a SAPA member when SAPA founded since at 1993. Become SAPA
Lifetime member at 2004 and SAPA-NE executive committee member in 2003. For the past
over ten years she participated many activity and does her best for SAPA served and fundraised for SAPA-NE at 2004. She raised Gold sponsorship from Wyeth Research in 2004.
Particularly, during 2005, she activities in SAPA have been expanded to in charge of
coordinators organization, raising fund and co-chair SAPA-NE annual meeting.
Sue Ma, M.D., Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, SAPA-NE director
Sue has been a member of SAPA-NE since 1999. She served as a coordinator of Vertex
Pharmaceutical from 2001-2003. During that period time, she invited a speaker from Vertex
to one of SAPA-NE symposiums and helped for registrations and other activities. Last year,
she was elected to the EC as membership director. She has spent tremendous time in
organizing and editing the membership list. Also she takes the responsibility on membership
registration in all of the SAPA-NE activities since last year and website membership
registration on daily basis. She was mainly involved in designing business cards for SAPANE ECs/EACs and spent lots of time and saved expenses for our association in this aspect.
Recently two year, she becomes a co-chair for annual meetings, and works very hard for the
technology and career exhibition, reception organization, and help for registration.
Ms. Ruhui Qiu, Arqule Inc., SAPA-NE director
Ruhui joined SAPA-NE in 2001 and its leadership team since 2003. She served as SAPANE coordinator at ArQule, Inc. and helped fundraising and speaker invitation from ArQule
for several years. When she became an EC member, she actively participated in meeting
organization, registration and logistics. She was one of the chairperson for 2005 SAPA-NE
Chinese New Year Party. She spent a great deal of effort organizing the event and it turned
out to be a great success.
Liqiang Derek Tou, M.D., Ph.D, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, SAPA-NE
Director
Dr. Tou joined SAPA-NE in June 2004 and became SAPA-NE executive committee member
in September, 2004. Dr. Tou has been actively involved in all SAPA-NE events and shows
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great enthusiasm to devote himself to the growth of this organization - he helped to organize
and coordinate dancing parties, and helped with events registrations and other activities. Dr.
Tou’s biggest contribution to SAPA-NE is successfully inviting the VP of oncology at
Novartis to present at the 8th annual meeting, and getting sponsorship from Novatis as a
Platinum Sponsor.
Dr. Herong Yang: SAPA-NE Webmaster, Open Channel Solutions
Herong became SAPA-NE Webmaster this year. Within a short period of time, he revived
the SAPA-NE Website with a major facelift, redefined functional sections and a search tool.
The revived Website immediately attracted more visitors, and got listed by major Internet
search engines like Google and Yahoo. While maintaining the Website up to date, Herong
has also established group mailing facilities and guidelines that greatly improved the
communications among SAPA-NE executive committee members and coordinators. For our
annual conference preparation, Herong designed and well maintained the new conference
web pages and mailing facilities that helped attracting conference participants and sponsors.
His effort has made a significant contribution to the promotion of our 2005’ annual
conference.
Dr. Liping Zhou, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research, SAPA-NE director
Liping was SAPA-NE coordinator since 2003. She helped to raise platinum sponsorship
from Novartis for SAPA-NE 2004 annual meeting. She became a SAPA-NE director in 2004
and is in charge of SAPA-NE membership. She spent a lot of effort to reorganize the
membership list thus facilitate the communication between the executive committee and its
members. She helped tremendously with registration for several meetings and symposiums.
She was the co-chair for SAPA-NE Jan. 05 scientific symposium. She is the co-chair of
SAPA-NE 2005 annual meeting and helped the fund-raising from Novartis again this year.
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2005 SAPA-NE Outstanding Corporate Award Winners
Corporate Sponsors of the SAPA-NE 8th Annual Conference
Platinum Sponsor: Eisai Research Institute, Inc.
Eisai Research Institute, Inc. (http://www.eisai.com) is a global human
health care corporation striving for innovative solutions in the
prevention, cure, and care for the health and well-being of people
worldwide. In the past few years, Eisai has supported SAPA-NE
activities both financially and through its employees. This year, Eisai
is the lead corporate sponsor for the last two SAPA-NE annual conferences. Eisai’s support
has made SAPA-NE to be a strong organization in promoting pharmaceutical science and
technology, and has built an excellent example for Eisai to be a leading global company to
improve human healthcare.
Platinum Sponsor: Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
The Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research
(NIBR) is Novartis’ global research organization.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and
with research facilities around the world, its mission is to
develop innovative medicines for patients worldwide.
Scientists at Novartis Institutes are blazing a new path in drug discovery by integrating
various scientific disciplines, fostering interaction among scientists from within and outside
of Novartis, and developing partnerships with academic research institutions and
biotechnology companies to move beyond the traditional boundaries of translational research.
Research at Novartis Institutes begins and ends with the patient. Recent scientific advances,
such as the sequencing of the human and other genomes, have catalyzed a unique
opportunity for discovering drugs that can address the underlying causes of disease. Novartis
Institutes is capitalizing on such advances by positioning itself at the intersection of
genomics and medicine. Novartis’ key attributes include scientifically focusing on medicines
to address the basic molecular mechanisms underlying disease, organizationally pursuing a
comprehensive, multi-disciplinary structure built around human genetics, model systems,
imaging technologies, and chemical diversity, and culturally building activities on extensive
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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and deep collaborations with scientific innovators in academic organizations and
biotechnology companies. Novartis Institutes currently has areas of concentration in;
cardiovascular disease; dermatology/immunopathology; diabetes and metabolism; genetic
therapy; infectious diseases; nervous system disorders; oncology; musculoskeletal;
respiratory diseases; and transplantation. Research at Novartis Institutes is truly a worldwide
endeavor, with research facilities located in the following locations: Basel, Switzerland;
Horsham and London, UK; Vienna, Austria; Tsukuba, Japan; East Hanover, NJ; Novartis
Institutes Headquarters, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Gold Sponsor: ALTANA Research Institute
ALTANA Research Institute (ARI) in Waltham, MA
(www.ari.altanapharma.com) is the entrepreneurial
biotechnology division of ALTANA Pharma AG
(www.altanapharma.com), the pharmaceutical division of ALTANA AG (NYSE: AAA).
ALTANA Pharma, an international group with over 8200 employees and more than 30
subsidiaries worldwide, has been experiencing remarkable growth. As a research-driven,
international pharmaceutical company, ALTANA Pharma invests almost 20% of sales into
research (total sales in 2004: 2.1 billion EUR). ARI is exploring innovative technologies to
support the company's drug discovery efforts. The ARI team has developed state-of-the-art
automated genomics and proteomics research capabilities as well as a sophisticated
bioinformatics platform. Our scientists are applying the technology platform toward the
identification of new therapeutic approaches for treatment of inflammatory/respiratory
diseases, gastrointestinal disorders and cancer. ARI is growing and provides a challenging
environment for enthusiastic researchers. Our multidisciplinary project teams work closely
together, driving science to value. We are now continuing that growth and progressing
forward.
Gold Sponsor: ArQule, Inc.
ArQule, Inc. is a biotechnology company engaged in
research and development of next-generation smallmolecule cancer therapeutics based on its innovative
Activated Checkpoint TherapySM (ACTSM) platform.
ACTSM compounds are intended to improve the way
cancer patients are treated because they selectively kill cancer cells and spare normal cells by
restoring and activating cellular checkpoints that are defective in cancer. In addition to
advancing its own programs, ArQule continues to advance the drug discovery efforts of
pharmaceutical collaborators by providing high-quality library design and high throughput
synthesis to enhance and accelerate lead generation and optimization using its proprietary
Automated Molecular Assembly Plant (AMAP™) technology platform. ArQule has active
collaborations with Pfizer, Novartis, and Sankyo.
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Merck & Co., Inc. is a global research-driven
pharmaceutical company dedicated to putting patients
first. Established in 1891, Merck discovers, develops,
manufactures and markets vaccines and medicines in
over 20 therapeutic categories. The company also
devotes extensive efforts to increase access to medicines through far-reaching programs that
not only donate Merck medicines but help deliver them to the people who need them. Merck
also publishes unbiased health information as a not-for-profit service. For more information,
visit www.merck.com.
Silver Sponsor: Abbott Bioresearch Center (ABC)
Abbott Bioresearch Center (ABC) is the
Worcester-based biotechnology drug discovery and biologics manufacturing unit of Abbott
Laboratories, one of the world's leading health care companies. The 440,000-sq. ft. facility is
located 35 miles west of Boston on a 30-acre landscaped site, and houses 685 employees.
The rationale behind R&D programs at Abbott Laboratories and ABC represents a paradigm
shift in how innovative medicines are discovered and developed. Until now, large
pharmaceutical houses have, for the most part, focused only on the development of small
orally available medicines while biotech companies have primarily focused on biologic
based medicines. Abbott Laboratories, with its unique blend of biologics and small molecule
drug discovery capabilities at ABC and its well established and broad based small molecule
drug discovery teams in Chicago and Germany, has the freedom to focus its drug discovery
effort on! the best disease targets and develop biologic or a small molecule medicines as
needed.
ABC combines the innovative spirit of biotechnology with the stability of a big
pharmaceutical company. Between ABC and Abbott Park we have some of the best scientists
in the country who are working with cutting-edge technologies. Specific to ABC there is a
focus on monoclonal antibodies and small molecules, both of which promise to deliver high
quality compounds for critical therapeutic areas.
Abbott Bioresearch Center is part of Abbott Laboratories Global Pharmaceutical Research
and Development (GPRD). Please visit the Abbott GPRD website for more information
about this organization.
Silver Sponsor: Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
ARIAD is engaged in the discovery and development of
breakthrough medicines to treat cancer by regulating cell
signaling with small molecules. The Company is developing a
comprehensive approach to patients with cancer that addresses
the greatest medical need – aggressive and advanced-stage
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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cancers for which current treatments are inadequate. ARIAD also has an exclusive license to
pioneering technology and patents related to certain NF-κB treatment methods, and the
discovery and development of drugs to regulate NF-κB cell-signaling activity, which may be
useful in treating certain diseases. Additional information about ARIAD can be found on the
web at http://www.ariad.com.
Silver Sponsor: AVEO
AVEO is a privately held, product-focused biopharmaceutical company
in Cambridge, Massachusetts positioned to revolutionize cancer drug discovery and
development. AVEO employs powerful, proprietary genetic model systems to discover and
develop drugs against essential targets critical to the origin, maintenance and spread of
malignant tumors. This novel high-throughput in vivo technology platform enables the rapid
functional identification and prioritization of only the most relevant drug targets –
dramatically improving the efficiency of drug discovery. Additionally, by identifying patient
populations likely to be responsive to drug therapy, AVEO’s technology enables smarter
drug development, decreased development costs and improved attrition.
Silver Sponsor: Blue Sky Biotech Inc.
Blue Sky Biotech Inc. is a Contract Research
Organization (CRO) located in Worcester, MA. The Company offers large pharma/biotech
research services in the “Gene to Protein” space. Three laboratories are linked in Blue Sky’s
service pipeline: Molecular Biology, Tissue Culture/Fermentation, and Protein
Sciences. Blue Sky’s Management Team has over 50 yrs of experience in the industry, and
delivers true pharma-grade expertise and assistance. Some popular services we provide
are: Gene Synthesis, In Vitro Transcription, Vector Construction, Bacterial Fermentation,
Baculoviral _Expression, Mammalian _Expression, Yeast _Expression, and Protein
Purification. Blue Sky has developed a novel baculoviral system (IKM™) that allows for
fast turnaround of “high-titer” viral amplification and remarkably consistent protein
_expression. Blue Sky scientists have purified over 600 proteins, and frequently engage in
research-scale method (process) development projects. Blue Sky is New England’s Drug
Discovery “Lab Down the Hall”
Silver Sponsor: Cell Signaling Technology, Inc.
Cell Signaling Technology, Inc. is dedicated to the
development and distribution of innovative phosphospecific antibodies that are of the highest quality and
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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validated in multiple applications by CST scientists. CST’s antibodies enable specific
assessments of kinase and pathway “activation state” in basic research, proteomics, target
and drug discovery and clinical pathology. Moreover CST in partnership with ProQinase
AG offers over 70 recombinant kinase enzymes, which combined with our phospho-specific
antibodies are critical content in technologies that are central to targeted therapeutic
discovery, including HTS, ELISA, Bio-Plex, and high content screening. For more
information about us, please visit our website: www.cellsignal.com.
Silver Sponsor: Cyprotex
Cyprotex is a provider of experimental and
computational capabilities to support ADME/toxicity
and pharmacokinetics assessment for drug discovery
partners.
Its core products include the Cloe Screen? In vitro
ADME/toxicity service, and Cloe PK - a pharmacokinetics prediction system which
integrates core ADME and physicochemical compound data to predict compound levels in
plasma and major organs in the body. This unique combination of technologies is aimed at
improving pharmaceutical productivity by improving the quality of compound libraries and
drug candidates progressing through the drug pipeline. Cyprotex is based in the UK and is
listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: CRX).
Silver Sponsor: Sepracor Inc.
Sepracor Inc. is a research-based pharmaceutical
company dedicated to treating and preventing human
disease through the discovery, development and
commercialization of innovative pharmaceutical products that are directed toward serving
unmet medical needs. Sepracor's drug development program has yielded an extensive
portfolio of pharmaceutical compound candidates, including candidates for the treatment of
respiratory, urology and central nervous system disorders. XOPENEX® brand levalbuterol
HCl inhalation solution is our first self-developed and self-commericialized product for
asthma therapy. Sepracor's corporate headquarters are located in Marlborough,
Massachusetts. http://www.sepracor.com.
Silver Sponsor: Pfizer
Pfizer Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets leading
prescription medicines for humans and animals and many of the world's best-known
consumer brands. Our innovative, value-added products improve the quality of life of people
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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around the world and help them enjoy longer, healthier, and more productive lives. The
company has three business segments: health care, animal health and consumer health care.
Our products are available in more than 150 countries.
Silver Sponsor: Wyeth
Wyeth BioPharma is dedicated to the successful development
and manufacturing of recombinant protein biopharmaceuticals.
Biopharmaceutical drugs are a rapidly growing segment of
Wyeth's business. As a result of the success of several
innovative products such as Enbrel® (etanercept), ReFacto®
Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant) and BeneFix® Coagulation Factor IX (Recombinant),
Wyeth is positioned at the forefront of the biopharmaceutical revolution that is transforming
disease treatment around the world.
For the past six years, Wyeth has been supporting SAPA-NE activities both
financially and through its employees. Wyeth executives, scientists and attorneys have
addressed several SAPA-NE symposia and conferences. This year, Wyeth is the silver
corporate sponsor. All of these actions demonstrate the company’s leadership, quality,
integrity, respect for people, and spirit of collaboration. In summary, Wyeth’s support to
SAPA-NE is an excellent example of its contribution to our community and society.
Co-organizer: MIT-CSSA
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Corporate Sponsors
P
M
UM
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PLLAATTIIN
G
OLLD
D
GO
S
SIILLVVEERR
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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Exhibition and Reception
Sponsors
SSCIENTIFIC INC.
Solution providers for custom chemistry
SAPA-NE 2005 8th Annual Conference
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