AGENDA

5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Conference Registration

6:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception and Dinner

7:30 – 9:00 a.m.

Registration and Networking Breakfast  

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Partnering Hall

9:00 – 9:10 a.m.

Welcome Remarks  

9:10 – 9:50 a.m.

Venture Capital Financing Trends
This panel will discuss recent trends in venture financings, including corporate venture capital and partnering, valuations and round sizes, tranching and milestones, and platform vs. assets.

Moderator:
Jennifer Fang, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Jessica Alston, Partner, F-Prime Capital
Jenna Aronson, Principal, Two Bear Capital
Raymond Camahort, Partner, Novo Holdings
Olga Danilchanka, Partner , MRL Ventures Fund

9:50 – 10:30 a.m.

Navigating Antitrust Issues and FTC Scrutiny in Life Sciences
This panel will explore the various ways antitrust issues can arise in Life Sciences and Biotech and discuss best practices for engagement with the antitrust agencies.

Moderator:
Brendan Coffman, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Jessica Anthony, Executive Director & Associate General Council, Sandoz, Inc.
Maureen Ohlhausen, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Michelle Yost Hale, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

10:30 – 10:50 a.m.

Break

10:50 – 11:30 a.m.

Leveraging AI in Therapeutics: Revolutionizing Drug Discovery and Development
Artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly leveraged in the therapeutics space to revolutionize drug discovery.  Sophisticated machine learning (ML) models are being trained to yield AI platforms that can be used for therapeutics purposes.  Please join this panel of experts as we discuss various important topics relevant to companies using AI for drug discovery.

Moderator:
Ali Alemozafar, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Ian Chiang, Partner, Flare Capital
Simren Delaney, Vice President, Intellectual Property & Legal Operations, Metagenomi, Inc.
Alex Key, Partner, Wilson Sonsini
Joanna Wang, General Counsel, Insilico Medicine

11:30 a.m.  – 12:10 p.m.

Patent Issues for Biotech Entrepreneurs
Intellectual Property (IP) has been at the forefront for the courts and policy makers in recent years and this focus on IP is expected to continue. We have assembled a panel with representatives from the USPTO, Large Pharma, and the Academic arena to discuss wide ranging topics that impacts IP and global strategy. These topics include but are not limited to the emergence of AI, changing standards in view of recent case law, IP considerations for company acquisition and how to maintain a robust patent and innovative ecosystem in view of a changing landscape.

Moderator:
Lou Lieto, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Don Huddler, Assistant General Counsel, GSK
Arti Rai, Elvin R. Latty Professor of Law and Faculty Director, The Center for Innovation Policy, Duke Law
Daniel Sullivan, Director of Technology Center 1600 at the United States Patent & Trademark Office, USPTO 

12:10 – 1:10 p.m.

Networking Lunch

1:10 – 1:50 p.m.

Life Sciences Capital Markets & IPO Trends
This panel will discuss the recent market dynamics for life sciences IPOs and how management can take control of their initial public offering.

Moderator:
Karen Deschaine, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Lara Meisner, Chief Legal Officer, Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary at Bicara Therapeutics
Craig Randall, Assistant General counsel at RA Capital and Counsel at RA Ventures

1:50 – 2:30 p.m.

M&A: Trends and Strategies for Navigating the Current Market
Gain insights from panelists with a broad range of diverse experience as they share their perspectives on the M&A market for biotech companies, including how the current economic and investment landscapes are impacting the structure, terms, timelines, and likelihood of M&A transactions.

Moderator:
Jason Breen, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Keith Gottesdiener, President and Chief Executive Officer, Prime Medicine
Chris LeMasters, Corporate Development, Chimagen Biotherapeutics
Maren Winnick, Senior Managing Director and Partner, Evercore

2:30 – 3:10 p.m.

FDA Panel
Join this panel to hear from former FDA Deputy Commissioner, Deb Autor, and former FDA CDER regulatory counsel, Dan Orr, who will discuss recent FDA regulatory developments impacting the industry and regulatory strategies for engaging with FDA. Topics will include the impact of the Loper Bright case, overruling the Chevron doctrine, on FDA regulation and potential risks to the biotech/pharmaceutical industry, strategies for startups to obtain early feedback from FDA and to expedite their approval process, as well as common mistakes and challenges faced by startups when engaging with FDA.

Moderator:
Eva Yin, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Deb Autor, Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare Innovation Catalysts
Sue Lim, Principal, Insight Biologics LLC
Daniel Orr, Senior Counsel, Wilson Sonsini

3:10 – 3:30 p.m.

Break

3:30 – 4:10 p.m.

Fireside Chat: An Interview with Chris Gibson, Co-founder and CEO, Recursion Pharmaceuticals
Chris Gibson, co-founder and chief executive officer of Recursion Pharmaceuticals, developed the technology and approach that seeded Recursion as part of his MD/PhD work in the lab of co-founder Dr. Dean Li while at the University of Utah. After completing his Utah Ph.D. in Bioengineering in 2013, Chris left medical school to build Recursion into the rapidly growing company it is today.

Join us for this featured interview session moderated by Farah Gerdes, Partner, Wilson Sonsini.

4:10 – 4:50 p.m.

Big Pharma Panel: Forging Successful Collaborations in Biotech
Partnering with pharma is a critical piece of a biotech’s development and fund-raising strategy.  Join us for a panel of seasoned pharma and biotech executives to hear their perspectives on deal-making prospects and strategies for the coming years.

Moderator:
Farah Gerdes, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Brian Bronk, Experienced Business Development Leader, Sanofi
Scott DeWire, Executive Director, Head of Business Development & Licensing, USA, Boehringer Ingelheim
Lucas Donigian, VP Commercial and Business Development, Zymeworks Inc
Miranda Biven, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

4:50 – 5:30 p.m.

Mapping Biological Ground State to Unlock New Drugs for Common Disorders
A focus on the intersection of biological mapping, baseline biological states, and the development of novel drugs for common disorders.

Moderator:
Ian Edvalson, Partner, Wilson Sonsini

Speakers:
Ed Boyden, Y. Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology at MIT, an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the MIT McGovern Institute, and professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Media Arts and Sciences, and Biological Engineering at MIT
Brent Vaughan, Founder, Stealth TechBio

5:30 – 5:35 p.m.

Closing Remarks

5:35 – 7:00 p.m.

Venture Capital Uncorked: Wine Tasting Closing Reception 

*Please note that the schedule and panel topics are subject to change.*