LGND is also in another CalBio update:
SAN DIEGO, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- At CalBioSummit '97 to be held on
October 9, the spotlight will be on how San Diego companies are employing The
New Biotechnology Toolbox to develop highly differentiated products for
intractable diseases. The conference is hosted by BIOCOM/san diego, a trade
association representing 157 local biotechnology and 75 medical device
companies.
"Today it takes about $200 to $300 million and seven years to get a new
drug to market," stated Robert S. Whitehead, CEO of Trega Biosciences and
Chairman of CalBioSummit '97. "Approximately 45-50% of this money and 40% of
the time are consumed identifying appropriate new drug candidates."
"Typically, 10,000 potential drug candidates need to be screened to
identify a single compound that can be advanced to pre-clinical testing,"
stated Whitehead. "Using genomics/target identification, ultra
high-throughput screening and combinatorial chemistry, companies can screen
upwards of 100,000 molecules a day and shorten the money and time
requirements
to get to clinical testing."
The healthcare environment mandates that new drugs must have significant
benefit over existing drugs. Formularies will no longer list a dozen ace,
protease or serotonin uptake inhibitors. This forces companies to be the
first to market and to develop highly differentiated products that treat or
cure intractable diseases.
Whitehead will moderate The New Biotechnology Toolbox session of
CalBioSummit where three San Diego companies -- Trega Biosciences
(Nasdaq: TRGA), Sequana Therapeutics (Nasdaq: SQNA) and Aurora BioSciences
(Nasdaq: ABSC) -- will showcase their discovery methods.
Lawrence D. Muschek, Ph.D., President R&D for Trega, will elaborate on how
Combinatorial Chemistry is used to focus on small molecules and to reduce
drug
discovery costs. Kevin J. Kinsella, CEO and President of Sequana
Therapeutics, Inc. will speak on Target Identification. "As a gene discovery
firm, Sequana focuses on identifying the causes of genetic-associated
diseases," stated Kinsella. "Using Target Identification Technology, we
recently reported finding "gene regions" that contain the genetic cause for
osteoporosis, a bone disease afflicting more than 100 million people
worldwide."
The "New Biotechnology Toolbox" segment will conclude with comments from
Gordon Foulkes, CSO of Aurora BioSciences Corporation on High-Throughput
Screening. "The major rate limiting factor impacting the drug discovery
process is the ability to screen large number of compounds for activity,"
stated Foulkes. "Ultra high-throughput screening -- which can screen more
than 100,000 compounds a day -- is designed to overcome the limitations
associated with traditional drug design."
The afternoon session of CalBioSummit will take more of a financial turn,
beginning with a panel discussion by investment bankers from Hambrecht &
Quist, Robertson Stephens & Company, Vector Securities, Lehman Brothers,
Smith Barney and Cruttenden Roth.
Following the investment banking panel, 12 biotechnology and 6 medical
device companies will present their business strategies in three concurrent
breakout sessions. The biotechnology companies presenting include: Agouron
Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: AGPH), Alliance Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALLP),
Amylin Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: AMLN), DepoTech Corporation (Nasdaq: DEPO),
Dura Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: DURA), IDEC Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: IDPH), La
Jolla Pharmaceutical (Nasdaq: LJPC), Ligand Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: LGND),
Mycogen Corporation (Nasdaq: MYCO), PharmaPrint, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPRT), Sibia
Neurosciences (Nasdaq: SIBI), and Vical, Inc. (Nasdaq: VICL). The medical
device companies presenting include: Advanced Tissue Sciences (Nasdaq: ATIS),
Alaris Medical Systems (Nasdaq: ALRS), Biosite Diagnostics (Nasdaq: BSTE),
Molecular Biosystems (NYSE: MB), Safeskin Corporation (Nasdaq: SFSK), and
Vista Medical Technologies (Nasdaq: VMTI).
CalBioSummit '97 will conclude with a "Meet the Companies" sunset
reception overlooking the San Diego harbor featuring up to 40 biotechnology
and biomedical device companies in a poster session.
CalBioSummit is an annual event hosted by Southern California's most
influential regional industry trade association, BIOCOM/san diego. Founded
in
1995 as a merger between the Biomedical Industry Council and the San Diego
Biocommerce Association, BIOCOM/san diego is a leading non-profit public
advocacy group. It proactively deals with issues that affect the growth of
bio-agriculture, biotechnology, and medical device companies in this region,
including: securing reliable water sources, regulatory reform, retaining
manufacturing facilities, focusing financing sources and fostering continued
entrepreneurship from San Diego's academic underpinnings, University of
California, San Diego (UCSD), San Diego State University and the County's
community colleges.
BIOCOM/san diego also interfaces with the Biotechnology Industry
Organization, the Health Industry Manufacturers Association, the Medical
Device Manufacturers Association, the United AgriBusiness League, UCSD's
CONNECT, as well as with San Diego City and County Governments, the San Diego
Regional Economic Development Corporation, the San Diego Chapter of the
American Electronic Association, and The Greater San Diego Chamber of
Commerce.
To attend CalBioSummit '97, please call Dallas FanFares at 800-203-8950
for registration information or visit the BIOCOM/san diego website at
www.biocom.org.
CalBioSummit '97
Presenting Company
Web Site Addresses - Alphabetical Listing
Company Web Site Address
Agouron www.agouron.com
Alliance Pharmaceuticals www.allp.com
Alaris Medical Systems www.alarismed.com
Amylin Pharmaceuticals www.amylin.com
Aurora Biosciences www.aurorabio.com
Biosite NA
DepoTech www.depotech.com
Dura Pharmaceuticals www.durapharm.com
IDEC Pharmaceuticals NA
La Jolla Pharmaceuticals NA
Ligand Pharmaceuticals NA
Molecular Biosystems NA
Mycogen www.mycogen.com
PharmaPrint www.pharmaprint.com
SafeSkin www.safeskin.com
Sequana Therapeutics www.sequana.com
Sibia Neurosciences www.sibia.com
Trega Biosciences www.trega.com
Vical NA
Vista Medical Technologies www.vistamt.com
SOURCE BIOCOM/san diego
CO: BIOCOM/san diego
ST: California
IN: MTC
SU: PDT
09/26/97 08:07 EDT prnewswire.com |
