Experts from industry, academia, government and medical research foundations share their insights on the opportunities and challenges that impact the discovery and development of new therapies.
Tuesday December 1, 2015
10:00am – Brain Disease Breakthroughs – Are We at the Tipping Point?
Over the last five years the number of drugs being developed for brain and nervous system disorders fell 50% to a dismal 129 as many pharma companies abandoned the pursuit of new brain disease therapies. But recent scientific advances may have turned the tide. Last year investors poured $3.3 billion into companies that are developing drugs for neurodegenerative and psychiatric illnesses. From immunotherapy to gene therapy, and everything in between, which approaches are showing the greatest promise for the treatment of such diseases as depression, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis?
1:15pm – Immuno-oncology & Precision Medicine: The Double Whammy in Cancer Therapies
While immuno-oncology has been hailed as one of the top three cancer therapeutic advances of all time, many believe the greatest benefit will be realized by combining new immunotherapies with drugs that target the pathways that drive cancer cell growth. Join our panelists as they discuss what these combined therapeutic approaches mean to patients, the pharma industry, and the emerging companies working to bring new cancer therapies into clinical development.
Wednesday December 2, 2015
10:00am – Metabolic Disease: Personal Choice or Destiny?
More than one quarter of the world’s adults are living with so called “Life Style” diseases such as obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and fatty liver disease. While numerous drugs currently exist to treat diabetes and cardiovascular issues, the demand for them continues as our aging and increasingly obese population fuels market demand. Obesity, fatty liver disease (steatosis), and its more severe form: NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), have been more challenging targets for drug development. What approaches are showing the most promise for the development of new therapies and where are the breakthroughs occurring? Key Opinion Leaders will discuss these issues and provide insights into our changing understanding of the underlying biology that will inform future development.
Life Sciences Summit organizers gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the following individuals in the development of the therapeutic focused program: Sam Kongsamut, PhD, Rudder Serendip LLC; Ginny Llobell, Defined Health and Jessica Swartz, Pfizer