Fall Industry Panel
November 18th, 2007 | Posted by Dennis Ko
Here's a little bio of our speakers and thier companies:
Dr. Lawrence Tamarkin, CytImmune Sciences, Inc.
Position: Co-Founder, President & CEO – Former NIH investigator with extensive basic and clinical research experience, inventor of drug delivery patents
Company Mission: With a core focus in oncology, CytImmune will leverage its proprietary pegylated colloidal gold tumor-targeting nanotechnology to develop a new pipeline of multifunctional, next generation therapeutics with faster development timelines, more efficient regulatory approvals, new commercialization value, and greater patient benefit from a wide array of available anti-cancer agents.
Company History: CytImmune was founded in 1988 to originally develop, manufacture and sell cytokine immunoassay kits. The Company evolved into a biopharmaceutical leader based on more than 10 years of colloidal gold nanotechnology research and drug development. To date, CytImmune has raised nearly $8 million from private investment and grant funding. In September 2004, the Company won its second ATP award for The In Vitro Production of Human Monoclonal Antibodies. Under this award the Company will use its colloidal gold nanoparticles as a semi-synthetic immune system to produce wholly human monoclonal antibody therapeutics. The Company has 8 issued and allowed patents, and 24 pending patents for its colloidal gold technology in the U.S., the EU, Japan and Canada.
Summary: CytImmune is a small innovative biopharmaceutical company that uses colloidal gold tumor-targeting nanotechnology to develop new therapeutics for cancer. As of today, CytImmune has raised $8 million in funds, and the company won its second ATP award for The In Vitro Production of Human Monoclonal Antibodies in September 2004.
Dr. Douglas Kline, Schering-Plough Corporation
Position: Director of Sterile Product Development
Company Mission: Schering-Plough is committed to earning the trust of doctors, patients and customers every day. Our colleagues worldwide believe that trust is not easily granted, and that is the reason we focus each day on becoming a champion for our stakeholders.
Company History: First established in the late 1800s as the U.S. subsidiary of Schering AG, a German-based pharmaceutical and chemical company, Schering Corporation was incorporated in New York City in 1928, and in New Jersey in 1935. Schering Corporation's first offering consisted of a modest but promising line of pharmaceutical products to U.S. consumers, which led to steady growth and a rapid expansion of facilities.
The 1940s proved to be a key decade in the history of the company, as it evolved from a European-based company with U.S. operations into a truly American enterprise. Schering Corporation had been nationalized by the U.S. government during World Wars I and II, and in 1952 the company passed into the private sector.
For Schering, the 1950s and 1960s were characterized by continued growth, attributable to research and development and acquisition activities. Schering Corporation grew to become a global research-based pharmaceutical firm, and in 1971, merged with Plough Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of consumer products, to create Schering-Plough Corporation. The merger proved successful, as only a decade later the company's sales had grown fourfold.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Schering-Plough refined its focus on four key therapeutic areas and continued to excel at innovative approaches to treating disease. New research technologies acquired during this time quickly became important tools in Schering-Plough's research program, enabling the company to achieve important pharmaceutical advances and significant breakthroughs in antihistamines, corticosteroids, antibiotics, anti-infectives and antiviral products. Over the years, Schering-Plough also has divested and acquired businesses and entered into alliances to strengthen its worldwide competitiveness.
In April 2003, Fred Hassan joined Schering-Plough as chief executive officer and was elected chairman by the Board of Directors. Under his direction, Schering-Plough is embarking on an overall turnaround strategy for the organization. By focusing on the basics, earning the trust of all stakeholders and developing innovative products with the potential to improve people's health and extend lives, Schering-Plough is undergoing transformational change in order to achieve success in today's competitive environment.
Summary: Schering AG started as a German-based pharmaceutical and chemical company in the late 1800s. In 1971, Schering AG merged with Plough, Inc. to create the Schering-Plough Corporation. Areas of research include cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, central nervous system disorders, infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases, oncology, and respiratory diseases. Schering-Plough is ranked one of the top US pharmaceutical companies with net sales of $10.6 billion.
Dr. Jianguo Yang, MedImmune, Inc.
Position: Scientist / Group Leader of Cell Line Development Group
Company Mission: MedImmune strives to provide better medicines to patients, new medical options for physicians, rewarding careers to employees, and increased value to shareholders. Dedicated to advancing science and medicine to help people live better lives, the company is focused on the areas of infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company has three marketed products and an advancing pipeline of promising candidates, all designed to treat or prevent a number of debilitating or life-threatening diseases.
Summary: MedImmune is a pharmaceutical company that started in 1987. Its three main products are Synagis (A antibody that is used to treat a lower respiratory disease caused by RSV.), Ethyol (A cytoprotective agent that reduces toxicity of cancer chemotherapies and radiotherapies.), and FluMist (An influenza vaccine that was funded by US Health and Human Services.).