Sunday, October 23, 2005

Will California Produce Biology's Holy Grail?

Some of California's top business leaders are going to get a fast sell on the future of stem cell research next Monday, assuming that the three men and one woman selected to make the presentation follow the program.

The event is the 2005 State of the State Conference sponsored by the Milken Institute, which says that 20 percent of the attendees have been chairmen, president or CEOs of their companies. Fifty percent hold the title of CO, chairman, president, vice president, CIO, partner or director.

The event includes a one-hour panel on "Stem Cell Innovation: The Next Frontier Economy?" The program notes for the session say:

"It is hoped that this holy grail of modern biology will yield not only treatments and cures for things like spinal cord injuries, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, but maintain California’s global leadership in technology – one of its key economic drivers. Several states are following California’s lead, but the U.K., South Korea, Singapore and other countries have been providing a research-rich environment. Among the issues this panel will tackle: Where are we in terms of research capacity relative to other countries? How far away are we from developing therapeutic products? What are realistic expectations for commercial success? Will this translate into high-quality jobs? How will the state receive a return on its investment? "

Charged with exploring the topic are Robert Klein, chairman of CIRM;Peter Mountford, CEO, Stem Cell Sciences Ltd.; Thomas Okarma, president and CEO, Geron Corp., and Susan Hackwood, executive director, California Council on Science and Technology; professor, electrical engineering, University of California, Riverside.

Registration for the Los Angeles event is $495. For more information, see here.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Search This Blog