April 5, 2010

Carey School plans Pre-Clinical Translational Research Workshop

The Carey Business School is planning a daylong workshop on methods for making translational research projects attractive to potential investors.

The Pre-Clinical Translational Research Workshop, scheduled for Thursday, April 29, at the university’s Downtown Center, is designed for professionals involved in public or private research in the academic, pharmaceutical and biotech fields.

Carey officials say that the event should also appeal to venture capitalists, “angel” investors, professionals with responsibilities as in-house corporate or patent counsel and representatives of state and federal research-funding agencies.

Phillip Phan, professor and vice dean for faculty and research at the Carey Business School, as well as the lead organizer of the workshop, explains why an exploration of translational possibilities might prove beneficial to pharmaceutical companies.

“Many of them are facing the dreaded ‘patent cliff,’ when expirations are not being replaced by promising drugs in the pipeline. These companies are fighting back with legal strategies to extend patents or prevent the intrusion of generics. However, the long-term solution is to improve the translational research pipeline by ensuring robust funding streams,” Phan said.

Two keynote presentations will take place during the workshop—by Barbara Slusher, the chief scientific officer in the Brain Science Institute’s NeuroTranslational Program at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and by Allen D. Roses, director of the Deane Drug Discovery Institute at Duke University.

In addition, two panel discussions on research strategies will feature experts from higher education, private industry and the legal profession. Phan will serve as one of the moderators.

The event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration is $50, which includes the costs of breakfast, lunch, a closing reception and parking.

To learn more about the Pre-Clinical Translational Research Workshop, go to http://
carey.jhu.edu/landing_pages/trans_research.