Biotechnology

1
Biotechnology
Proactive Strategies for Advancing Women in
Science ICI2004, Montreal, Canada

• Challenges and Opportunities for Women

Carol Nacy President, Sequella, Inc., Rockville,
Maryland, USA
2
Biotechnology Today

• Biological products produced by recombinant DNA
  techniques
• Specialty drug discovery and development
• Diagnostics
• IVD
• Molecular probes
• Theranostics
• Life sciences Instrumentation
• Technology-based platform companies
• Stem cell
• Genomics
• RNAi
• Drug Delivery
• Agribusiness
• Nutraceuticals
• Essentially anything fits the mold these days

3
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Facts

• 1466 biotechnology companies in USA, 318 publicly
  traded
• Biotech industry employed 194,600 people
• Market Cap (total value of publicly-traded USA
  biotech companies) is 311 billion
• Biotech revenues are now 29 billion
• Biotech is one of the most research intensive
  industries in the world
• 2002 RD expenditures were 20.5 billion
• 2002 RD expenditures were 101,200/employee

4
Biotech Business Model

• Business model is totally upside-down
• Consume 50-100M before you break even
• Necessitates constant search for
• Generally run by Scientist-Founder(s)
• May or may not have good business sense
• Usually reach Peter Principle within 3-5 years
  of company start
• Wedded to first concept of company (most change
  focus in 3 years)
• IP generally comes from own lab (or own concept)
  and find it difficult to accept product failure
  (learn to kill your children)
• Difficult to get management/business
  experience unless you convince VC funders of
  worth
• Many VC bet on the jockey, not on the horse

5
Biotechnology company positions currently filled
by women

• Executives (CEO, President, Business Development,
  CFO, RD)
• Technician, Scientists, and Science Managers
  (basic and applied research)
• Program Directors (Chemistry, Microbiology,
  Immunology)
• Product Managers (vaccines, diagnostics, drugs,
  devices)
• Manufacturing and Quality Control/Quality
  Assurance (product manufacture and release)
• Regulatory staff and managers (work with Product
  Managers and FDA/USDA/CDC)
• Clinical Development (clinical trial design,
  execution, monitoring)
• Marketing (presentations, education, preparing
  sales materials, scientific press, actual sales)
• Postmarketing reporting (adverse events
  reporting, product support)

6
Biotechnology Company Women CEOs/PresidentsGenet
ic Engineering News, June 2004

• Name Company Website
• Sherri C. Oberg Acusphere www.acusphere.com
• Pamela Marrone, Ph.D. AgraQuest www.agraquest.co
  m
• Ginger Graham Amylin Pharmaceuticals www.amylin.c
  om
• Una S. Ryan Avant Immunotherapeutics www.avantimm
  une.com
• Laureen Higgens BD Biosciences (SoAm) www.bd.com
  
• Helen Cunniff BD Biosciences (Asia) www.bd.com
• Cynthia Fisher BioMed 20/20 Technologies www.biom
  ed2020.com
• Barbara Osband Cambridge Biomedical Res
  www.cambridgebiomedical.com
• Elena Holden Compucyte www.compucyte.com
• Elizabeth Panke Genetica www.genetica.com
• Ruth M. Shuman, Ph.D. Gentra Systems www.genetica
  .com
• Mara Espinal Genzyme/genetics www.genzyme.com
• Judith Gwathmey VMD PhD. Gwathmey www.gwathmey.c
  om
• Julia Greenstein, Ph.D. Immerge
  Biotherapeutics www.immergebt.com
• Mary Pat Moyer, Ph.D. InCell www.incell.com
• Janice Pero, Ph.D. OmniGene Bioproducts www.omnig
  enebioproducts.com
• Alison Taunton Rigby RiboNovix www.ribonovix.com
  
• Carol Nacy, Ph.D. Sequella www.sequella.com

7
How Biotech Companies SurviveBusiness Model

• Smart companies use a variety of funding sources
  to continue product development and company
  growth
• Founder and friends and family money
• High net-worth Individuals/Angels
• Small business grants (SBIR, STTR) and other
  govt grants (ATP, DARPA)
• Grants from philanthropic organizations
  (patient associations, etc.)
• Corporate Partnerships
• Loans/payment of salaries/bills with equity
• Venture financing
• A significant source of money during tight
  financing times is grants
• One place where scientists have edge over
  business execs!
• Apply early and often one (or more) grants
  each cycle
• Enhance your funding probability by
  communication

8
Skills of Importance to Biotech

• All classic scientific skills are important
• Microbiology
• Chemistry
• Cell biology
• Animal biology
• Pharmacology
• All business skills are useful
• Creating a budget
• Developing a timeline
• Identifying milestones
• Writing clearly
• Cross-training (science and business) is very
  valuable

9
Recognize the Currency of Your Profession

• Degrees
• Knowledge increases with study continue through
  lifetime
• Know (and do) what you enjoy
• Dont get Ph.D. unless you like to write!
• Consider alternative career degrees (MBA, MPH,
  Biotechnology)
• Publications
• Increases personal credibility
• The more you write, the better you write
• The more you publish, the more people want to
  collaborate with you
• Increases company science credibility
• Enhances options for grant support (grants
  reviewed by academics)
• Validates science for VC investors/corporate
  partners

10
Organizations and Resources for Biotech Women

• Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
  (www.bio.org) committees
• Women in Bio (www.womeninbio.org, headquarters in
  Washington DC, expanding from east coast)
• Women in Biotechnology (www.womeninbiotechnology.
  com, global, headquarters in Palo Alto, CA)
• Springboard (www.springboardenterprises.org, many
  programs for entrepreneurs, national with
  headquarters in Washington DC)
• Center for Women in Enterprise (www.cwe.org,
  Boston)