February 26, 2020

LET SCIENCE LEAD: A Special Online Forum on COVID-19

Date and time

February 25, 2020 ~ February 25, 2020

5-8pm PST Feb 25 | 8-11pm EST Feb 25

9am-12pm China time Feb 26

Taking place at 5pm–8pm PST on Tuesday, February 25th was WuXi AppTec’s online event, LET SCIENCE LEAD: A Special Online Forum on COVID-19. This 18-speaker forum created a strong platform for professionals within industry and academia to discuss the challenges seen in the global management of the COVID-19. Topics such as: diagnosis, therapeutic intervention, vaccine development and global preparedness were keenly discussed in conjunction with patient-focused solutions.

The 5000 registrant forum held a consistent viewership. “This event coming from WuXi’s side is really about science,” said Dr. Hui Cai, Forum Chair, VP and Head of Content Division, WuXi AppTec. “It’s about how we’re thinking forward, and about working together to do the right thing for the patients.”

We would like to thank our event speakers around world, who stayed up late at night and got up early in the morning. It is through industry and cross-industry collaborations that important opportunities like this can be created to optimize better care for patients.

Agenda

05:00 PM - 05:04 PM OPENING
Hui Cai, Forum Chair, Vice President and Head of Content Division, WuXi AppTec
05:04 PM - 05:05 PM A Moment of Silence for the Lives Lost to COVID-19
05:05 PM - 05:50 PM Towards Faster and More Accurate Diagnosis
Feng Zhang, Professor, MIT McGovern Institute and Broad Institute
Charles Chiu, Professor, Laboratory Medicine and Medicine / Infectious Diseases; Director, UCSF-Abbott Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center
Victor Shi, CEO, Adicon Clinical Laboratories; General Partner, Serica Partners
Moderated by Nick Naclerio, Founding Partner, Illumina Ventures
05:50 PM - 06:40 PM Expediting Therapeutic Intervention
George Scangos, CEO, Vir Biotechnology
Tomas Cihlar, Vice President of Virology, Gilead Sciences
David Ho, Director of Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center; Professor of Medicine, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Chris Chen, CEO of WuXi Biologics; Chairman, WuXi Vaccines
Moderated by Zhi Hong, Co-founder & CEO, Brii Biosciences
06:40 PM - 07:40 PM Can We Move Quickly on Vaccines?
Gregory Poland, Professor and Director of Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group; Editor-in-Chief, VACCINE
Johan Van Hoof, Global Therapeutic Area Head IDV, Vaccines, Janssen Pharmaceuticals R&D and Managing Director, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention, B.V.
Joseph Kim, President and CEO, Inovio Pharmaceuticals
Xuefeng Yu, Chairman and CEO, CanSino Biologics
Mark Esser, Vice President of Microbial Sciences, AstraZeneca
Moderated by Steve Yang, EVP and CBO, WuXi AppTec
07:40 PM - 08:00 PM How to Improve Readiness for the Next Epidemic?
Arthur Reingold, Division Head of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Moderated by Richard Soll, Senior Advisor of Strategic Initiatives and Head of Boston Office, WuXi AppTec

Speakers

Hui Cai
FORUM CHAIR, VP AND HEAD OF CONTENT DIVISION, WUXI APPTEC
Feng Zhang
INVESTIGATOR, HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE CORE MEMBER, BROAD INSTITUTE OF MIT AND HARVARD
Charles Chiu
PROFESSOR, LABORATORY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE / INFECTIOUS DISEASES; DIRECTOR, UCSF-ABBOTT VIRAL DIAGNOSTICS AND DISCOVERY CENTER
Victor Shi
CEO, ADICON CLINICAL LABORATORIES; GENERAL PARTNER, SERICA PARTNERS
Nick Naclerio
FOUNDING PARTNER, ILLUMINA VENTURES
George Scangos
CEO, VIR BIOTECHNOLOGY
Tomas Cihlar
VICE PRESIDENT OF VIROLOGY, GILEAD SCIENCES
David Ho
DIRECTOR OF AARON DIAMOND AIDS RESEARCH CENTER; PROFESSOR OF MEDICINE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY VAGELOS COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS
Chris Chen
CEO, WUXI BIOLOGICS; CHAIRMAN, WUXI VACCINES
Zhi Hong
CO-FOUNDER AND CEO, BRII BIOSCIENCES
Gregory Poland
PROFESSOR AND DIRECTOR OF MAYO CLINIC VACCINE RESEARCH GROUP; EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, VACCINE
Johan Van Hoof
GLOBAL THERAPEUTIC AREA HEAD IDV, VACCINES, JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS R&D AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, JANSSEN VACCINES & PREVENTION, B.V.
Joseph Kim
PRESIDENT AND CEO, INOVIO PHARMACEUTICALS
Xuefeng Yu
CHAIRMAN AND CEO, CANSINO BIOLOGICS
Mark Esser
VICE PRESIDENT OF MICROBIAL SCIENCES, ASTRAZENECA
Steve Yang
EVP AND CBO, WUXI APPTEC
Arthur Reingold
DIVISION HEAD OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND BIOSTATISTICS, UC BERKELEY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Rich Soll
SENIOR ADVISOR OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES AND HEAD OF BOSTON OFFICE, WUXI APPTEC