Please click on the banner image above to watch the dialogue.
“We’re in the age of precision medicine. I think we need to move into precision health promotion, precision medical education to provide very targeted, very personalized medical advice for each individual, and to be able to better measure the outcomes at the individual level.” – Benjamin Seet
Episode IV of the “Dialogues on Healthy Aging” features Benjamin Seet, Deputy Group CEO (Education and Research), National Healthcare Group in Singapore with moderation by Hui Cai, VP and Head of Content, WuXi AppTec.
Key discussions around:
– As one of the fastest aging societies in the world, what unique challenges does Singapore’s healthcare system face?
– How is the Singapore healthcare system adapting to the new reality?
– How do you see the healthcare system in Singapore changing over the next ten years in response to the growing need of aging patients?
– As a well-recognized world leader in education and research, how research in Singapore is making an impact on healthcare?

Ben Seet is the Deputy Group CEO (Education & Research) for the National Healthcare Group, and concurrently, Assistant CEO of Tan Tock Seng Hospital (Corporate Services). He is an Adjunct Professor with the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. 

Ben was formerly Executive Director of the Biomedical Research Council at A*STAR, where he oversaw research and innovation spanning the pharmaceutical, biotech, health tech, food and consumer industries. Prior to joining A*STAR, he served a 22-year military career, where he held the appointment of Chief of the SAF Medical Corps. He further served as Chief Medical Officer of the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York. 

Ben serves on various boards and advisory committees. He currently sees himself as an evangelist for COVID-19 vaccination. 

Benjamin Seet

Benjamin Seet 2017 (BMRC ED)

Deputy Group CEO (Education and Research), Singapore National Healthcare Group

Dr. Hui Cai joined WuXi AppTec in 2009 as Vice President of Business Development, and is currently Vice President and Head of Content Division.

Prior to WuXi, Dr. Cai spent 10 years at Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development leading multiple drug discovery programs in the therapeutic areas of inflammation and autoimmune diseases. She is a co-author and co-inventor to over 50 scientific publications and issued or pending patents. Dr. Cai is a Councilor of the American Chemical Society (ACS), a member of BayHelix, and a member of the UCSD Alumni Board. In her past capacity, she served as a Commissioner at the City of San Diego Science and Technology Commission, Chair of SABPA, and President of SDCA. Dr. Cai received her BS and MS in Chemistry from Peking University, PhD from The Scripps Research Institute, and MBA from UCSD Rady School of Management as a DLA Piper – Athena Scholar.

Hui Cai

hui cai

VP and Head of Content, WuXi AppTec

Episode IV: How Research & Education Can Impact an Aging Society: A Singapore Perspective

Dear Colleagues and Friends,
We are delighted to announce that <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wuxi-healthcare-forum-2022-call-to-action-tickets-269118349227">registration is now open</a> for WuXi Healthcare Forum 2022, which will premiere on April 26-28, 2022. The event is virtual, complementary and will bring together thousands of participants from the global life science community.
The theme of WuXi Healthcare Forum 2022 is “Call to Action” and aims to support the World Health Organization’s (WHO) key global health initiatives, particularly the urgent need to prevent and treat chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, dementia, and other global health challenges.
We are honored to welcome many global leaders and innovators at the forefront of tackling each of the above critical areas: Emilio Emini, CEO, the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute; Valeria Gigante, Team lead, World Health Organization; Bill Hait, EVP, Chief External Innovation, Medical Safety and Global Public Health Officer, Johnson & Johnson; Mariell Jessup, Chief Science and Medical Officer, American Heart Association; Tim Jinks, Head of Infectious Diseases Interventions, The Wellcome Trust; Arif Kamal, Chief Patient Officer, American Cancer Society; Walter Koroshetz, Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health; Mene Pangalos, President of R&D, AstraZeneca; Susanne Schaffert, President, Novartis Oncology; and many other distinguished speakers from around the world.
Global challenges require global solutions and global collaborations. We hope you will join us for this year’s dynamic discussions. Please visit <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wuxi-healthcare-forum-2022-call-to-action-tickets-269118349227">HERE</a> to register for this virtual event.
Best regards,
WuXi Healthcare Forum Committee

WHF2022 Banner_final_2MP

WuXi Healthcare Forum 2022

<a href="#hui-cai">Hui Cai</a>, Program Chair, VP and Head of Content, WuXi AppTec

Welcome 

<a href="#steve-yang">Steve Yang</a>, Co-CEO, WuXi AppTec
<a href="#frederick-chew">Frederick Chew</a>, CEO, A*STAR; Chief, Public Sector Science &amp; Technology Policy &amp; Plans Office, Prime Minister’s Office of Singapore
<a href="#george-vradenburg">George Vradenburg</a>, Convener, The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease; Founding Chairman, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative; Chairman &amp; Co-Founder, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s

Opening Remarks

<a href="#kate-bingham">Kate Bingham</a>, Managing Partner, SV Health Investors
<a href="#luigi-ferrucci">Luigi Ferrucci</a>, Scientific Director, National Institute on Aging of NIH
<a href="#paul-irving">Paul Irving</a>, Chairman, Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging; Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, USC Davis School of Gerontology
Session Leader:  <a href="#michal-preminger">Michal Preminger</a>, Regional Head, Johnson &amp; Johnson Innovation East North America

Aging: The Grand Challenge

<a href="#niranjan-bose">Niranjan Bose</a>, Managing Director, Health &amp; Life Sciences, Gates Ventures
<a href="#ivan-cheung">Ivan Cheung</a>, Chairman, Eisai Inc; Global President of Neurology Business Group, Eisai Co Ltd
<a href="#george-vradenburg">George Vradenburg</a>, Convener, The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease; Founding Chairman, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative; Chairman &amp; Co-Founder, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s
Session Leader:  <a href="#stacie-weninger">Stacie Weninger</a>, President of F-Prime Biomedical Research Initiative (FBRI)

Spotlight on Alzheimer’s Disease

<a href="#linda-partridge">Linda Partridge</a>, Founding Director, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing; Professor, Institute of Healthy Ageing, and GEE, UCL
<a href="#eric-verdin">Eric Verdin</a>, CEO &amp; President, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Session Leader: <a href="#sebastien-thuault">Sebastien Thuault</a>, Chief Editor, Nature Aging

State of Aging Research

<a href="#yap-seng-chong">Yap-Seng Chong</a>, Dean, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; Chief Clinical Officer, A*STAR
<a href="#daniel-fung">Daniel Fung</a>, CEO, Institute of Mental Health in Singapore
<a href="#chien-earn-lee">Chien-Earn Lee</a>, Deputy Group CEO (Regional Health System), SingHealth
<a href="#andrea-maier">Andrea Maier</a>, Co-Director, Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System, Singapore
Session Leader: <a href="#brian-kennedy">Brian Kennedy</a>, Distinguished Professor in Biochemistry and Physiology, the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore

Healthy Aging: Singapore’s Perspectives 

A conversation between <a href="#scott-berkowitz">Scott Berkowitz</a>, VP &amp; Chief Population Health Officer, Johns Hopkins Medicine; Associate Professor of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University and <a href="#henry-brodaty">Henry Brodaty</a>, Professor of Ageing and Mental Health; Co-Director, CHeBA (Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing), UNSW Sydney

Prevention. Prediction. Personalization.

<a href="#rita-balice-gordon">Rita Balice-Gordon</a>, CEO, Muna Therapeutics
<a href="#marco-boorsma">Marco Boorsma</a>, General Partner at Forbion
<a href="#jens-eckstein">Jens Eckstein</a>, Managing Partner, Apollo Health Ventures
<a href="#kristen-fortney">Kristen Fortney</a>, Co-Founder and CEO, BioAge
<a href="#james-peyer">James Peyer</a>, Founder &amp; CEO, Cambrian Biopharma
Session Leader: <a href="#dave-madge">Dave Madge</a>, VP of Discovery Services, WuXi AppTec

The Next Frontiers in Tackling Age-Related Disorders

<a href="#joseph-coughlin">Joseph Coughlin</a>, Founder and Director, MIT AgeLab

How Will Technologies Shape the New Era of Healthy Aging

Closing 

Dear colleagues and friends,
In solidarity with the United Nation’s Decade of Healthy Aging initiative, WuXi AppTec and the Government of Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), and Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) will co-host the inaugural “Rising to the Challenge: Healthy Aging Forum 2022”, alongside the 2022 WuXi Global Forum.
One in six people in the world will be aged 65 years or over by 2050 according to the UN. As we enter this new era of a longer lifespan, scientific advances and joint efforts will be key in addressing the unique health challenges of the elderly as well as their communities.
This complimentary event, with full agenda below, will bring together nearly 30 leading voices at the forefront of tackling aging challenges, convene top executives from the life science industries, preeminent researchers, and key stakeholders to promote partnerships and actionable approaches in the new era of healthy aging, uniting thousands of colleagues around the world.
Global challenges require global collaborations, and global solutions. A new era of healthy aging is possible if we work together and let science lead. Our hope is that this forum inspires innovative thinking and tangible solutions for a future where everyone can enjoy a longer and healthier life.
We look forward to welcoming you to join us online on Jan 11.
Register <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wuxi-astar-healthy-aging-forum-tickets-204133547937">HERE</a> to watch the premiere or access the on-demand video, and watch our agenda trailer <a href="https://youtu.be/kacDZpIPE58">HERE</a>.
This global forum will be aired twice on Zoom at 8am PST/11am EST and 7pm PST/10pm EST, respectively. Shown below is the AM schedule.

Astar Banner-new v4_website

VP and Head of Content, WuXi AppTec 

Dr. Steve Yang is Co-CEO of WuXi AppTec. He is also WuXi AppTec’ s Head of WuXi Biology and Head of WuXi Testing. His responsibilities include management of multiple business units and commercial operation. WuXi AppTec provides a broad portfolio of R&D and manufacturing services that enable companies in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries worldwide to advance discoveries and deliver groundbreaking treatments to patients.  

Dr. Yang is a pharmaceutical industry leader recognized for building R&D and service capabilities, delivering research and early development portfolios of drug candidates, and establishing R&D partnerships in US, Europe, China and other Asian and emerging markets. Before joining WuXi AppTec, Dr. Yang was Vice President and Head of Asia and Emerging Markets iMed at AstraZeneca, based in Shanghai. Previously, Dr. Yang served as Vice President and Head of Asia R&D at Pfizer based in Shanghai, and as Executive Director and head of Pfizer’s global R&D strategic management group based in the United States. 

Dr. Yang received his PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of California, San Francisco. He started his undergraduate study in Fudan University, China and completed his BS Summa Cum Laude from Michigan Technological University. He co-founded the BayHelix Group, a non-profit global professional organization of Chinese life science business leaders, and served as the chairman of the board for two terms.

Steve Yang

Steve Yang_headshot

Co-CEO, WuXi AppTec

Mr Frederick Chew is the Chief Executive Officer of A*STAR, Singapore’s lead public sector agency spearheading research and innovation to impact Singapore, Singaporeans and Science. 

Helming the science and technology agency of over 5,300 research staff, Mr Chew drives the implementation of A*STAR’s strategies and programmes, as well as the building of long-term science and technology (S&T) capabilities for Singapore.

As Chief S&T PPO, Mr Chew and his office work to strengthen Ops-Tech capabilities across the public sector, optimise public sector S&T structures, processes and systems, as well as promote development of the public sector S&T workforce.

Mr Chew was previously the Deputy Secretary (Technology) at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF). Mr Chew also held various key positions in MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), including Director of Joint Operations, Commander of Maritime Security Task Force/Maritime Security Command and Head of Naval Plans. 

Mr Chew graduated with a Masters of Engineering (First Class Honours) from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. He holds a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University. Mr Chew is an SAF Overseas Scholar. He is also a recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship and Fulbright Award.

Frederick Chew

CEO, A*STAR; Chief, Public Sector Science & Technology Policy & Plans Office, Prime Minister’s Office

George is Chairman of UsAgainstAlzheimer’s which he co-founded in October 2010. He and UsAgainstAlzheimer’s co-convene both the Leaders Engaged on Alzheimer’s disease (LEAD) Coalition, and the Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s disease (CEOi). He also serves as Chairman of the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative, an initiative convened by the CEOi and World Economic Forum. George was named by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to serve on the Advisory Council on Research, Care, and Services established by the National Alzheimer’s Project Act and has testified before Congress about the global Alzheimer’s pandemic. He is a member of the World Dementia Council. George served as Chairman of the Phillips Collection for 14 years and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Economic Club of Washington. He has served in senior executive and legal positions at CBS, FOX and AOL/Time Warner.

George Vradenburg

Chairman, The Global CEO Initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease; Founding Chairman, Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative; Chairman & Co-Founder, UsAgainstAlzheimer’s 

In her 30 years at SV, Kate’s biotech investments have resulted in the launch of six drugs for the treatment of patients with inflammatory and autoimmune disease and cancer.

Kate co-leads SV’s biotech franchise which has a long history of building high value, successful new companies developing transformational new medicines and bringing drugs from discovery to market. Kate’s investments, many of which are examples of SV’s company creation approach to biotech investing, include a wide range of drug discovery and development companies focused on different clinical areas in companies in the UK, EU and US. Kate played an active role in setting up the Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF) and serves on the DDF Investment Committee.

Prior to joining SV, Kate worked for Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company in Cambridge, MA and at Monitor Company, a strategy consulting firm.

In May 2020 Kate was appointed Chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce reporting to the Prime Minster to lead UK efforts to find and manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine stepping down as Chair in December 2020. On December 8th 2020 the UK started COVID-19 vaccinations - the first Western country to do so. She was awarded a DBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in June 2021 for services to the procurement, manufacture and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.

Outside of SV, Kate serves on the Board of the Francis Crick Institute and won the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the BioIndustry Association UK in January 2017. At weekends Kate spends time in Wales where she rides horses and mountain bikes, grows vegetables and competes in bog snorkelling competitions.

Academic credentials
First class degree, Biochemistry, University of Oxford; MBA, Harvard Business School (Baker Scholar)

Kate Bingham

Managing Partner, SV Health Investors

Dr. Luigi Ferrucci is a geriatrician and an epidemiologist who conducts research on the causal pathways leading to progressive physical and cognitive decline in older persons. He has made major contributions in the design of many epidemiological studies conducted in the U.S. and in Europe, including the European Longitudinal Study on Aging, the "ICare Dicomano Study," the AKEA study of Centenarians in Sardinia and the Women's Health and Aging Study. He was also the Principal Investigator of the InCHIANTI study, a longitudinal study conducted in the Chianti Geographical area (Tuscany, Italy) looking at risk factors for mobility disability in older persons. Dr. Ferrucci received a Medical Degree and Board Certification in 1980, Board Certification in Geriatrics in 1982 and Ph.D. in Biology and Pathophysiology of Aging in 1998 at the University of Florence, Italy. He spent a 2-year internship at the Intensive Care Unit of the Florence Institute of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and was for many years Associate Professor of Biology, Human Physiology and Statistics at the University of Florence. Between 1985 and 2002 he was Chief of Geriatric Rehabilitation at the Department of Geriatric Medicine and Director of the Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology at the Italian National Institute of Aging. In September 2002, he became the Chief of the Longitudinal Studies Section at NIA. From 2002 to 2014 he was the Director of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging. Dr. Ferrucci is currently the Scientific Director of NIA, since May 2011. 

Luigi Ferrucci

Scientific Director, National Institute on Aging

Paul Irving is chairman of the Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging, chairman of Encore.org, and distinguished scholar-in-residence at the University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology. He previously served as the Milken Institute’s president, an advanced leadership fellow at Harvard University, and chairman and CEO of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, a national law and consulting firm. Irving is a member of the Global Advisory Council of the Stanford University Distinguished Careers Institute, the Board of Councilors of the USC Davis School, the Global Coalition on Aging Advisory Council, the Advisory Board of WorkingNation, and the National Academy of Medicine Commission for Healthy Longevity. He also serves as a director of East West Bancorp, Inc. and on the International Strategic Committee of the Quadrivio Group Silver Economy Fund. Irving previously served on the Bipartisan Policy Center Senior Health and Housing Task Force and as a participant in the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. Author/editor of “The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy, and Purpose,” a Wall Street Journal expert panelist and contributor to the Harvard Business Review and Forbes, PBS NextAvenue named Irving an “Influencer” for his work, and he was recognized with the Janet L. Witkin Humanitarian Award by Affordable Living for the Aging, the Life Journey Inspiration Award by Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute, and the Board of Governors Award by Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.

Paul Irving

Chairman, Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging; Distinguished Scholar-in-Residence, USC Davis School of Gerontology

Michal is the Regional Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation in East North America, based at the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Center in Boston.  In this role, she leads the East North America team to build, advance, and manage the External R&D portfolio of co-investments spanning across pharmaceutical, consumer health and medical devices.

Until recently, Michal served as the Executive Director of Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development (OTD) Harvard Medical School site, where she was responsible for development and commercialization of technologies emerging from research at HMS laboratories and for the strategy and execution of all industry collaborations. She negotiated agreements with major biopharma, life sciences, food and cosmetics companies to advance the translation of discoveries into products and create a revenue-generating product pipeline and worked with scientific founders and investors to create new startup companies.  

Prior to joining Harvard University’s OTD in 2005, Michal held a number of business development and technology development positions at Compugen, most recently as VP of Protein Therapeutics, responsible for the business management of the company’s emerging drug discovery pipeline. Previously, she worked in the technology industry in marketing and business development roles, and co-founded a biotechnology startup. 

Michal serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards FutuRx Accelerator, and was, until recently, a member of the SAB of Prize4Life and a Member of the Board of Directors of a number of companies, including Compugen and Alma Lasers. 

She holds a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from the Weizmann Institute of Science, an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France, and a BA in Medicine from Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. 

Michal Preminger

Regional Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation East North America

Niranjan Bose is currently the Managing Director (Health & Life Sciences Strategy) at Gates Ventures LLC, where he serves as the Science Advisor to Mr. Bill Gates. Prior to joining Gates Ventures in August 2014, he was the Chief of Staff to the President of the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

He was with the Gates Foundation from 2007 through 2014, which included a few years with their Enterics and Diarrheal Diseases (EDD) program strategy team, where he was responsible for managing a portfolio of investments, which included clinical development of enteric vaccines (rotavirus, cholera, enterotoxigenic E coli and shigella).

Prior to joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, he was with Strategic Decisions Group ( and SDG Life Sciences), where he was a Senior Consultant and assisted clients in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries with strategy development, company valuations, portfolio management frameworks, revenue forecasting, and competitive assessments.  

Niranjan holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Dartmouth College and an MS in biological sciences and BS in pharmaceutical sciences from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India. He also received the Business Bridge Diploma from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. 

Niranjan Bose

Managing Director, Health & Life Sciences, Gates Ventures

Ivan Cheung concurrently serves as Chairman of Eisai Inc. in the U.S. and Global President of Neurology Business Group, as well as Global Alzheimer’s Disease Officer at Eisai Co., Ltd.  Eisai Inc. encompasses fully-integrated commercial and medical organizations specializing in oncology and neurology as well as four research & development facilities in the U.S.  The Neurology Business Group is responsible for Eisai’s global end-to-end activities from discovery research and clinical development to brand commercialization and business development across Alzheimer’s disease & related dementias, epilepsy, sleep-wake disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Mr. Cheung is also a Senior Corporate Officer for Eisai Co., Ltd. in Japan, the parent company of Eisai Inc.
 
Mr. Cheung received his MBA from Harvard Business School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering with a double major in Economics from Duke University. He is a Board member of both the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), as well as the Board chairman of KAN Research Institute in Kobe, Japan.

Ivan Cheung

Chairman, Eisai Inc; Global President of Neurology Business Group, Eisai Co Ltd

Stacie Weninger is the President of FBRI. Prior to this position, she was the Senior Director of Science Programs for the Fidelity Foundations. In 2005, Dr. Weninger served as the Project Manager and Senior Analyst for the Task Force on Women in Science at Harvard University. From 2001-2005, Dr. Weninger was a Senior Scientist at Cell Press for the journal Neuron. Before joining Cell Press, Dr. Weninger was a postdoctoral research fellow at Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School with Dr. Bruce Yankner. She was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute predoctoral fellow in the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard University. While a graduate student and postdoctoral research fellow, Dr. Weninger was actively involved in undergraduate teaching, winning six teaching awards.

Dr. Weninger received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University, and a B.S. degree in chemistry with highest honors from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She currently chairs the Collaboration for Alzheimer’s Prevention; is President of Alzforum; serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors for Rugen Therapeutics; serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Aratome, Atalanta, Eikonizo, RBNC, Sironax, and Target ALS; and serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Boards for Denali Therapeutics, the Indian Institute of Science’s Centre for Brain Research and the UK Dementia Research Institute. She previously served as a founding member of the Board of Directors for Denali Therapeutics (NASDAQ: DNLI); as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Annexon Biosciences (NASDAQ: ANNX), BRI-Alzan (acquired by MeiraGTx), Digital Cognition Technologies (acquired by Linus Health), Enspectra, Inscopix, Syllable Life Sciences (acquired by RBNC), and Q-State Biosciences.

Stacie Weninger

President, FBRI

Linda Partridge works on the biology of ageing. Her research is directed to understanding the mechanisms by which healthy lifespan can be extended in laboratory model organisms and humans. Her work has focussed in particular on the role of nutrient-sensing pathways and diet, and her primary interest is in geroprotective drugs. 

She is the recipient of numerous awards, was honoured with a DBE for Services to Science in 2009 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. She is the founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and the Biological Secretary of the Royal Society.

Linda Partridge

Founding Director, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing; Professor, Institute of Healthy Ageing, and GEE, UCL

Dr. Eric Verdin is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. A native of Belgium, Dr. Verdin received his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Liege and completed additional clinical and research training at Harvard Medical School. He has held faculty positions at the University of Brussels, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the Gladstone Institute at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Verdin is currently adjunct Professor of Medicine at UCSF and Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California (USC).

Dr. Verdin studies how metabolism, diet, and small molecules impact epigenetic regulatory mechanisms, and thereby the aging process and its associated diseases. He is a highly cited scientist (top 1 percent) and has been recognized for his research with multiple awards including a fellowship from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and Belgium’s Royal Academy of Medicine. 

The Buck Institute, in the San Francisco Bay Area, is globally recognized as the pioneer and leader in the field of research on aging, the number one risk factor for chronic disease. For more information visit www.buckinstitute.org

Eric Verdin

CEO & President, Buck Institute for Research on Aging

Sebastien Thuault is the Chief Editor of Nature Aging, a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes research, reviews and opinion articles on aging and age-related diseases covering the life, health and social sciences. Dr Thuault holds a PhD in neuroscience and has been working in scientific publishing and communication for over 10 years. He was formerly an editor at Nature Neuroscience and Nature Communications and launched Nature Aging in 2021. 

Sebastien Thuault

Chief Editor, Nature Aging

Professor Chong Yap-Seng is the Dean of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine since 2019 and a clinician-investigator with a special interest in fetal growth and early development. He is also the Chief Clinical Officer (COO) of the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and the Lien Ying Chow Professor of Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS). He led the school’s Medical Education Unit from 2004 to 2014 and his contributions to medical education have been recognised by the university and national awards.

Professor Chong is the Lead Principal Investigator of the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) and the Singapore Preconception Study of long-Term maternal and child Outcomes (S-PRESTO) studies. He is also a Senior Consultant in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the National University Hospital (NUH), and a member of the Executive Group of the National University Health System (NUHS) as well as a board member of the National Medical Research Council.

His other research interests include strategies to promote breastfeeding, the genetic epidemiology of pregnancy-related disorders, and intrapartum and postpartum management issues. He has over 300 research publications, including papers in The Lancet, JAMA, and BMJ, and received more than $100 million in research grant funding. He also has numerous collaborations with industry, particularly in the area of early human development and nutrition. He was awarded the National Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award by the Ministry of Health in 2017.

Yap-Seng Chong

Dean, NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine; Chief Clinical Officer, Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, A*STAR 

Dr Daniel Fung is the CEO of the Institute of Mental Health in Singapore.  He is an Adjunct Associate Professor at all 3 Singapore medical schools.  

Dr Fung is the President of the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions and President of the College of Psychiatrists, Academy of Medicine, Singapore.  Dr Fung has co-authored over 200 peer reviewed research papers, books and book chapters.  

Daniel Fung

CEO, Institute of Mental Health in Singapore

Andrea Maier, a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP), graduated in Medicine (MD) 2003 from the University of Lübeck (Germany), was registered 2009 in The Netherlands as Specialist in Internal Medicine-Geriatrics and was appointed Full Professor of Gerontology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 2013. She was the head of Geriatrics at the Vrije Universiteit Medical Center from 2012 to 2016. From 2016 to early 2021 Professor Maier served as Divisional Director of Medicine and Community Care at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, and as Professor of Medicine and Aged Care at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She continued her career at the National University of Singapore as Oon Chiew Seng Professor in Medicine, Healthy Ageing and Dementia Research and Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System. Professor Maier’s research focuses on unraveling the mechanisms of ageing and age-related diseases. During the last 10 years she has conducted multiple international observational studies and intervention trials and has published more than 330 peer-reviewed articles, achieving an H index of 54, spearheading the significant contributions of her highly acclaimed innovative, global, multidisciplinary @Age research group. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs to disseminate aging research and an invited member of several international academic and health policy committees, including the WHO. She currently is the President of The Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research.

Andrea Maier

Co-Director, Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University of Singapore

Prof Lee is currently the Deputy Group CEO (Regional Health System), SingHealth where he leads population health efforts to enable residents in Eastern Singapore to keep well, get well and live well. He also Chairs the Planning Committee for the upcoming Eastern General and Community Hospitals. 

His past appointments include CEO of Changi General Hospital, and Deputy Director of Medical Services for Health Services and Healthcare Performance in the Ministry of Health Singapore where he led the strategic development and improvement of healthcare services. 

Prof Lee is an Adjunct Professor with three institutions of higher learning ie Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Duke-NUS Medical School and Singapore University of Technology and Design.   He was a member of several international committees under the World Health Organisation, International Hospital Federation and Joint Commission International. 

Prof Lee co-edited Singapore's Health Care System: What 50 Years Have Achieved (2015) and contributed the chapter on Strategies for Health Services in the 6th edition of the Oxford Textbook of Public Health (2015). He has also published and presented in international journals and conferences respectively.  

Chien-Earn Lee

Lee Chien Earn

Deputy Group CEO (Regional Health System), Singhealth

Dr. Brian Kennedy is internationally recognized for his research in the basic biology of aging and as a visionary committed to translating research discoveries into new ways of detecting, delaying, preventing and treating human aging and associated diseases. He is a Distinguished Professor in Biochemistry and Physiology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at National University Singapore and serves as Director of (1) the Centre for Healthy Longevity at the National University Health System, (2) the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme, and (3) the Asian Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality. Collectively, NUS aging research seeks to demonstrate that longevity interventions can be successfully employed in humans to extend healthspan, the disease-free and highly functional period of life. 
 
From 2010 to 2016, Dr. Kennedy was the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and he maintained a professorship there through 2020. Dr. Kennedy has an adjunct appointments at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington, where he was a faculty member from 2001 to 2010. In addition, Dr. Kennedy is also actively involved with a number of Biotechnology companies. In addition, Dr. Kennedy serves as a Co-Editor-In-Chief at Aging Cell. Finally, Dr. Kennedy has a track record of interaction in China, where he was a Visiting Professor at the Aging Research Institute at Guangdong Medical College from 2009 to 2014. His Ph.D. was performed in the laboratory of Leonard Guarente at M.I.T., where he published the first paper linking Sirtuins to aging. 

Brian Kennedy

briankennedy

Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS, Singapore

Scott Adam Berkowitz, MD, MBA, FACC, FAHA is Chief Population Health Officer and Vice President of Population Health for Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM), headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.  Dr. Berkowitz leads and provides strategic direction for the population health portfolio across the JHM enterprise. Dr. Berkowitz is also Associate Professor of Cardiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM), and a practicing cardiologist providing general cardiology services.  

Since 2011, Dr. Berkowitz has held positions at JHM focused on leading health care delivery transformation efforts. Working with leaders and staff members across the enterprise, he helped launch and oversee several major initiatives and programs to improve coordination of care, innovation in clinical care and population health. He previously served as senior medical director for accountable care within the Office of Johns Hopkins Physicians and, since 2014, has served as the executive director of Johns Hopkins Medicine Alliance for Patients, the Johns Hopkins Medicine Accountable Care Organization and Care Transformation Organization through the Maryland Primary Care Program.  From 2012-2016, he served as the program administrator and project director for the Johns Hopkins Community Health Partnership (J-CHiP) which was launched through a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) Health Care Innovation Award and led to improved outcomes for thousands of patients in East Baltimore.
Dr. Berkowitz received his bachelor’s degree in biology, master’s degree in business administration and medical degree from Yale University. He completed his residency and cardiology fellowship training as well as a geriatrics research fellowship at JHUSOM. 

Scott Berkowitz

Scott A. Berkowitz

Vice President & Chief Population Health Officer, Johns Hopkins Medicine; Associate Professor of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University

Henry Brodaty is a researcher, clinician, policy advisor and strong advocate for people with dementia and their carers.  At UNSW Sydney, he is Scientia Professor of Ageing and Mental Health, Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, and Director, Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration. He has published extensively, is a senior psychogeriatrician at Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney. He serves on multiple committees for the NSW and Australian governments and WHO.

He was previously President of International Psychogeriatric Association, Chairman of Alzheimer’s Disease International, and President of Alzheimer’s Australia NSW and Australia. In 2000 he became an Officer of the Order of Australia and in 2016 received the Ryman Prize for the world’s best development, advance or achievement that enhances quality of life for older people.

Henry Brodaty 

Professor of Ageing and Mental Health, Co-Director, CHeBA (Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing), UNSW Sydney

Rita Balice-Gordon, Ph.D., is the CEO of Muna Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on disease modifying therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.  She is a Director on the Board of Collegium Pharmaceutical and Capsida BioTherapeutics.  Rita was formerly the Global Head, Rare and Neurologic Diseases Research Therapeutic Area at Sanofi, and with business development colleagues inlicensed a BTK inhibitor, currently in Phase3 for Multiple Sclerosis, and partnered with Denali to develop a RIPK1 inhibitor for MS, ALS and Alzheimer’s, currently in Phase2. Before joining Sanofi, she was Vice-President and Head of Circuits, Neurotransmitters and Signaling in Pfizer’s Neuroscience and Pain Research Unit, led the psychiatry and pain portfolios, including bringing several assets to the clinic, and was Head of the Worldwide Research and Development Postdoctoral Program at Pfizer. Prior to her career in biopharma, Rita was Professor of Neuroscience and Chair of the Neuroscience Graduate Group in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, where she currently holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor. Rita and her laboratory have studied the cell-cell signaling mechanisms underlying synapse formation and maintenance and pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying autoimmune CNS disorders affecting cognition and behavior. She was continuously funded by the NIH for more than 30 years, authored more than 100 scientific papers, has given hundreds of invited research talks around the world, has chaired or served on many national and international committees and editorial boards. Rita is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

Rita Balice-Gordon

CEO, Muna Therapeutics

Marco has a key role in the investment team with a special interest to bring his background in molecular biology, operational and business development experience from both small and large businesses to the Forbion portfolio. He is instrumental in the establishment and management of new companies as part of Forbion’s build strategy. Until recently, he was CEO of VectorY, the vectorized antibody company founded by Forbion. Marco currently serves on the boards of Inversago, Escalier Biosciences, Oxitope (Chair), EnGene, VectorY, and Rectify. 

Marco was instrumental in the start-up of Dezima, and served on its board until Dezima was acquired by Amgen for up to USD1.5Bn in 2015. Marco also served on the following boards including:
•	Akarna, which was sold to Allergan for up to USD 1Bn in 2016; 
•	Prexton Therapeutics that was sold to Lundbeck in 2018 for up to USD 1.1Bn; and Inflazome that was sold to Roche in 2020 for USD450m and contingent milestone payments.

Additionally, Marco was observer to the board of Exosome Diagnostics that was sold to Bio-Techne for up to USD 575m. He previously served on the board of Replimune ($REPL), RSPR Pharma, NorthSea Therapeutics, Milestone Pharmaceutical ($MIST), Oxyrane and Cardoz. 

Marco studied molecular biology at Groningen University and hold a PhD in biotechnology from the ETH Zurich, Switzerland.  

Marco Boorsma

Marco Boorsma Headshot

General Partner at Forbion

Jens has more than 20 years of biopharma venture capital and company creation experience and 10 years of operational experience in drug discovery and development. He is currently a board director at Aeovian Pharmaceuticals, Samsara Therapeutics, Haya Therapeutics, Cleara Biotech, bosWell, Chairman of Booster Therapeutics and Refoxy Pharma, and non-executive director of Imugene (ASX: IMU). Before joining Apollo Health Ventures, Jens served as President of GlaxoSmithKline’s corporate venture fund SR One for eight years. Jens is also co-founder and was Managing Director of GSK’s Action Potential Venture Capital (APVC) which invests in pioneering bioelectronic technologies. Jens is a co-founder of Decibel Therapeutics (NASDQ: DBTX) and Palleon Pharmaceuticals. Previously, Jens was a General Partner at TVM Capital leading early-stage investments. At TVM Capital he was involved in building the first modern anti-aging biotech – Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. Jens is a Kauffman Fellow, a member of the EU commission sponsored Gold Track Expert Council, and a passionate mentor for entrepreneurs and start-up teams in the area of innovative life science and healthcare IT. Before his investment career, Jens was leading drug discovery teams and pharma collaborations at Enanta Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ENTA) and Mitotix.

Jens Eckstein

Managing Partner, Apollo Health Ventures

Kristen is the co-founder and CEO of BioAge, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of treatments to extend healthy lifespan by targeting the molecular causes of aging. The company uses its discovery platform, which combines quantitative analysis of proprietary longitudinal human samples with detailed health records tracking individuals over the lifespan, to map out the key molecular pathways that impact healthy human aging. By targeting these pathways with a large and mechanistically diverse portfolio of drugs, BioAge will unlock opportunities to treat or even prevent these diseases in entirely new ways.
Kristen’s scientific background is in aging biology and bioinformatics. She received her PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto, followed by postdoctoral training at Stanford University where she was a fellow of the Ellison Medical Foundation / American Federation for Aging Research.

Kristen Fortney

Co-Founder and CEO, BioAge 

James Peyer is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Cambrian Biopharma. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Sensei Biotherapeutics and board and executive roles across Cambrian’s pipeline. He has spent his entire life dedicated to the mission of finding ways of preventing people from getting diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s instead of waiting for people to get sick. James was previously Founder and Managing Partner at Apollo Ventures, the first global longevity-focused venture capital firm, investing across the US and Europe. Prior to Apollo, James was a biotech R&D specialist at the New York office of McKinsey & Company, serving major pharmaceutical clients. He earned his PhD in stem cell biology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a National Science Foundation Fellow and received his B.A. with special honors from the University of Chicago.

James Peyer

Founder & CEO, Cambrian Biopharma

Dr. Dave Madge is Vice President of Discovery Services at WuXi AppTec. In this role Dave leads a portfolio of drug discovery initiatives across multiple therapeutic areas and modalities. Prior to joining WuXi AppTec, in 2014, Dave was VP, Research, for the ion channel drug discovery company Xention Ltd, in Cambridge, UK, developing new molecules for cardiovascular and respiratory disorders. Before Xention Dave was based at University College London, as part of an integrated biomedical research group, and was responsible for developing new therapeutic discovery projects into funded biotech companies. Dave has a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry from Imperial College, London, and started his career at The Wellcome Foundation in the medicinal chemistry team.

Dave Madge

VP of Discovery Services, WuXi AppTec

Dr. Joe Coughlin leads the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab. Researcher, teacher & advisor – his work explores how global demographics, technology and changing behaviors are transforming business & society. He teaches in MIT’s Department of Urban Studies & Planning. Coughlin advises major companies worldwide and has served on advisory committees for the White House, the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development and economic development authorities worldwide. He was recognized by the Wall Street Journal as inventing the future of retirement, named as one of “100 Most Creative in Business” by Fast Company Magazine, and one of Investment News 2019 “Icons & Innovators.” Coughlin is a Senior Contributor to Forbes and writes for the Wall Street Journal as well as other leading business outlets. Author of over 100 academic publications, his recent book is The Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World’s Fastest Growing, Most Misunderstood Market – was named a CEO READS Best Seller. Follow him on Twitter @josephcoughlin.

Joseph Coughlin

Founder and Director, MIT AgeLab

Rising to the Challenge: Healthy Aging Forum 2022

Welcome

<a href="#minzhang-chen">Minzhang Chen</a>, Co-CEO, WuXi AppTec

Opening Remarks 

<a href="#david-berry">David Berry</a>, Founder and CEO, Valo Health
<a href="#diego-miralles">Diego Miralles</a>, CEO, Laronde
<a href="#roger-perlmutter">Roger Perlmutter</a>, Chairman &amp; CEO, Eikon Therapeutics
<a href="#henrijette-richter">Henrijette Richter</a>, Managing Partner, Sofinnova Partners
Session Leader: <a href="#jorge-conde">Jorge Conde</a>, General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

Opening Plenary: Changing the Games of R&D Productivity 

A Conversation between <a href="#susan-galbraith">Susan Galbraith</a>, EVP, Oncology R&amp;D, AstraZeneca and <a href="#david-reese">David Reese</a>, EVP of R&amp;D, Amgen

A Special Tribute to Dr. José Baselga 

A Conversation with <a href="#james-wilson">James Wilson</a>, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics of Department of Medicine, and Director of Gene Therapy Program, University of Pennsylvania. Moderated by <a href="#john-carroll">John Carroll</a>, Chief Editor &amp; Founder, Endpoints News

A Special Tribute to Dr. Tachi Yamada 

<a href="#christiana-bardon">Christiana Bardon</a>, Co-Managing Partner of BioImpact Capital, MPM Capital
<a href="#Jürgen-eckhardt">Jürgen Eckhardt</a>, SVP and Head of Leaps by Bayer
<a href="#alice-pomponio">Alice Pomponio</a>, Managing Director, American Cancer Society BrightEdge
<a href="#glenn-rockman">Glenn Rockman</a>, Founder and Managing Partner, Adjuvant Capital
Session Leader: <a href="#laura-kleiman">Laura Kleiman</a>, Founder and CEO, Reboot Rx

Investing for Social Impact

<a href="#debora-barton">Debora Barton</a>, CMO, Carisma Therapeutics
<a href="#john-houston">John Houston</a>, President and CEO, Arvinas
<a href="#eric-kelsic">Eric Kelsic</a>, Founder &amp; CEO, Dyno Therapeutics
<a href="#devyn-smith">Devyn Smith</a>, CEO, Arbor Biotechnologies
Session Leader: <a href="#ryan-cawood">Ryan Cawood</a>, CSO, WuXi Advanced Therapies and OXGENE

Delivering on the Promise of New Modalities

A Conversation with <a href="#todd-golub">Todd Golub</a>, Director, Broad Institute of MIT &amp; Harvard. Moderated by <a href="#kevin-davies">Kevin Davies</a>, Executive Editor, The CRISPR Journal and GEN Biotechnology; and Author, Editing Humanity

Closing Keynote 

We are delighted to announce the 10th annual WuXi Global Forum, which will unite thousands of colleagues from around the world to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our industry and to catalyze actionable solutions for patients.
Taking place on January 10th, 2022, this 3-hour complimentary and virtual 10-year special edition will focus on “Impact.”
– What impact have we had on our patients during the past 10 years?
– How will technologies shape breakthroughs in the next decade?
– What can we do collectively and collaboratively to make a bigger social impact?
We will also pay special tribute to two industry giants and our past speakers, the late José Baselga and the late Tachi Yamada. Their impacts are far-reaching, and they are inspirations for us all.
As a contributor to the global healthcare community, our WuXi Global Forum is always complimentary and open to the world’s life science ecosystem. We are also always grateful for your participation, as thousands of colleagues and friends signed up for our 2021 annual event. We hope the WuXi Global Forum can further strengthen global collaborations, inspire innovative thinking, and result in real change for the future of patients and their families.
Click <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wuxi-global-forum-2022-advancing-breakthroughs-for-patients-tickets-196198855057">HERE</a> to reserve your complimentary event pass, or access the on-demand video, and watch our agenda trailer <a href="https://youtu.be/0kFHqcAfuR0">HERE</a>.
For the convenience of our global audience, the program will be aired on Zoom at 8am – 11am PST (11am -2pm EST) and 7pm – 10pm PST (10pm – 1am EST), respectively.
We look forward to welcoming you to this special 10-year program!

WGF2022_Banner_Final

Program Chair, VP and Head of Content, WuXi AppTec

Over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing. Played important roles in R&D and commercialization of multiple innovative drugs for global launches. Awarded by The Medicine Maker's 2019 & 2020 Power List as one of the global top inspirational medicine makers driving the industry forward. Formerly Director of Technical Operations at Vertex. B.S. in Chemistry from Peking University and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Minnesota.

Minzhang Chen

minzhangChen

David Berry is Founder and CEO of Valo Health.  He has served as a General Partner at Flagship Pioneering, having founded over 25 companies including Indigo Agriculture, Omega Therapeutics (NASDAQ: OMGA), Inari Agriculture, Seres Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MCRB), Repertoire Immune Medicines, Evelo Biosciences (NASDAQ: EVLO), Axcella Health (NASDAQ: AXLA), and Joule Unlimited.  David has been broadly recognized as a world-leading innovator: elected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, named as Innovator of the Year by Technology Review from amongst its Annual TR35 list, and selected as one of 12 Innovators Reshaping Reality by the U.S. State Department, alongside pioneers such as Tim Berners-Lee.  He holds over 200 patents and patent applications.  David and his companies have been awarded with over 150 additional awards and honors.  David currently serves on the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN), where he was a Founding Leadership Council Member.  David received his MD from Harvard Medical School and his PhD from MIT in Biological Engineering.

David Berry

Founder and CEO, Valo Health

Diego Miralles is a veteran pharmaceutical and biotech leader who joined Flagship Pioneering in 2020, serving as CEO-Partner and CEO of Laronde. 

Diego was previously CEO of Vividion Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the creation of highly selective small molecule medicines that drug traditionally inaccessible targets. As CEO, he led a team that raised over $360 million in venture capital and two large partnerships with BMS/Celgene and Roche. Prior to this role, he was President of Adaptive Therapeutics, a division of Adaptive Biotechnologies focused on clinical therapeutic applications of TCR sequencing. 

Diego also spent eleven years at Johnson & Johnson, where he most recently served as Global Head of Johnson & Johnson Innovation. Diego’s many achievements at J&J include leading Janssen’s Research and Early Development Unit in California and establishing the J&J Innovation Centers and Janssen/JLABS. Diego was also Vice President of Clinical Development at Tibotec, a J&J company, where he led a team that put six drugs in the clinic, ultimately garnering five approvals, including PREZISTA® and INTELENCE®. Earlier in his career, he served in R&D roles at Trimeris, Inc. and Triangle Pharmaceutical focusing on the development of antivirals. He worked on the clinical development of a total of 8 compounds, two of which made it to the market: Fuzeon and Emtriva. 

Diego began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at Duke University Medical Center, where he practiced as an HIV physician and conducted basic research in T cell development. He received an M.D. from Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina and conducted his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and his fellowship in Infectious Diseases at New York Hospital-Cornell University Medical Center. 

Diego Miralles

CEO, Laronde

Dr. Perlmutter is President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman of Eikon Therapeutics, Inc., a private biotechnology company that employs advanced imaging technologies to identify novel therapeutic candidates by virtue of their effects on protein dynamics in living cells.  A highly accomplished industry as well as academic leader with over 35 years of experience, Dr. Perlmutter was previously Executive Vice President, Merck & Co., and President of Merck Research Laboratories where he supervised the discovery and development of numerous lifesaving medicines including KEYTRUDA™ , Merck's foundational immuno-oncology therapeutic, which continues to transform cancer care throughout the world. Before this, Dr. Perlmutter spent 12 years as Executive Vice President and head of R&D at Amgen, Inc., where he is credited with having revolutionized the development of important biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of osteoporosis and cancer-related bone disease, and for the reduction of hypercholesterolemia-related cardiovascular risk.

Prior to assuming leadership roles in industry, Dr. Perlmutter was a professor in the Departments of Immunology, Biochemistry and Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, and also served as Chairman of its Department of Immunology, where he was at the same time an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His research focused on understanding the signaling pathways that control lymphocyte activation. Prior to his role at the University of Washington, he was a lecturer in the Division of Biology at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. 

Dr. Perlmutter is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and both a Distinguished Fellow and past president of the American Association of Immunologists. 

Roger Perlmutter

Roger M. Perlmutter

Chairman & CEO, Eikon Therapeutics

Henrijette Richter is a Managing Partner at Sofinnova Partners and an active member of the Capital Funds team, the venture capital firm’s flagship fund dedicated to early-stage biotechs and medtechs. She joined Sofinnova in 2014 and her investments and board involvements include Mozart Therapeutics, Muna Therapeutics, Nitrase Therapeutics, Nodthera, Twentyeight-Seven Therapeutics, Asceneuron, Delinia (sold to Celgene), and iOmx Therapeutics.
Prior to Sofinnova, Dr. Richter was part of the team that founded Novo Seeds in 2007, and as an Investment Director, she was instrumental in the creation, financing and building of companies such as Orphazyme (ORPHA.CO; ORPH), Avilex Pharma, EpiTherapeutics (sold to Gilead), and Lysogene (LYS, Euronext Paris). Dr. Richter holds a combined Ph.D. and Industrial Scientist degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Copenhagen and Novo Nordisk A/S. She did her postdoctoral fellowship at the MIT Center for Cancer Research in Massachusetts.

Henrijette Richter

Managing Partner, Sofinnova Partners

Jorge Conde is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz where he leads investments at the cross section of biology, computer science and engineering.

Prior to joining a16z, Jorge served as Chief Strategy Officer for Syros (NASDAQ: SYRS), which is advancing a new wave of medicines that control expression of disease-driving genes to treat cancer and other diseases. He previously served as the company's Chief Financial Officer and Chief Product Officer, leading the platform strategy for Syros' novel gene regulation technology. Jorge also cofounded Knome, a human genome interpretation company acquired by Tute Genomics in 2015. Earlier in his career, Jorge worked in marketing and operations at MedImmune and as a biotechnology investment banker at Morgan Stanley.

Jorge holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MS from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and a BA in Biology from Johns Hopkins University.

Jorge was named one of the top 35 young innovators in the world by the MIT Technology Review and is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. He previously served on the board of the Museum of Science, Boston.

Jorge Conde

General Partner, Andreessen Horowitz

I lead Oncology R&D, early stage, and am responsible for research and early development from target selection to the initiation of pivotal trials.
I have over 20 years’ experience in drug discovery and development with a background as a Clinical Oncologist. I trained in medicine at Manchester and Cambridge Universities, was admitted to the Royal College of Physicians in 1992, and then trained in Clinical Oncology in London. I gained a Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists in 1997 and completed a PhD at the University of London involving translational work on a vascular-targeting agent. In 2017, I was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Medical Science from the Institute of Cancer Research, and in 2018 I was admitted to the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

I moved from medicine to industry in 2001, to Bristol-Myers Squibb where I held increasing levels of responsibility becoming Vice President for the Clinical Discovery Oncology & Immunology and Clinical Biomarkers groups.
I joined AstraZeneca in 2010 as Head of Oncology in the IMED Biotech Unit. Since joining, four programmes have moved into Phase 3 trials; and two are now approved in many countries around the world.

A critical focus for me in the drug development process is on ensuring quality target selection and engagement and selecting the right patients for treatment. This has led to the successful development of several novel treatments and I am proud to have played a part in their development, together with a great team at AstraZeneca. I am also passionate about developing the next generation of scientists and on improving diversity via personal mentorship.

In addition to my role at AstraZeneca, I co-lead the Cambridge Cancer Centre Onco-Innovation group, connecting Cambridge scientists to the biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the region; I am the current Chair of the Board at Definiens AG, a Non-Executive on the Board of Horizon Discovery PLC, and on the Scientific Advisory Board of the ICR Cancer Research Centre of Excellence; and I serve on the AACR Finance Committee and the AACR Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee.

Susan Galbraith

EVP, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca

Dr. David M. Reese is executive vice president, Research and Development. In this role, Dr. Reese oversees Discovery Research, Global Development, Global Regulatory Affairs and Safety, as well as Global Medical. Dr. Reese joined Amgen in 2005 and has served in various leadership roles within the Research and Development organization. This includes most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Translational Sciences and Oncology where he oversaw the translation of Amgen’s medicines from the lab into the clinic and the overall oncology strategy. 

Prior to joining Amgen, Dr. Reese was director of Clinical Research for the Breast Cancer International Research Group (BCIRG) and a co-founder, president and chief medical officer of Translational Oncology Research International (TORI), a not-for-profit academic clinical research organization. Dr. Reese is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He completed training in Internal Medicine and Hematology/Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Medicine, and subsequently served on the faculty at UCLA and the University of California, San Francisco.

David Reese

David M. Reese

EVP of R&D, Amgen

James M. Wilson, MD, PhD, is a Professor in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where he has led an effort to develop the field of gene therapy. His research career spanning over 40 years has focused on rare diseases and ways to treat them by gene therapy. The Wilson lab identified a new type of vector based on novel isolates of adeno-associated viruses which have become best in class for gene therapy being used by over 40 companies. More recently Dr. Wilson’s laboratory has focused on improved vectors for gene therapy and clinical applications of genome editing and mRNA therapy.

James Wilson

Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics of Department of Medicine, and Director of Gene Therapy Program, University of Pennsylvania

John D. Carroll is a biotech analyst and writer with decades of prize-winning experience in journalism. A co-founder of Endpoints News, he has covered biopharma for the past 17 years. Aside from his daily industry coverage for FierceBiotech, where he was named editor in 2003, leaving in 2016, Carroll has been a regular speaker at biotech events around the globe. He’s been quoted by The New York Times, The New Yorker, Financial Times, The Times of London and more. He’s also keynoted at biotech gatherings around the world and addressed student audiences at MIT and Harvard. Carroll has contributed stories from Central America and Ireland to the Dallas Morning News and Time and wrote for the Houston Press. He spent 6 years as editor and publisher of the Dallas Business Journal, was publisher of Texas Business and early in his career was part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team of reporters and editors at the Kansas City Star & Times.

John Carroll

Chief Editor & Founder, Endpoints News

Dr. Christiana (Chris) Bardon is Co-Managing Partner of BioImpact Capital, an affiliate manager of MPM and leads MPM’s public market investing as portfolio manager for BioImpact Equities (f/k/a Burrage Capital) and the Oncology Impact Funds.

Previously, Chris was a health care analyst at Fidelity Investments covering biotechnology, life-science tools and diagnostics, and she started her career as an analyst at MPM. She currently serves on the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows and is a Trustee of the American Association for Cancer Research Foundation.

Chris earned her M.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School and her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. While at Harvard Medical School, she was the recipient of a Howard Hughes fellowship, and she completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard Medical School. She received her M.S./B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Christiana Bardon

Co-Managing Partner of BioImpact Capital, MPM Capital

Jürgen Eckhardt is SVP and Head of Leaps by Bayer, the impact investment unit of Bayer. The mission of Leaps is to invest in breakthrough technologies and disruptive business models in the areas of healthcare and agriculture. Jürgen has been a venture investor since 2002 and currently serves on the board of Joyn Bio, Dewpoint, Century, Khloris, Oerth Bio, Immunitas, eGenesis, and others. Previously, Jürgen was a management consultant and Associate Partner with McKinsey & Co. and a member of McKinsey’s Healthcare Leadership Team. He began his career as a radiologist at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland. Jürgen received his M.D. from the University of Basel and his MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.

Jürgen Eckhardt

Juergen Eckhardt

SVP and Head of Leaps by Bayer

Alice Pomponio is an impact investor and social innovation entrepreneur.  She currently serves as Managing Director of BrightEdge, American Cancer Society’s impact investment fund that fights cancer with patient-centric innovation by investing in early-stage oncology companies. Her American Cancer Society volunteer leadership includes past Chair Eastern New England Board of Directors and National Board Member of American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. She is on faculty at Harvard-MIT HST Sloan Healthcare Ventures where she teaches biomedical innovation and healthcare entrepreneurship. Before joining BrightEdge, Alice was an advisor at Red Sky Partners advising high-growth life sciences and health tech startup companies on business development and go-to-market strategies.

Alice held prior R&D and commercial leadership roles at Radius Health, AstraZeneca, and Sanofi Genzyme, where she launched multiple U.S. and global specialty products and championed orphan drug policy and health equity initiatives across the globe.  She led open innovation and public-private partnerships that have transformed specialty medicines development. Her public sector experience spans innovation, trade, and healthcare policy through roles in the UK Government and U.S. Office of Management and Budget. She holds a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from MIT. Alice serves on the Boards of Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, MassEcon, and PhagePro Inc.

Alice Pomponio

Managing Director, American Cancer Society BrightEdge

At Adjuvant, Glenn oversees the firm’s investments in VitriVax (board member), Univercells (board member), Themis (acquired by Merck in 2020), X-Vax (board observer), InDevR (board member), and Codagenix (board member). He is also actively engaged with the Research Investment for Global Health Technology Fund (RIGHT Fund) as a board member and a champion of leveraging South Korea’s life sciences industry to bring new public health innovations to market. He is also on the board of WaterEquity.
Prior to Adjuvant, Glenn was a Managing Partner at the Global Health Investment Fund (GHIF), where he oversaw the fund’s investments in EuBiologics (KOSDAQ: 206650), AccessBio (KOSDAQ: 950130), and IanTech (sold to Carl Zeiss Meditec in 2018), among others.

Prior to GHIF, Glenn was an Executive Director in J.P. Morgan’s Social Finance unit, where he helped the firm’s non-profit clients maximize the financial resources available to advance their missions. 

Glenn earned an AB in public policy from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

--
Adjuvant is a global life sciences investment company built to accelerate the development of new technologies for the world’s most pressing public health challenges. Backed by prominent healthcare investors and development finance institutions, Adjuvant invests in companies developing promising new vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and devices targeting high-burden infectious diseases, malnutrition, and maternal / child health, with a commitment to make these interventions accessible to those who need them most in low- and middle-income countries.

Glenn Rockman

Founder and Managing Partner, Adjuvant Capital

Laura Kleiman is the Founder and CEO of Reboot Rx, the nonprofit health tech startup dedicated to fast-tracking the development of affordable cancer treatments using repurposed generic drugs, AI technology, and innovative funding models. Laura’s career has focused on building collaborations across disciplines and sectors to expand treatment options for cancer patients. She holds a PhD in Computational and Systems Biology from MIT, was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and most recently served as Scientific Research Director in the Department of Data Sciences at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Laura has been featured in Forbes and the Boston Business Journal, named a CHM Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Prize Changemaker finalist, and recognized with awards from Extraordinary Women Advancing Healthcare, 40 Under 40 in Cancer, the Massachusetts Next Generation Initiative, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Laura Kleiman

Founder and CEO, Reboot Rx

Debora Barton, MD, is a medical oncologist and the Chief Medical Officer of Carisma Therapeutics. She brings over 20 years of oncology experience, both in academia as a practicing physician and investigator in clinical trials, and in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical industry supporting the development of new drugs for the treatment of cancer. 
At Carisma, she is leading the clinical development of CT-0508, a HER2 targeted, first of its kind CAR-macrophage, as well as the planning of upcoming pipeline clinical trials including CAR-macrophages against new targets and combinations.
Most recently, she served in key senior executive positions in adoptive cellular therapy and radiopharmaceutical biotech companies including Iovance Biotherapeutics and Advanced Accelerator Applications (the latter being acquired by Novartis during Debora’s tenure). In her leadership roles, Debora built Clinical Development, Medical Affairs and Drug Safety teams setting up the infrastructure for the conduct of registrational clinical studies. She was instrumental in obtaining FDA Breakthrough Designation for a cell therapy product and in the marketing authorization of a radiopharmaceutical agent for the treatment of cancers by both FDA and EMA. 
Previously, Debora spent 10 years at Celgene and Novartis in Medical Affairs and Clinical Development roles of increasing responsibility, always focusing on improving the lives of cancer patients. She holds an MD from Pontificia Universidade Catolica Sao Paulo (PUC-SP) and completed her fellowship in Oncology at Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP) in Brazil.

Debora Barton

CMO, Carisma Therapeutics

Dr. Houston is President and Chief Executive Officer of Arvinas. Previously, he was the SVP of Specialty Discovery at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS). He spent more than 18 years at BMS in roles of increasing responsibility and had accountability for all Discovery Biology disease teams as well as various Discovery technology departments. Dr. Houston was a member of the BMS R&D Executive Leadership team and chaired the Target Portfolio Committee which had governance oversight in the discovery space. With his teams and research colleagues, he progressed over 200 compounds into early development, several of which advanced into late stage clinical trials, and toward commercialization.

He was also the principal architect and driver of the ‘Leveraging Technology’ initiative at BMS which oversaw the design and implementation of an industry-leading integrated lead discovery and optimization process. This initiative created revolutionary changes in the discovery process at BMS with significant improvements in capacity, speed and cost control resulting in marked increases in research productivity and success rates.

Dr. Houston has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, he worked at Glaxo Welcome Research and Development in the UK, where he served as head of the Lead Discovery Unit. Dr. Houston currently serves on the boards of directors of NextCure, Inc., Oerth Bio, Cybrexa Therapeutics and BioCT.

Dr. Houston obtained his B.Sc. degree in Medical Microbiology from Glasgow University and obtained his Ph.D. with Professor Brian Catley in Microbial Biochemistry from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. He also completed his post-doctoral studies on an MRC grant with Professor Julia Douglas at Glasgow University.

John Houston

President and CEO, Arvinas

Dr. Eric Kelsic is CEO and co-founder of Dyno Therapeutics and serves on its Board of Directors. 

Prior to founding Dyno, Eric led a team in Prof. George Chuch’s lab at the Wyss Institute of Harvard Medical School. There he measured the first comprehensive fitness landscape of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) capsid protein, co-discovered the AAV MAAP gene, and created the underlying technology for Dyno’s AI-powered engineering platform. Eric earned a PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard University and a BS in Physics from Caltech.
Dyno recently closed their $100M Series A fundraising led by a16z and was named one of Endpoint’s 11 Most Promising Startups in 2021 and Xconomy’s 2020 Startup of the Year. In 2021, Eric was also recognized as one of Endpoint’s 20 under 40 next-gen biotech leaders. Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, Dyno is empowering a diverse team of the best problem solvers to drive cutting edge science towards improving patient health. Visit www.dynotx.com for additional information. 

Eric Kelsic

Founder & CEO, Dyno Therapeutics

Dr. Devyn Smith brings significant cell and gene therapy development and platform expertise from his 20+ year career. Devyn joined Arbor Biotechnologies as Chief Executive Officer on April 27, 2021 after concluding his role as Chief Operating Officer of Sigilon Therapeutics. Prior to Sigilon, Dr. Smith worked in a variety of roles at Pfizer Inc., including COO of the UK-based Neusentis Unit focused on discovering and developing cell therapies. He received his Ph.D. in Genetics from Harvard Medical School. He is an inventor on multiple patents and has published in leading scientific journals throughout his career. Dr. Smith is a board member and officer for ARM (Alliance for Regenerative Medicine), the cell and gene therapy industry group.

Episode IV: How Research & Education Can Impact an Aging Society: A Singapore Perspective

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Benjamin Seet

Deputy Group CEO (Education and Research), Singapore National Healthcare Group

Hui Cai

VP and Head of Content, WuXi AppTec

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