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Past Events

Covid-19 Biopharma Webconference

April 6, 2020

In order to inform our community and capture the remarkable talents and ability to impact the current situation, Longwood hosted a one-day complimentary webconference on April 6, 2020 with extraordinary thought leaders to address how the industry can come together and help in the fight against COVID-19. Speakers included Massachusetts Governor Baker, FDA CDER Director Janet Woodcock, Congressman Joe Kennedy III, and heads of research and development from many of the biopharmaceutical companies leading the fight regarding testing, treatment, and vaccines for COVID-19. These thought leaders included Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, Regeneron CSO George Yancopoulos, Merck Chief Patient Officer and former CDC Director Julie Gerberding, Johnson & Johnson Head of R&D Mathai Mammen, Pfizer CSO and President of Worldwide Research, Development and Medical Mikael Dolsten, Brigham Health President Betsy Nabel, Dana-Farber CEO Laurie Glimcher, Alnylam CEO John Maraganore, Takeda Head of R&D Andy Plump, among others. Speakers discussed approaches to fighting COVID-19 on a biomedical front as well as addressing healthcare, economic, and patient-centric concerns. Possibilities, timelines, and hurdles regarding vaccines, treatments, and testing were discussed. The executives agreed on the necessity of partnerships and collaboration in order to work towards a significant resolution to the pandemic.

Panels

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Agenda

7:30 am

Longwood Fund Introduction

Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

7:40 am

Healthcare Priorities for the Rest of 2020

Wyc Grousbeck, CEO & Principal Owner, Boston Celtics

Marc Lipsitch, Professor, Epidemiology, Harvard

John Maraganore, CEO, Alnylam

Maria Rivas, CMO, Merck KGaA
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

8:20 am

Industry, Hospitals, and Academia: Impact of COVID-19

Bob Coughlin, CEO, MassBIO

Laurie Glimcher, CEO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Sandra Fenwick, CEO, Boston Children's Hospital

Betsy Nabel, President, Brigham Health

Tyler Jacks, Director, MIT Koch Institute
Moderator: David Steinberg, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

9:05 am

Moderated Keynote

Congressman Joe Kennedy III (Candidate, US Senate)
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

9:30 am

Moderated Keynote

Governor Charlie Baker
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

10:00 am

Weathering the COVID-19 Storm: Perspectives from China, Europe, and US Frontline
Jeff Capello, CFO, Biogen

Alex Harding, Internal Medicine Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

Carolyn Ng, Managing Director, Vertex Ventures HC

Edward Hu, Co-CEO, WuXi

Nikolaus Rajewsky, MDC, Berlin and 3dgene

Yi Shi, Managing Director, Lilly Asia Ventures
Moderator: David Steinberg, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

10:30 am 

Novel Therapeutics and Vaccines for COVID-19 

Stéphane Bancel, CEO, Moderna

Mathai Mammen, Global Head, R&D, Johnson & Johnson

George Scangos, CEO, Vir

Rajeev Vekayya, President, Vaccines, Takeda

George Yancopoulos, CSO, Regeneron
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

11:15 am

Repurposing Products in the Pipeline for the Treatment of COVID-19 

Diana Brainard, SVP, HIV & Emerging Viruses, Gilead

Gavin MacBeath, CSO, TScan Therapeutics

Stefan Oelrich, CEO, Bayer Pharmaceuticals

John Orloff, EVP, Head, R&D, Alexion

Peter Pertel, Global Translational Medicine Head, Respiratory & Infectious Diseases, NIBR
Moderator: Lea Hachigian, Principal, Longwood Fund

 

12:00  pm

Moderated Keynote

Janet Woodcock, Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

12:30  pm

Patients at the Center

José Baselga, EVP, R&D, Oncology, AstraZeneca

Julie Gerberding, Chief Patient Officer, Merck & Co.; former Director, CDC

Andy Plump, President, R&D, Takeda

John Sculley, former CEO, Pepsi/Apple

Janet Woodcock, Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

1:15 pm

Expediting Diagnostics, Tests, and Supplies

Steve Elledge, Harvard Medical School, Lasker Award, TScan, VirScan

Michael Mina, Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics, Harvard Medical School

Prahlad Singh, CEO, PerkinElmer

Mark Stevenson, COO, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Alan Wright, CMO, Roche Diagnostics

Moderator: Lea Hachigian, President, VirScan; Principal, Longwood Fund

 

2:00 pm

Partnering to Accelerate the Fight Against COVID-19

Mikael Dolsten, CSO & President, Worldwide Research, Development & Medical, Pfizer

Dean Li, SVP, Discovery Sciences & Translational Medicine, Merck

John Reed, EVP, Global Head, R&D, Sanofi

David Ricks, CEO, Eli Lilly

Phil Sharp, Co-Founder, Biogen/Alnylam; Nobelist, NAS

Rupert Vessey, President, Research and Early Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb
Moderator: Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund

 

2:45 pm

Financing Innovation

Mike Ehlers, CSO, Apple Tree Partners

Jason Fuller, Principal, NEA

Jak Knowles, VP, Venture Investments, Bayer

Kyle Lefkoff, General Partner, Boulder Ventures
David Steinberg, General Partner, Longwood Fund

Moderator: Lea Hachigian, Principal, Longwood Fund

 

3:30 pm

Longwood Discussion

Christoph Westphal, General Partner, Longwood Fund
Rich Aldrich, General Partner, Longwood Fund

David Steinberg, General Partner, Longwood Fund

John Lawrence, CFO, Longwood Fund

April 6, 2020

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