Monthly Programs - September 9, 2008

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Campus Center - Odeum Room
Doors open: 5:30 p.m.
Meeting: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Cost: $15 members, $25 non-members
Pre-registration
Parking

Life Sciences Leader Opens New Season

Susan Windham-Bannister

There’s a biomedical boom in the Worcester area according to recent research, and Governor Deval Patrick’s signature on a $1 billion life sciences bill last June can only fuel growth in this industry. The impact of this new funding to support both research and investment in life sciences will be the subject of the Tuesday, September 9 keynote address by Susan Windham-Bannister, PhD, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), the primary agency tasked with realizing the governor’s vision for this life sciences initiative.

The 18th season of the WPI Venture Forum will open with discussion of a powerful subject for the region’s future. Windham-Bannister will discuss how over 10 years the MLSC will direct new funding to foster and grow the scientific research enterprise of the Commonwealth through research and development efforts, including new faculty grants, a corporate research matching grant program, as well as underwriting an advanced therapeutics cluster and a stem cell registry and bank at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Windham-Bannister began her position with the MLSC in mid-July. She was previously vice president with Abt BioPharma Solutions Inc. in Cambridge, where she focused on competitive strategy for companies and non-profits. A member of Gov. Patrick’s transition team, she holds a PhD from Brandeis University’s Florence Heller School of Advanced Studies in Public Policy and a BS from Wellesley College.

Case Presentation

RXi Pharmaceuticals

Tod Woolf

RXi Pharmaceuticals is a discovery-stage biopharmaceutical company pursuing the development and potential commercialization of proprietary therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi) for the treatment of human diseases. RNAi is a naturally occurring mechanism for the regulation of gene expression that has the potential to be harnessed to selectively inhibit the activity of any human gene. RXi Pharmaceuticals believes it is well positioned to compete successfully in the RNAi-based therapeutics market with its accomplished scientific advisors, including Dr. Craig Mello, recipient of the 2006 Nobel Prize for his co-discovery of RNAi, a management team that is experienced in developing RNAi products, and a strong early intellectual property position.

President and Chief Executive Officer Tod Woolf, PhD has twenty years of experience developing and commercializing innovative biomedical technologies, including twelve years of biotechnology management experience. He founded and served as CEO of Sequitur, an RNAi company acquired by Invitrogen in 2003. At Sequitur, Dr. Woolf co-invented and commercialized Stealth™ RNAi, one of the most widely used second generation RNAi products. Previously, he helped to develop and partner the core therapeutic technology at Genta and RPI (now Sirna/Merck) and Ontogeny (now Curis). In addition to Stealth™ RNAi, Dr. Woolf also co-invented and helped commercialize six other RNA products.

Dr. Woolf has served as a scientific and business advisor to Signet Labs, Praecis, Invitrogen, ProNai and TriLink Biotechnologies. He holds a Masters and PhD in Cellular and Development Biology from Harvard University and has authored 40 patent applications and scientific publications.

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Last modified: Sep 08, 2008, 09:38 EDT