Join the Janssen Human Microbiome Institute (JHMI), Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS @ LabCentral, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and PureTech Health on October 17, 2017 for the Bugs, Drugs & Beyond: Translational Approaches to the Microbiome, a 1-day event exploring key aspects of microbiome research.

Bugs, Drugs & Beyond: Translational Approaches will explore the ways in which innovators from Boston and beyond are harnessing the human microbiome and advancing novel therapeutics, diagnostics and other health products. During this event, we'll hear from entrepreneurs, academics, investors, and biotech and pharma companies about a variety of product development approaches and the organizations pursuing them.

Interactive sessions will highlight:

• Challenges in advancing to market, from IP protection to commercialization
• Potential solutions and pathways currently being pursued across the field
• Opportunities for collaboration

The Bugs, Drugs & Beyond QuickFire Challenge:
Are you a game-changing early-stage microbiome company? The Bugs, Drugs & Beyond QuickFire Challenge is officially open! We encourage innovators with promising ideas or research with the potential to impact patients to apply now. The winner will be awarded a customized package of support from the JHMI and JLABS, and will be announced at the event of the event on October 17. The application deadline for the Bugs, Drugs, & Beyond QuickFire Challenge ended on July 14, 2017. Thank you to all of our applicants.


Speakers:
Eric Alm | MIT Director, Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics read bio»
Karen Emmons | Dean for Academic Affairs, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health read bio»
Wendy Garrett | Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health read bio»
Dirk Gevers | Global Head, Janssen Human Microbiome Institute, Janssen R&D read bio»
Jose-Carlos (JC) Gutiérrez-Ramos | CEO, Synlogic Inc. read bio»
Denise Kelly | Venture Investment Advisor, Seventure Partners read bio»
Cathy Kerzner | Head, Novel Therapeutic Nutrition, Nestle Health Sciences read bio»
Travis McCready | President and CEO, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center read bio»
Bernat Olle | Co-founder and CEO, Vedanta Biosciences  read bio»
Michal Preminger | Executive Director/Director of BD, Harvard Office of Technology Development   read bio»
David Steinberg | Chief Innovation Officer, PureTech Health read bio»
Raymond Stapleton | Senior VP, Manufacturing, Synthetic Biologics read bio»

Agenda:
9:00 AM | Registration
9:15 AM | The Microbiome: A New Paradigm for Health Solutions
         - Dirk Gevers | Global Head, Janssen Human Microbiome Institute, Janssen R&D 
9:45 AM | From Validation to Regulation: Breaking Down Barriers to Microbiome Progress
           -[Moderator]: Bernat Olle | Co-founder and CEO, Vedanta Biosciences
           -David Steinberg | Chief Innovation Officer, PureTech Health
           -Denise Kelly | Investment Advisor, Seventure 
           -Cathy Kerzner | Head, Novel Therapeutic Nutrition, Nestle Health Sciences  
10:45 AM | Break
11:00 AM | QuickFire Challenge
         Hear new, promising ideas from innovators across the microbiome field
12:30 PM | Lunch and Gallery Walk 
1:45 PM | Remarks
          - Karen Emmons | Dean for Academic Affairs, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health     
2:00 PM | The Microbiome & Massachusetts: Maintaining Our Edge in Life Science Innovation
         -[moderator]: JC Gutierrez-Ramos | CEO, Synlogic
         -Travis McCready | President & CEO, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
         -Wendy Garrett, M.D., Ph.D. | Professor of Immunology & Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health  
          -Michal Preminger | Executive Director/Director of Business Development, Harvard Office of Technology Development 
3:00 PM  | Microbiome Interventions: From Fecal Transplants to Synthetic Microbial Therapeutics
          - Eric Alm, Ph.D. | MIT Director, Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics
3:30 PM | QuickFire Challenge Winner Announced 
3:35 PM | Networking Reception and QuickFire Challenge Winner Announced 
4:35 PM | Program Close 

Fees:
$40 | General Public
$20 | Student/Academic
$45 | At the door

Location:
Joseph B. Martin Conference Center
77 Avenue Louis Pasteur
Boston, MA 02115


Speakers' Biographies:

Eric Alm, Ph.D. | MIT Director, Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics
Eric Alm, Ph.D. is MIT Director at the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics. Eric Alm earned his Bachelors from the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana), his Masters from the University of California (Riverside), and his PhD from the University of Washington (Seattle). He held a postdoctoral appointment at the University of California (Berkeley) and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab before joining the faculty at MIT. His research group is an interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, computational biologists, molecular biologists, and microbial ecologists.

Karen Emmons | Dean for Academic Affairs, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
The Dean for Academic Affairs, Karen M. Emmons, is a behavioral scientist with an extensive track record in cancer disparities and cancer prevention research, academic and national scientific leadership, and mentoring of junior investigators. She was a faculty member at the Harvard Chan School in the Department of Social and Behavioral Health, and served as Associate Dean for Research from 2009 – 2013.  From 2013-2016, Dean Emmons served as Vice President for Research and Director of the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA, where her responsibilities included research development and research strategy.
 
Dr. Emmons has more than a 20-year track record of funded research in community-based approaches to cancer prevention. She has published about 300 peer-reviewed papers on a wide range of topics related to cancer disparities, cancer prevention, and implementation science. She was recently elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Dr. Emmons received her undergraduate degree in Psychology from the University of Illinois in 1984. She received a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from State University of New York at Stony Brook, and completed an internship in Behavioral Medicine at Brown University School of Medicine.
^ Back to Speakers' list ^

Wendy Garrett, MD, Ph.D. | Professor, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Wendy Garrett is a Professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Garret's research focuses on the interplay between the gastrointestinal immune system and the gut microbiota in health, inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer. Her research in mucosal immunology focuses on how the gut microbiota influence both innate and adaptive populations and contribution of these cells to immune homeostasis and disease. Dr. Garrett has identified both specific species, pathways, and metabolites produced by the microbiota that influence health and disease states.

Dirk Gevers, Ph.D. | Global Head, Janssen Human Microbiome Institute, Janssen R&D
Dirk Gevers, Ph.D., is Global Head of the Janssen Human Microbiome Institute (JHMI), where he leads efforts to expand scientific understanding and capabilities in this emerging area of science. Previously, Dirk was Senior Group Leader of Microbial Systems and Communities at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, serving as a scientific liaison among various organizational components, including the institute's data generation platforms and both clinical and analytical collaborators on microbiome-related projects. Dirk's research included the characterization of the microbial imbalance associated with diseases such as Crohn's disease, type 1 diabetes and colorectal cancer. He was also involved with the National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Project, holding a leading role in the Data Analysis Working Group. Dirk received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Ghent University (UGent), Belgium, and completed postdoctoral training at UGent and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in bioinformatics, comparative and evolutionary genome analysis and microbial ecology.

Jose-Carlos (JC) Gutiérrez-Ramos, Ph.D. | Chief Executive Officer, Synlogic Inc.
Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos has over 20 years of drug discovery and development experience from leading global biopharmaceutical companies. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Synlogic Inc. Previously, he served as Group Senior Vice President and global head of the BioTherapeutics Research at Pfizer where he was responsible for more than 25 novel programs across the full spectrum of clinical development, re-launched efforts in Rare Disease Discovery and Development and founded the Centers for Therapeutic Innovation. He also oversaw and enhanced the biologics platform for the company from early discovery to entry in manufacturing. Before that, Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos was Senior Vice President and Head of the Immuno-inflammation Center for Drug Discovery (iiCEDD) at GSK, where he founded entrepreneurial units such as Epinova and Tempero focused in translating novel areas of science (Epigenetics, Tregs, etc.) into therapeutics. Prior to his work in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos held senior leadership positions at several biotech companies, including Senior Vice President and Head of R&D at Avidia Inc. and Peptimmune Inc. He began his career in the drug industry at Millennium Pharmaceuticals serving as Vice President of Inflammation Drug Discovery. During his academic career he was part of the Faculty at the Genetics Department of Harvard Medical School and the Basel Institute for Immunology in Switzerland. Dr. Gutiérrez-Ramos holds a Ph.D. in immunochemistry from the Autonoma University in Madrid, Spain.

Denise Kelly, Ph.D. | Venture Investment Advisor, Seventure Partners
Denise Kelly is Venture Investment Advisor at Seventure Partners. Denise joined Seventure in September 2015 as an investment Advisor to the Life Sciences Team for microbiome field. Her focus is in Human Microbiome Research and her time is dedicated to coverage of scientific and academic community on behalf of Seventure, and to prospect new investment opportunities in the specific field of microbiome. Denise is currently based in Aberdeen, Scotland. Prior to joining Seventure, Denise was Head of her Research team at the World-renowned Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, where she acquired over 20 years experience in gut microbiology and immunology. She was the (former) Founder Director, CEO and CSO of GT Biologics Ltd, one of the first translational spinouts, developing Innovative Microbiome-based Therapies.

Cathy Kerzner | Head, Novel Therapeutic Nutrition, Nestle Health Sciences
Bio coming soon!

Travis McCready J.D. | President and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
Travis McCready is President and Chief Executive Officer at Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. Travis McCready is the President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, a $1 billion public–private partnership with the mission of advancing the life sciences sector in Massachusetts. He directs and oversees the center's investment strategy, along with the agency's operations, programs, and partnerships. Previously, Mr. McCready served as the Vice President for Programs at The Boston Foundation, directing the Foundation's grants and community investment strategy to benefit the people of Greater Boston. Prior to that, he was the first Executive Director of the Kendall Square Association, responsible for growing the innovation economy of Kendall Square, one of the Commonwealth's most economically robust districts. He has also held the Chief Operating Officer and CFO positions at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, overseeing the operations and finances for the three convention centers in Massachusetts. Mr. McCready received his B.A. from Yale University and J.D. from the University of Iowa, and began his law career as a corporate attorney in Minneapolis, MN.

Bernat Olle, Ph.D. | Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vedanta Biosciences
Bernat Olle, Ph.D., is Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vedata Biosciences. He has been a member of the founding teams of four companies of the PureTech portfolio and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Vedanta Biosciences and Follica Biosciences. In 2013 Dr. Olle was named "Innovator of the Year" in MIT Technology Review Spain's "Innovators under 35" awards, and in 2015 he was awarded the Princess of Girona business award by the King of Spain. He completed his doctoral work at the Chemical Engineering Department at MIT, where he developed a novel method for large scale bacterial culture. During his graduate work, Dr. Olle was awarded the "la Caixa" fellowship. Dr. Olle received his B.Eng. In Chemical Engineering from Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain, his M.S. and PhD in Chemical Engineering Practice from MIT, and his MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He has published his work in journals including Nature and Nature Biotechnology.

Michal Preminger, Ph.D., MBA | Executive Director/Director of Business Development, Harvard Office of Technology Development
Dr. Preminger is the Executive Director at Harvard University’s Office of Technology Development's Harvard Medical School site, overseeing industry partnerships, startup formation and development of scientific programs and discoveries emerging from research at Harvard Medical School. In this role, she has initiated and negotiated a multitude of licensing and strategic alliance agreements with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and supported the launch of a large number of biotechnology startups. Prior to joining Harvard in 2005, Dr. Preminger held a number of senior executive business development and R&D positions in technology and biotechnology and companies, including at Lucent Technologies and Avaya, and at Compugen, where she was a member of the management team that took the Company public in August 2000. Michal also co-founded a startup company and has been serving on the Boards of Directors and Scientific Advisory Boards of several not-for-profits, biotech, and medical device companies, including, at present, at Compugen, BioArray Genetics and Israel Brain Technologies (BoD), and Futurx Accelerator (Takeda/J&J/Orbimed) and Prize for Life (SAB). Dr. Preminger holds an undergraduate degree in Medicine from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s School of Medicine, MSc and PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science, and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France.

David Steinberg, M.B.A | Chief Innovation Officer, PureTech Health
David Steinberg is Chief Innovation Officer at PureTech Health. As a member of PureTech Health, Mr. Steinberg has served as founding CEO and board member of multiple programs, including Vedanta Biosciences, Entrega Biosciences, Vor Biopharma, and Commense Health. He also served as Chief Business Officer of Follica, Inc., and VP of Operations for Satori Pharmaceuticals.
Previously, he was a strategy consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and Vertex Partners, focusing on R&D and product strategy and strategic alliances for Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.
Mr. Steinberg also worked as a research associate in Procter and Gamble Pharmaceuticals' R&D organization. He received his BA in Biology with distinction from Cornell University and graduated with high honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with an MBA in Strategy and Finance. Mr. Steinberg is also a member of the UChicago Tech Innovation Fund Advisory Committee.

Raymond Stapleton, Jr., Ph.D. | Senior Vice President, Manufacturing, Synthetic Biologics
Raymond D. Stapleton, Jr., Ph.D., joined Synthetic Biologics in October 2015 as Senior Vice President, Manufacturing. Dr. Stapleton is a pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive with over 15 years of experience at Merck & Co., Inc., in manufacturing, operations, quality, science, technology, engineering and process development. He most recently served as Executive Director, Global Vaccine Technology and Engineering. During his tenure at Merck, Dr. Stapleton contributed to the scale up, tech transfer and manufacturing product launch of multiple billion dollar franchises including ISENTRESS® (oral solid dosage for AIDs), GARDASIL® (HPV vaccine), KEYTRUDA® (anti-PD-1 cancer mAb therapy), and performed process development for the cholesterol lowering therapy MEVACOR® (lovastatin). Dr. Stapleton earned a PhD in microbial ecology from The Center for Environmental Biotechnology at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a BS degree in biology from Mary Washington College. Subsequently, he was the recipient of an Alexander Hollaender Fellowship for post-doctoral studies in the Environmental Science Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dr. Stapleton has served for 10 years as a member of the Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology review board and is an ad hoc reviewer for several journals including Environmental Science and Technology, Antonie von Leeuwenhook, and Enzyme and Microbial Technology. He has co-edited a book, and co-authored patents, as well as several peer-reviewed manuscripts and presentations.