Image courtesy of user leighty (Ryan Leighty) on Flickr

This spring San Diego downtown will be buzzing with scientific discussions as our city hosts a number of major scientific symposia.  We are excited to attend and soak in all the science that will be shared during these two months.  Our own Mary Canady will also be participating in a panel discussing on the triumphs and trials of Transitioning from Academia to Industry at the Annual meeting of the Biophysical Society on Tuesday, February 28, 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM.

We hope that you are planning on attending at least some of these events, and to help you plan your attendance, we outline below pertinent information about each conference:

*SDBN may host a tweetup if none will be planned by meeting organizers.  Stay tuned.

The spring will be exciting for science in San Diego, add our Google calendar to yours so you won’t miss out on any local events. We hope you can set aside some time to take advantage of the presence of these major conferences in our city, we’ll be posting updates if you can’t. Some of the conferences have free or reasonable exhibit hall passes, and we’ll also post after hours events on our Facebook page so you can do some networking.

Comprendia is giving free social media consultations for your life science business, contact us to schedule one while you’re in San Diego.

It’s a new year! We asked about your 2012 goals in this poll (which you can still take and get a free CST calendar) and got some thoughtful answers. We plugged the text into Tagxedo and got this word cloud which sums it up, with the top words being biotech, pharma, networking, people, learning, companies, job and industry. We’ll post the full results soon along with our vision for 2012, and hope to help you get started quickly with our annual speed networking event January 23rd. Bring your business cards, hone your elevator speech, and prepare to meet as many biotech professionals as is allowed by law in one night! We’ll be at our new venue Green Flash which has been attracting bigger crowds, we expect more than 100 to attend.

Sponsors

Premier

We have more sponsorship opportunities for this popular event, contact us for more details.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What:SDBN January 23rd 2012 Speed Networking Event at Green Flash Tasting Room
When: Monday, January 23rd 2012, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Green Flash Tasting Room, 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92121 (Directions below)
Cost: $25/20 ($50 for recruiters) includes dinner (TBD gourmet food truck). Beverages available for purchase (30 Green Flash beers on tap, soda, complimentary water).
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/january

Directions: From the west: From the 805 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head east for 2.0 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the left/north side of the street at Flanders Drive. From the east: From the 15 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head west for 3.6 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the right/north side of the street at Flanders Drive.
Parking: The Green Flash lot holds about 70 cars, so come early and carpool if you’d like to park there. You can also park on the street, but be very mindful that there are some poorly marked ‘no parking’ areas, especially on Sequence where there is a center lane.

Can you believe the San Diego Biotechnology Network is three years old now? We held our first SDBN event in November of 2008, and our objective was to improve networking opportunities for local biotech professionals. After 3 years, how are we doing? We’d like to celebrate and also get your feedback on how we can help you even more in 2012. Join us again at Green Flash in Mira Mesa from 5:30-8:30 p.m. December 12th for some great networking, food, and beer (for purchase, non-alcoholic beverages available as well). Last time we had upwards of 130 people, and this time we’ve got the place to ourselves and we’ll also get tours of the facility. Beer is biochemistry, and two of the founders of Green Flash worked at Invitrogen back in the day!

In addition, we’ll do the ever popular ‘introduce a colleague’ activity. We’ll collect business cards from those interested in participating, each take one, then find and learn about the person we each drew. Then, we’ll each introduce the person we drew at the microphone. It’s a great way to meet people, practice your presentation skills, and get exposure.

Sponsors

This event is available for sponsorship, contact us for more information.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What:SDBN December 12th 2011 3rd Anniversary Party at Green Flash Tasting Room
When: Monday, December 12th 2011, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Green Flash Tasting Room, 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92121 (Directions below)
Cost: $25/20 ($50 for recruiters), includes dinner (TBD gourmet food truck). Beverages available for purchase (30 Green Flash beers on tap, soda, complimentary water)
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/december

Directions: From the west: From the 805 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head east for 2.0 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the left/north side of the street at Flanders Drive. From the east: From the 15 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head west for 3.6 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the right/north side of the street at Flanders Drive.
Parking: The Green Flash lot holds about 70 cars, so come early and carpool if you’d like to park there. You can also park on the street, but be very mindful that there are some poorly marked ‘no parking’ areas, especially on Sequence where there is a center lane.

You may know that San Diego is home to at least 36 fantastic breweries. Green Flash Brewery is a great example, and we are lucky that they opened a 4,000 square foot tasting room in the heart of biotech near Sorrento Valley. They have 30 of their great beers on tap, picnic tables outside (which remind me of the happy hours we had back in the genomics boom), and gourmet food trucks which visit nightly.

We thought it would be fun to have an informal happy hour from 5:30-8:30 p.m. October 26th. There will be no admission charge and beer and food will be available for purchase. We’ll have a contest to see who can collect the most business cards (win a $50 gift certificate from Avitus Group), and Comprendia staff will be circulating with iPads to review your LinkedIn profile and give tips. Additionally, Avitus Group gives free business valuations and will answer one HR question for free, speak with Widney Hawthorne at the event for more information.

Join us for our first SDBN Happy Hour, register here!

Premier Sponsor

Avitus Group offers “a family of business solutions” to business owners thereby allowing them to focus on growth rather than back office necessities. We help in the areas of Human Resources, Safety & Risk Management, Employee Compensation, Employee Benefits, Bookkeeping, CFO Assistance, Business Valuation, Strategic Planning, Avitus Payroll Services, Recruiting, Training, and Taxation Services.

Our friends in the Scientific Community have told us many times that Avitus Group lets them do what they enjoy and get back to why they got into business in the first place. Visit our website: www.avitusgroup.com and call Widney Hawthorne at whawthorne@avitusgroup.com or call 1-800-454-2446.

Note that this event is NOT at Tango del Rey!

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What:SDBN October 26th 2011 Happy Hour at Green Flash Tasting Room
When: Wednesday, October 26th 2011, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Where: Green Flash Tasting Room, 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92121 (Directions below)
Cost: Free with food and beverage available for purchase (30 Green Flash beers on tap and TBD gourmet food truck)
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/october

Directions: From the west: From the 805 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head east for 2.0 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the left/north side of the street at Flanders Drive. From the east: From the 15 North or South exit Mira Mesa Blvd, head west for 3.6 miles, the Green Flash Tasting Room will be on the right/north side of the street at Flanders Drive.
Parking: The Green Flash lot holds about 70 cars, so come early and carpool if you’d like to park there. You can also park on the street, but be very mindful that there are some poorly marked ‘no parking’ areas, especially on Sequence where there is a center lane.

We polled you late last year about events you’d like us to have in 2011, and diagnostics was one of the top items on the list. In San Diego, we have a great atmosphere for ‘growing’ diagnostics companies, because we have several world class medical and research facilities as well as biotech companies pushing the envelope in several molecular technologies. Pathway Genomics is a great local company focused on genetic testing for disease risk factors and personal wellness. Tests are ordered by individuals through their doctors to help improve treatment by understanding the patient’s drug responses, personal or offspring disease risk factors, or the impact of diet and exercise. Pathway Genomics uses genotyping and analysis technologies research scientists may be familiar with, and it will be exciting to hear about the possibilities for growth in the region. Join us August 16th to hear from Pathway’s Vice President of Product Development Edgar MacBean present “Current and future applications of personal genomic testing” (Ed’s Bio & talk description). Register here.

We are happy to welcome the San Diego Quantified Self chapter to this event, they are scientists and individuals interested in better health through monitoring personal data.

Sponsors

We’re looking for sponsors for this event, contact us for more information.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network August 16th Event Featuring Pathway Genomics
When: Tuesday, August 16th 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25 Standard/$20 Academic/$50 Recruiter, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/august

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.

Changes in the drug discovery landscape have presented many tough challenges for our region, including downsizing for larger companies and a dearth of VC funding for startups. With these challenges come opportunities, however, because drug companies are hungry for drug candidates to fill their pipelines. Additionally, the abundance of drug discovery contract research organizations (CROs), the ability to manage them remotely, and the ability to find partners and tools more easily on the internet presents an interesting opportunity.

Our July 19th event is our first in a series of Virtual Biotech events this year, and we’ve brought together those who have successfully outsourced drug discovery programs as well as some of the CRO providers. We’ve asked them to discuss the ‘howtos’ of managing an outsourced drug discovery project, and we think they’ll have some great insights, both at a high level and in the day to day details of the processes. In this hands-on event, we’ll take questions from you beforehand so that the resulting presentation and discussions will benefit you the most, and we’re open to what we should cover in future events. In addition, at this event some of our CRO sponsors will be providing credit for services at the event so we’re hoping you go home with some great deals for your projects. Register here.

Sponsors

Our generous sponsors have provided the following promotions exclusive to event attendees, come for a chance to win!

Special Event Giveaways

1. Millipore: $500 credit for Select Services
2. Explora BioLabs: 1 free mouse or rat small molecule pharmacokinetic (PK) study free (worth ~$3500) per standard Explora 24 hr PK design protocol (including bioanalysis).
3. Imgenex: 2 additional compounds added to screen of potential inflammatory and TLR agonists or antagonists using IMGENEX TLR/NF-κB SEAPorter™ HEK 293 stable cell lines. $5,000 value.
4. BioTox Sciences: a free 3 day in-life Dog PK study, up to $4,500.00 in value (not including bioanalysis).
5. Emerald BioStructures: iPad! ($500 value)
6. GenScript: $500 off $3000 (or $1000 off $5000) service discount on non-molecular biology services.

If you want more details on the promotions, or have a promotion to offer to attendees, or want to sponsor contact us.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network July 19th Event:Virtual Biotech Part 1: How to Effectively Outsource a Drug Discovery Program
When: Tuesday, July 19th 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25 Standard/$20 Academic/$50 Recruiter, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/july

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.

The San Diego Biotechnology Network’s June 21st event will feature aTyr Pharma, with Board Member and CEO Jeffry Watkins (Bio) giving a talk titled “Innovation: Where is our Biology?” aTyr is developing therapeutics based on physiocrines, small proteins involved in signaling pathways for areas such hematology, immunology, and metabolism disorders. The company was founded based on research which originated at the Scripps Research Institute, and Watkins’ title indicates the company is reaching beyond in vitro drug discovery to focus on biological processes. It will be exciting to see the way this translational research is being carried out. Of course, there is always plenty of time for networking, register and join us June 21st!

Sponsors

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network June 21st Event Featuring aTyr Pharma
When: Tuesday, June 21st 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25 Standard/$20 Academic/$50 Recruiter, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/june

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.

There are many indications that the biotech economy is looking up in San Diego, what’s next for you? Whether it be a new job, business opportunity, or just expanding your network, our May 17th Speed Networking event will help you to meet the people who will help you meet your goals. We always get a great mix of life science researchers and professionals at our events, you’re sure to see some new faces. Prepare your elevator speech, make sure you have lots of business cards, and get ready to make as many connections in one night as you can. Register now for this popular event!

Update: Mary Canady from Comprendia will give a short LinkedIn workshop! Learn how to maximize your presence for job searches, business development, and promoting your company.

Note to recruiters: The admittance fee for anyone working as a recruiter will be $50 going forward, see the benefits you will receive and contact us with any questions.

Sponsors

We’re looking for more sponsors for this popular event, contact us!

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network May 17th Speed Networking Event
When: Tuesday, May 17th 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25 Standard/$20 Academic/$50 Recruiter, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/may

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.

Through research, acquisitions, and mergers, Celgene has built a robust product portfolio and pipeline in hematology and oncology. This accomplishment is quite a feat in today’s environment, with pharma pipelines dwindling, and they are one of the top ten fastest growing biotech stocks. Celgene has more than 4,000 employees worldwide, with important work being carried out at their San Diego location. David Webb, Vice President, Research & San Diego Site Director (Bio) will give a presentation titled “Celgene’s Drug Discovery Engine in San Diego” at our April 19th event.

As always, there will be plenty of time for networking, and we plan to do our ‘Introduce a Colleague’ activity which was very popular a few months ago. Sign up and we look forward to seeing you April 19th!

Sponsors

Contact us if you’d like to sponsor this event.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network April 19th Event Featuring Celgene
When: Tuesday, April 19th 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25/$20 Academic, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/april

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.

Senomyx is a very interesting local biotech focusing on developing flavor enhancers using processes that have parallels to those used in drug discovery such as high throughput screening and GPCR modulation, see their recent publications. They have collaborations with several of the leading food, beverage, and ingredient companies, and one of the aims is to help companies improve an item’s taste while improving its nutritional profile. Guy Servant, Senior Director of Assay Development & HTS at Senomyx (Bio), will give a presentation titled “A Biotech Approach to Flavor Discovery.”

As always, there will be lots of time for networking, and dinner will be served with a cash bar. Register now and bring your business cards!

Sponsors

Sponsorships for this event are available, contact us!

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network March 15th Event Featuring Senomyx
When: Tuesday, March 15th 2011, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $25/$20 Academic, dinner provided, cash bar
Contact: http://sdbn.org/contact
For more information about the event: http://sdbn.org/march

Directions: From the North: South on Interstate 5, Exit Balboa Ave, Straight to 4th Traffic Light then left on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. From the South: North on Interstate 5, Exit Grand/ Garnet Ave, Straight to 3rd Traffic Light then right on Bunker Hill St. Building directly ahead 3 blks. Park on the street or in the structure just past (south of) Tango del Rey. DO NOT park in the Science Center lot.