New to the life sciences industry? Do you need to have a better understanding of the science and business models driving the industry? Biotech 101: The Science of Biotech & The Business of Biotech provides a thorough overview of the industry at a reduced cost. The program covers two full days of biotechnology information for non-science professionals who may be working or looking to work in the biopharmaceutical industry.

Target Audience:

• Non-science professionals from all sectors of the biotech, pharma, and life sciences industries, including: sales, marketing, HR, legal, manufacturing, business development, finance, management, government relations, IT, safety, tech transfer offices
• Patient advocacy groups, disease foundations
• Policy makers, lobbyists, attorneys
• Venture capitalists, angel investors, banks, analysts, financial managers
• Insurance brokers, real estate professionals
• Consultants, public relations specialists, journalists
• University administrators, research institute support staff
• Environmental & Health & Safety Engineers

Day 1

What is the science behind biotechnology? Explore the key concepts on which the industry is built through hands-on activities and simple lab techniques. This program is designed to provide non-science professionals with a better understanding of the molecular biology that drives the production of most biopharmaceutical products and to help them better understand the research activities in their organizations.

In this course you will learn: How medicines made through biotechnology differ from other medicines, what DNA does, how the body makes proteins, how genetic engineering works, what personalized medicine is, and how proteins are made in the lab.  Participants will perform agarose gel electrophoresis and protein purification.

Day 2

The Business of Biotech explores the business considerations that drive company strategies. Gain a deeper understanding of how companies are funded, which government agencies regulate the sector and how different departments need to be aligned to be successful. This day provides an overview of how the industry works, why it works the way it does, and how the industry may change in the years ahead. For those considering careers in the biopharma space or transitioning from the science and technical aspects of the industry to the business side, this course delivers a sound, basic understanding of the “business of biotech”.

Course content includes: From Discovery to Commercialization, Role of Non-profit Basic Research, Intellectual Property Considerations & Funding Sources, Organizational Characteristics, and The Ecosystem and the Future of Biopharma

Instructors:

Michelle Mischke, PhD is the Director of Biotechnology Education Programs at MassBioEd. She has extensive research, teaching, and administrative experience. She taught a range of undergraduate biology courses at MIT and was a course coordinator and content developer for 7.00x, the first large online biology course offered by edX. While at MIT, she was involved in K-12 science outreach and education programs. Michelle holds a B.A. in both Biology and Chemistry from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Prior to joining the Department of Biology at MIT, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University.

Imran Nasrullah, MS, JD, CLP has twenty years of experience in biopharmaceutical business development, licensing, and economic development experience. Currently he serves as Director of Innovation Sourcing at Boehringer Ingelheim, where he facilitates access to new scientific innovation emerging from the Boston area and forges business relationships within the Boston Cambridge life-science ecosystem. He served on the Senior Advisory Board for Cellanyx after heading strategic alliances and business development for T1D First, a disease foundation dedicated to curing Type 1 Diabetes. As Head of Strategic Alliances, he led industry, academic and not-for-profit partnerships. Prior to T1D First, Imran served as CBO at MassBio, where he built MassBio’s business & investor and economic development outreach programs – known as MassBio Innovation Services – to help companies raise capital and identify strategic partnering and licensing opportunities. Up until then, Imran worked for ten years in the biopharmaceutical industry as directors of business development and licensing for Genzyme Corporation, Millennium Pharmaceuticals. Imran started his licensing career working for Mayo Clinic and then later, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Imran is author to several publications regarding the impact of exercise on auto-immune disease patients. He received the 2010 Outstanding 50 Asian American Business awardee. Imran received his MS in Physiology at the University of Colorado and his BS in Exercise Physiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He holds a JD in Intellectual Property and Licensing from Suffolk University Law School.