Pa.’s top business development official and a leading venture capitalist to speak during Nov. 14 event at the PABC

This year’s Regional Biotechnology Conference at the PABC also will feature a panel discussion with top life sciences CEOs in the region.

Doylestown, Oct. 15, 2024 – Rick Siger, Pennsylvania Secretary of Community and Economic Development, and Jennifer Griffin, PhD, partner with California’s Mission BioCapital, will speak at the Nov. 14 Regional Biotechnology Conference at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC).

The conference, which annually attracts more than 100 biotech industry leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs and professionals in fields tied to the life sciences, will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the PABC’s Doylestown campus.

This year’s Regional Biotechnology Conference also will feature a panel discussion with several top life sciences CEOs in the region that will be moderated by PABC Entrepreneur in Residence, Nick Spring, BSc, DipM, MCIM, a former executive in the pharmaceutical industry. The CEOs lined up so far are Ren Capocasale of Incite Health, Lillian Chiang of Evrys Bio and Randy Hyer of Merlin Biotech.

Daiichi Sankyo is the Presenting Sponsor for this year’s Regional Biotechnology Conference. Proceeds from the event will support research at the Hepatitis B Foundation and Blumberg Institute.

For more information and to register, visit PABCevents.org.

  Sec. Rick Siger

Siger leads the commonwealth’s efforts to grow our economy and build a better future for Pennsylvanians. He is committed to helping small businesses thrive, spurring innovation, and increasing opportunities in communities to make Pennsylvania a national leader in growth and innovation. Prior to his current role, Rick served as Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to the President at Carnegie Mellon University and led CMU’s growth strategy at Hazelwood Green, a former Pittsburgh industrial site re-envisioned as a model for economic development and translational research. Rick served Pres. Barack Obama for more than seven years in multiple roles, including as Chief of Staff at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Rick lives there with his wife Kinsey Casey, daughter Margaret, and dog Amos. He holds a B.A. in political science from Columbia University.

   Jennifer Griffin, PhD

Griffin has spent the last 10+ years accelerating early stage life science companies through direct investing, as well as creating ecosystems for them to thrive. As a VP at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, she designed and executed the Commonwealth’s investment strategy with a particular focus on developing underserved and underrepresented markets and talent within the industry. Before this, she served as a management and strategy consultant at Back Bay Life Science Advisors.

About the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center (PABC): The PABC uses a highly successful services-based approach to nurture and guide its member companies to success, advance biotechnology, maximize synergies among nonprofit scientists and their commercial colleagues. The PABC has nearly 100 member companies and organizations, mostly small to mid-size science, research and pharmaceutical companies. Nearly 50 of those companies operate on the Doylestown campus, which is home to the Hepatitis B Foundation and the Blumberg Institute. The PABC also manages B+labs at Cira Centre, a new incubator in Philadelphia, in partnership with Brandywine Realty Trust. PABC companies have produced numerous FDA-approved drugs and medical devices, and a recent study found that the PABC’s economic impact exceeded $7.3 billion and created more than 1,100 new jobs during 2016-2021. Please visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter (@BiotechnologyPa) and Facebook.