The San Diego Biotechnology Network is pleased to feature Fate Therapeutics and Stemgent at our July 21st networking event. These two companies represent exciting, interdisciplinary biotechnology research being done in San Diego that holds direct promise for making a difference in our quality of life. The event will feature a short talk followed by networking with the speakers and scientists from the two companies. As usual, we hope that the casual atmosphere at our venue, Tango del Rey, will stimulate discussions and meaningful interactions for all in attendance. We also encourage you to utilize the online tools available to communicate before, during, and after the event.

CATALYST: Providing Exclusive Access to the Most Advanced iPSC Technology for a New Paradigm in Drug Discovery & Development

Ken Batchelor, Ph.D., CSO (Fate), Stephen Chang, Ph.D., CSO (Stemgent) will present a short talk describing CATALYST:

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc.

Fate Therapeutics is interrogating adult stem cell biology and applying induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to develop Stem Cell Modulators (SCMs), small molecule or biologic compounds that guide cell fate for therapeutic purposes. Fate’s approach has broad therapeutic potential in areas such as regenerative medicine, hematological diseases, metastatic cancer, traumatic injury and degenerative diseases. In addition, Fate Therapeutics and Stemgent have formed an alliance – Catalyst – a collaborative program to provide Catalyst Members with first access to the most advanced iPSC technologies for drug discovery and development. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in La Jolla, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.fatetherapeutics.com.

About Stemgent

Stemgent helps our customers advance stem cell science by providing proprietary reagents and technologies developed by some of the world’s leading stem cell scientists. Stemgent’s product offering includes virus-delivered reprogramming factors for iPS cell generation, cytokines and matrices for healthy stem cell growth, primary and reporter cell lines, stem cell characterization tools, polymers for transfection, and small molecules for reprogramming, self-renewal and differentiation. This unique product mix is designed to serve researchers who study stem cell biology and regenerative medicine, and those who use cells derived from stem cells to advance their understanding of major diseases. For more information visit us at www.stemgent.com.

Event Details

Who: Biotechnology professionals in the greater San Diego area
What: San Diego Biotechnology Network’s July Networking Event Featuring Fate Therapeutics and Stemgent
When: Tuesday, July 21st, 5:30-9:00 p.m.
Where: Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey Street, San Diego 92109 (Directions below)
Cost: $20, including appetizers ($15 for Academics) +$5 at door
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.

Thanks to the 100+ people who came to our November 11th event featuring Sapphire Energy–you can view all of the photos on the Flickr group we set up (feel free to add comments). We had a few glitches at the event, and got some good feedback on what you’d like to see next time. We had about 15 Sapphire employees in attendance, and people had a good time chatting with them and learning more about the company. They also presented at a Biocom breakfast the next day, and both events were covered on Xconomy, a “next generation” news organization. Our name tag color-based networking “system” worked–perhaps not exactly as we had planned, but it served to break the ice among the participants and to facilitate networking, here are some comments we heard:

• “I handed out so many business cards that I ran out and had to go get more out of my car.”




• “By far and away, last night I connected with more scientists and executives than I have ever before.”




• “When is the next event? You should hold these every month!” (echoed many times)

If you’ve got a comment to share, leave it below (just remember how shy and sensitive we are before being critical ;). We gave away a few small prizes from our SDBN Cafe Press store, and Comprendia provided USB keys with biotechnology career resources. Blue Horse and Trumpet helped with planning, PR, provided the marketing materials, and took pictures. Thanks to everyone who helped and participated (esp. our volunteers–not sure if they want to be called out here ;). With your help, we feel like we’re really on to something here, and it was exciting to see everyone connecting both in person and on-line using the LinkedIn group.

When and where will the next event be? We will likely move to another venue because we expect the turnout to continue to be larger than the Rock Bottom will accommodate. We’ll likely have the next event in January, and we are very actively looking for a new and/or exciting companies to cover, please give us your feedback on who you’d like us to feature. We do plan to ask the featured company to give a short presentation, as many of you commented that it would add value to the event. Thanks to everyone, and we’ll let you know as soon as we schedule the next event. If you didn’t attend the event, be sure to sign up for updates.