The second annual BioInnovation Forum takes place October 18, 2023.
Dr. William Belden’s biotech company was just an idea established by legal paperwork a year ago, when he decided to attend the Capital Region’s BioInnovation Forum.
The inaugural forum was hosted by ACPHS’ Stack Family Center for Biopharmaceutical Education and Training (CBET), which he knew nothing about. Less than a year after retiring as a professor from Rutgers University in New Jersey, Belden had plans to start Apheon Bio in Rensselaer. He wanted to get a feel for the community where he planned to establish his company, which would be focused on discovering antibodies and tumor antigens needed to develop new pharmaceutical treatments.
He happened to sit next to Donna Barron, biotechnology program coordinator at Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) in Troy. Barron’s program offers a certificate for people who already hold associate’s or bachelor’s degree and want to advance their careers by gaining skills needed in the biotech or biopharmaceutical field. Barron partners with companies willing to mentor interns from her program, and she was quickly drawn to Belden’s experience; the former professor translates complicated matter into simple terms as only someone who has spent decades teaching can do.
Barron also thought Belden’s company could benefit from the contract research services offered by CBET, and so introduced him to the center’s executive director, Dr. Michelle Lewis.
Fast forward to this year, and much has developed from those conversations at the BioInnovation Forum.
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CBET signed an agreement with Apheon Bio to clone genes used for production of therapeutic proteins for animal models of disease, including Parkinson’s and autoimmune dermatitis.
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Apheon Bio has hosted two HVCC interns, who gained industry experience from Dr. Belden while receiving credit toward their certificates. Apheon Bio benefits from the internship by gaining direct access to entry-level workers familiar with biotech concepts.
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CBET and Apheon Bio are slated to expand their relationship to produce antibody therapies for triple-negative breast cancer using technology developed by the burgeoning biotech company.
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Dr. Lewis is also working with Dr. Beldon to place ACPHS students from the Masters in Biotechnology program in internships at Apheon Bio.
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Additionally, HVCC’s Barron is developing an apprenticeship program that will give candidates up to one year of valuable work experience in settings like Apheon Bio.
“The relationship among HVCC, Apheon Bio and CBET is exactly the type of result that the BioInnovation Forum was created to foster,” Dr. Lewis said. “The Capital Region has numerous opportunities for partnerships among academic institutions and industry. Getting folks in the same room chatting informally about shared needs is the first step in building these innovative relationships that engage our students and support the regional biotech ecosystem.”
You can bet the three will be at BioInnovation Forum ’23, taking place October 18 at the University of Albany’s ETEC Building on the Harriman State Office Campus. In addition to ACPHS and UAlbany, the event is sponsored by two other institutes of higher education (Albany Medical College and the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer) and two economic development agencies (the Center for Economic Growth and Empire State Development).
This year’s keynote will be delivered by Dr. Crystal Leach, program director of Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers at the National Science Foundation. She will speak on research translation – the process of moving science from “bench to bedside,” or transforming scientific efforts into benefits for medical patients.
More information is available at the Innovate 518 website.