NEW JOBS FOR NEW YORK, PFIZER HOST UPSTATE NEW YORK BIOTECH CONFERENCE

Conference connects Upstate New York biotech companies with world’s largest pharmaceutical company

Senator Clinton with Pfizer Executives

(Photo courtesy of Adam Koniak)

On July 31st in Buffalo, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton joined with New Jobs for New York, Inc. and Pfizer to host “Upstate New York Biotech Day,” a meeting of about 100 Upstate New York business and university researchers at the University of Buffalo’s Center of Excellence for Bioinformatics. The meeting sought to build relationships between Upstate New York biotechnology companies and Pfizer.

“Today’s meeting will help lay the groundwork for possible partnerships between these cutting-edge companies and Pfizer, “ said Roger C. Altman, Chairman of the Board of Directors of New Jobs for New York, Inc. “It is these types of connections that will grow the biotechnology industry in Upstate New York and ignite job growth throughout the region.”

Dr. Dan Luo of Cornell University
Delivering his Presentation

(Photo courtesy of Adam Koniak)

John LaMattina, Senior Vice President
and President, PGRD - Pfizer

(Photo courtesy of Adam Koniak)

“Biotechnology research and development has a vital role to play in the growth and prosperity of the Upstate economy,” said Senator Clinton, Chair of the Advisory Board for New Jobs for New York, Inc.. “Today’s conference creates an excellent opportunity for industry leaders and emerging companies from across the state to foster new relationships. It is our hope that these relationships will help enable new discoveries in medical sciences while expanding and creating additional markets in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the region.”

Upstate New York Biotech day is a direct outcome of a previous New Jobs for New York, Inc. biotechnology conference that was held in Buffalo earlier this year. Several companies that participated in that event were invited to attend today’s event in Buffalo.

Today’s meeting, which featured a keynote address by Senator Clinton, included presentations by Dr. John LaMattina, President of Pfizer Global Research and Development, Dr. Lisa Ricciardi, Senior Vice President of Licensing and Development for Pfizer, and presentations by each of four companies from across Upstate New York and four of the region’s leading universities.

Senator Clinton with Tom Blaszczykiewicz, President - AccuMED Technologies Inc.

(Photo courtesy of Adam Koniak)

The companies included: Albany Molecular Research, Inc. from Albany, Kinex Pharmaceuticals from Buffalo, VirtualScopics from Rochester, and Vybion from Ithaca.

The universities included: Cornell University in Ithaca, the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences in Buffalo, the Roswell Park Cancer Institute also in Buffalo, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Rensselaer and the State University at Albany, College of Nanotechnology and Life Sciences.