September 13, 2022
8 AM - 3 PM
The Union League of Philadelphia
140 S Broad St, Philadelphia
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A Summary of the Special Full-Day Conference for Life Science, Design and Real Estate Professionals
Philadelphia • 2022
Traditionally, the life science real estate industry has been defined by the convergence of science, medicine and commercialization in global efforts to improve human health. With the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003, the growth in this segment of life sciences has accelerated with a strong emphasis on Precision Medicine, targeted personalized cancer treatment and Precision Wellness. All of these areas combine a focus on genomics and biology with other technologies such as wearable technologies, big data and artificial intelligence.
With a rich history of research and pharmaceutical development, Philadelphia is poised to be a leader in this field. From the early beginnings in 1740, with the establishment of the University of Pennsylvania through the development of major pharma companies like Merck in the 1800s, the region has grown with the life science industry and amassed a deep and educated labor pool. Today, the area is home to six medical schools, including four NCI-designated cancer centers, and the top-rated Children’s Hospital in the U.S. – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. 100+ colleges and universities are located within 50 miles of Philadelphia, 80% of all pharmaceutical and biotech companies have offices in Greater Philly and more than 2,000 medical technology companies are located here.
The time seems right to bring the life science and real estate communities together for a close look at scientific and business trends, investment and commercialization efforts, as well as leading real estate development projects and the challenges ahead.
September 13, 2022 • Philadelphia, PA
Philly Builds Bio+: Inaugural Symposium for Life Science Innovation and Development brought the life science and real estate communities together around the key drivers of the life science industry in Philadelphia (its opportunity and potential), and the opportunities and challenges of life science real estate development in the region.
The Symposium was especially timely since Philly has recently risen in the national rankings amongst major life science hubs and is attracting record amounts of venture capital as well as developer interest and major high-profile life science real estate development projects.
The Symposium consisted of keynote speakers and panel discussions, each moderated by a prominent scientist, business leader or Philly real estate developer. View Agenda
The Symposium concluded with the introduction of a new membership and programming initiative, called Philly Builds Bio+ led by Nancy J Kelley and Mitch Simpler, Founding Members of Builds Bio+ and other leading members of the Philly life science and real estate development community, who have served on the Steering Committee for the Symposium. Profits from the meeting will be used to support the creation and operation of a Philly Builds Bio+ Initiative.
“If the 20th century was the century of physics, the 21st century will be the century of biology.”
Craig Venter
Speakers included prominent leaders from the academic and life sciences sector and life science real estate development community, focusing on new voices that had not yet been heard in Philly’s life science conversations in order to offer new information and a new perspective.
Anurag Agarwal
Principal, Osage University Partners
Dario C. Altieri, M.D.
President and CEO, Director of the Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, and Robert and Penny Fox Distinguished Professor, The Wistar Institute
Ian Anderson
Senior Director of Research, CBRE
Melina Blees, PhD
Site Director
BioLabs Philadelphia
Tracy Brala
Senior Vice President, Strategy and Partnerships, University City Science Center
Neil Brazitis
Senior Managing Director Company: Newmark Real Estate (Newmark)
Clifford Brechner
Vice President, Colliers Life Sciences Practice Group
Sharon R. Clinton, SHRM-CP
Co-Founder & COO
HelaPlex
Joe Corcoran
Executive Vice President of The Discovery Labs, Senior Vice President for MLP Ventures
Alan W. Flake, MD
Professor of Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Director, Children’s Center for Fetal Research
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Lauren Gilchrist
Managing Director – Research
Longfellow Real Estate Partners
John Grady
NE Region Executive & Senior Vice President
Wexford Science + Technology
Anthony Green, Ph.D.
Chief Scientific Officer
Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA
Claire Marrazzo Greenwood
Senior Vice President, Economic Competitiveness
Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
Stephan A. Grupp, MD, PhD
Section Chief, Cellular Therapy and Transplant, Division of Oncology; Director, Susan P. and Stephen S. Kelly Center for Cancer Immunotherapy
Karen Griffith Gryga
Chief Operating Officer, Biomeme, Inc.
Eric Hacher, PhD
Vice President, Head of Manufacturing, Spark Therapeutics
Louis P. Kassa III
President
Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center
Nancy J Kelley
Founding Member, Builds BIO+ and President & CEO, Nancy J Kelley + Associates
Todd Kilbaugh
Endowed Chair of Translational Science and Innovation, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Medical Director, EMCO Center at CHOP
Jessica Lee
Clinical Science and Operations, Spirovant
Tia Lyles-Williams
Founder & CEO
LucasPye BIO
Anthony Maher
Partner/ President at University Place Associates
Kevin Mahoney
CEO
University of Pennsylvania Hospital System
Jennifer Manning, MPA
Senior Vice President of Global Strategic Partnerships, The Center for Breakthrough Medicines
Travis McCready
Head of Life Sciences, Industries Americas, JLL
Dean E. Miller
President & CEO, PACT
Alan Moore
Chief Strategy Officer, Center for Breakthrough Medicines
Stephen G. Nappi
Associate Vice President, Technology Commercialization and Business Development,
Temple University
Scott Nissenbaum
President and CEO, Ben Franklin Technology Partners
Rosaleen Morris Oskanian
General Counsel & Secretary Vitara Biomedical, Inc.
Matt Plevelich
Principal
NewSpring
Jamie Rash
Regional Director
Keystone
Katie Reuther
Executive Director, Penn Health-Tech University of Pennsylvania
Aleister J. Saunders, PhD
Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation and Professor, Drexel University
Mitchel W. Simpler
Founding Member, Builds BIO+ and Managing Partner Emeritus, JB&B
George Skillin
Senior Vice President and Head of Engineering, EHS, Spark Therapeutics
Tony Sorrentino
Associate Vice President, Office of the Executive Vice President
University of Pennsylvania
Sam Woods Thomas
Philadelphia Department of Commerce
Senior Director of Business Development
Nelson Way
Director, Leasing and Development, Ensemble Real Estate Investments
Steve Wray
Senior Vice President and Principal
Econsult Solutions, Inc.
The Agenda of the Symposium focused on:
- Philadelphia’s Future of Innovation Founded on an Illustrious Past
- The Science Driving Innovation and Commercialization
- The Funding Fueling Innovation
- Nurturing Innovation Through Incubator and Accelerator Programs
- Celebrating Life Science Success with Revolutionary Life Science Treatment
- Commercial Opportunities for Life Sciences in Philly
- How Philly Stacks Up in Meeting the Needs of Life Science Companies
- Commercial Opportunities for Life Science Development in Philly and the Surrounding Environs
- The Challenges that Philly Life Science Faces
8:00 – 8:30
Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45
Welcome
- Nancy J Kelley, JD/ MPP, President & CEO, Nancy J Kelley + Associates and Founding Member, Builds BIO+
- Mitchel W. Simpler, Managing Partner Emeritus, JB&B, Founding Member, Builds BIO+
8:45 – 9:00
Keynote: A Future of Innovation Founded on an Illustrious Past
Confirmed Speaker:
- Kevin B. Mahoney, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Perelman School of Medicine
9:00 – 9:40
The Science Driving Innovation and Commercialization
This session will include a panel of scientists from Philly institutions, moderated by a leading scientist, and will explore the recent and next generation of technologies that are emerging from Philly institutions, driven by increasing NIH funding levels to Philadelphia institutions. The panel will also explore how science can differentiate Philadelphia from other major life science clusters such as Boston, San Francisco and the Greater NYC Metro area.
Moderator:
- Todd J. Kilbaugh, MD, Endowed Chair of Translational Science and Innovation, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Medical Director, EMCO Center at CHOP
Confirmed Speakers:
- Alan W. Flake, MD, FACS, FAAP, Chair, Pediatric General, Thoracic and Fetal Surgery at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia and Director; CHOP Center for Fetal Research
- Dario C. Altieri, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Wistar Institute and Director, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center; Professor, Immunology, Microenvironment & Metastasis Program
- Aleister J. Saunders, PhD, Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation and Professor, Department of Biology, Drexel University
- Stephen G. Nappi, Associate Vice President, Technology Commercialization and Business Development, Temple University
9:40 – 10:20
Funding Fuels Innovation: What Drives VC Investment?
This session will explore the unprecedented growth in venture capital investment in the Philadelphia region with a panel of VCs, moderated by a VC that will explore what is fueling the increase and where is it going? What kinds of companies are the VCs looking for?
Moderator:
- Dean Miller, President & CEO, Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technologies (PACT) and Managing Director, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Innovation Fund
Confirmed Speakers:
- Anurag Agarwal, Principal, Life Science, Osage University Partners
- Scott Nissenbaum, President & CEO, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Southeastern PA and Managing General Partner, Global Opportunity Philadelphia Fund
- Matt Plevelich, Principal for Healthcare Strategy, NewSpring Capital
10:20 – 10:40
Break
10:40 – 11:20
Nurturing Innovation with Incubators and Accelerators
There are a number of new and existing incubators and accelerators in the Philadelphia region that are growing new companies, creating jobs and expanding the life science footprint in Philadelphia. This panel will introduce a number of them, explore what programs they offer and how they are fueling innovation and commercialization.
Moderator:
- Louis P. Kassa, III, MPA, Chief Executive Officer, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and PA Biotechnology Center
Confirmed Speakers:
- Melina Blees, PhD, Site Director, BioLabs Philadelphia
- Tracy Brala, Senior Vice President, Strategy and Partnerships, University City Science Center
- Anthony P. Green, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Ben Franklin Technology Partners
- Sharon R. Clinton, SHRM-CP, Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, HelaPlex
- Katie Reuther, PhD, MBA, Executive Director, Penn Health-Tech and Practice Associate Professor in Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania
11:20 – 11:35
Keynote: Celebrating Life Science Success with Revolutionary Life Science Treatments
The second keynote of the symposium will be given by a senior executive from one of the successful companies, like Spark Therapeutics, putting Philadelphia on the map.
Confirmed Speaker:
- Eric Hacherl, PhD, Vice President, Head of Manufacturing, Spark Therapeutics
11:35 – 12:15
Commercial Opportunities for Life Sciences in Philly
This session will feature three or four mature life science companies, all of whom have received venture backing and one of which is publicly traded. Speakers will discuss the unique life science real estate requirements that stem from the unique science they are pursuing or products developed. The challenges of finding appropriate life science space and the competitive pressures from surrounding life science clusters will also be discussed.
Moderator:
- Anthony P Sorrentino, Assistant Vice President, Office of the Executive Vice President, University of Pennsylvania
Confirmed Speakers:
- Jessica Lee, MS MPH, Clinical Science and Operations, Spirovant Sciences
- Karen Griffith Gryga, Chief Operating Officer, Biomeme
- Tia Lyles-Williams, DSc, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, LucasPye BIO
- Rose Oskanian, VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Vitara
12:15 – 1:00
Lunch
1:00 – 1:30
How Does Philly Stack Up?
This session will include a panel of brokers discussing the size of the Philadelphia market for life science space and the direction it is moving in. The discussion will also include a description of what life science companies are looking for in space requirements and what is their need.
Moderator:
- Lauren Gilchrist, Managing Director, Research, Longfellow Real Estate Partners
Confirmed Speakers:
- Travis McCready, Head of Life Sciences, Industries Americas, JLL
- Ian Anderson, Senior Director of Research, CBRE
- Neil Brazitis, Senior Managing Director, Newmark Knight Frank
- Clifford Brechner, Vice President, Greater Philadelphia Region Life Science Practice Group, Colliers International
1:30 – 2:15
Commercial Opportunities for Life Science Real Estate in Philly and The Surrounding Environs
This session will explore a number of leading life science developments in the City center, outer City limits and the suburban market.
Moderator:
- Jennifer Manning, MPA, Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Partnerships, The Center for Breakthrough Medicines
Confirmed Speakers/Projects:
- John Grady, Senior Vice President, Northeast Region Executive at Wexford Science & Technology; City Square
- Anthony Maher, Partner/ President at University Place Associates
- George Skillin, Senior Vice President and Head of Engineering, EHS, Spark Therapeutics
- Louis P. Kassa, III, MPA, Chief Executive Officer, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute and PA Biotechnology Center in Bucks County
- Jamie Rash, Regional Director, Keystone, The Curtis
- Joseph Corcoran, Senior Vice President, MLP Ventures Group (The Discovery Labs)
- Nelson Way, Director, Leasing and Development, Ensemble Real Estate Investments
2:15 – 2:40
What Challenges Does Philly Life Science Face? City and State Incentives: What Needs to be Done?
This session will discuss the challenges Philly faces in the continued expansion and growth of its life science sector, as well as how the City and State can more strongly support its growth and development through new incentive programs.
Moderator:
- Claire Greenwood, MS, Executive Director, CEO Council for Growth, & SVP, Economic Competitiveness at The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia
Confirmed Speakers:
- Stephen Wray, Senior Vice President and Principal, Econsult Solutions, Inc.
- Sam Woods Thomas, Senior Director of Business Development, Philadelphia Department of Commerce
2:40 – 2:55
Closing Keynote
Confirmed Speaker:
- Stephan A Grupp, MD, PhD, Section Chief of the Cellular Therapy and Transplant Section, Director of the Cancer Immunotherapy Program and Medical Director of the Cell and Gene Therapy Laboratory, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
2:55 – 3:00
Conclusion and Next Steps
- Symposium Steering Committee
3:00-4:00
Reception
The Symposium is organized by Builds BIO+, a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization that launched a similar and very successful initiative in 2018 in New York City and has since become an active membership organization working to educate and increase the visibility of commercial life sciences opportunities through events, research, reports and educational programs.
Leading members of the Philly academic, life science, government, association and real estate development communities have formed a Steering Committee for the Symposium.
"Looking forward to Philly Builds Bio+! Amazing inaugural event. Congratulations!"
"Great combination of science and business!"
"Good turnout, especially some corporate life sciences players."
"The speakers and panels were even more informative than I realized."
"The materials provided in the program guide provided an excellent information for us to follow up after the event."
"It was a great event and a great venue!"
Comparative Study Ranks Philadelphia Region #2 Among 14 Cell and Gene Therapy Hubs
In a newly released study comparing 14 U.S. cell and gene therapy hubs in five key categories, the Philadelphia region ranks #2 among U.S. locations. This report was done by CEO Council for Growth in Philadelphia. It helps to confirm the broad life science real estate trends that were highlighted at the Philly Builds Bio Inaugural Symposium for Life Science Innovation and Development.
VIEW REPORT (PDF)
Gold Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Breakfast and Lunch Co-Sponsors
Lanyard Sponsor
Association Partners
Lincoln Hall, The Union League Philadelphia