Women In Technology International (WITI)

Biotechnology: Advancements in Biotechnology

June 3, 2002

MODERATOR: Janice T. Bourque, President and CEO, Massachusetts Biotechnology Council

Janice Bourque President of The MA Biotechnology Council has worked for the MBC for the past 10 years. The MBC, established 17 years ago, is a not for profit, private trade organization representing and promoting the benefits of biotechnology. Ms. Bourque is responsible for all activities of the Council, including the continued expansion and development of the MBC as the industry continues to mature in Massachusetts and in the world. The MBC has an annual budget of $3 Million, providing leadership and services to 367 member companies. In addition, Ms. Bourque directs 14 special interest committees, a full time Contracts and Services Consortium, local, state and federal policy & regulatory matters, economic development programs, and industry publications and statistics. Ms. Bourque is also the President of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation, MassBioEd, which engages in initiatives with K-12 schools; provides high school scholarships and science department equipment/supplies awards; advises community colleges and universities on curriculum development; as well as builds coalitions with academic, medical and private institutions.
Ms. Bourque has held several previous senior managerial positions, including CFO of Cambridge Medical Technology Corporation, a biotechnology company focused on diagnostic and monoclonal antibody research. In addition, Ms. Bourque was a senior public accountant for Coopers & Lybrand (Boston) Emerging and Middle Market Group, with the biotechnology companies of Genetics Institute and Serono Laboratories as clients. Ms. Bourque also served as a NASA Space Science project manager for the first satellite payloads to be repaired by the space shuttle missions. Ms. Bourque expanded her scientific background while working in the NH State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. Ms. Bourque received her MBA degree in finance and accounting and her BS degree in veterinary medicine from the University of New Hampshire.
Ms. Bourque is a Board of Director of the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce. She also is a Massachusetts Ambassador and Advisory Board Member; Chair of The Council of State Biomedical Associations; Member of the Women's Forum; and an Honorary Board Member of Innovation Odyssey, a new tour of the Boston History Collaborative. Ms. Bourque was recently named a Mass High Tech All Star and is a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America’s Good Scout Award.
About the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council

The Massachusetts Biotechnology Council (MBC), founded in 1985, is a non-for-profit organization that provides services and support for the Massachusetts biotechnology industry. The MBC is committed to advancing the development of critical new science, technology and medicines that benefit people worldwide. Representing over 300 companies, academic institutions and service organizations involved in biotechnology and healthcare, the MBC works with public leaders to advance policy and promote education, while providing member programs and services.

PANELISTS:

Dr. Una Ryan, CEO, Avant Immunotherapeutics

Dr. Ryan, Pres and CEO, of Avant. Also, Research Professor of Medicine at the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute of Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Ryan held the position of Director of Health Sciences at Monsanto Company from 1990 to 1993 and was Research Professor of Surgery, Medicine and Cell Biology at Washington University School of Medicine from 1990 to 1993. She serves on the boards of the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Recently, she was called to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Veterans Affairs, and International Relations during its Hearing on Biological Warfare Defense Vaccine Research & Development Programs

Julia Greenstein, CEO, Immerge BioTherapeutics

Julia Greenstein is currently the Chief Executive Officer and President of Immerge BioTherapeutics, Inc. Immerge BioTherapeutics is a joint venture of Novartis Pharma AG and BioTransplant Incorporated focused in the development of pig xenotransplantation into clinical practice. The current goals are to design therapeutic approaches that incorporate immunological tolerance in this field, to develop pre-clinical proof of concept, and to further the work being done to evaluate safety of these transplants. Dr. Greenstein also serves on the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council. Prior to joining Immerge BioTherapeutics, she was Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Research at BioTransplant Incorporated and Vice President of Discovery Research at ImmuLogic Pharmaceutical Corp.
Dr. Greenstein received her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Rochester Medical School based on work in the laboratory of Dr. Philippa Marrack. She did postdoctoral training at the University of Rochester Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute of Harvard Medical School. Dr. Greenstein was an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Her expertise is centered in cellular immunology and con

Dr. Jill Messirov, CIO and Director of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the Whitehead Institute Center for Genome Research.

CIO and Director of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the Whitehead Institute Center for Genome Research. Also Adjunct Professor of Bioinformatics at Boston University. Her current research interest is the study and development of algorithms for computational biology in such areas as pattern discovery and recognition in gene expression data, genome analysis and interpretation, sequence homology searching, protein secondary structure prediction and classification, molecular dynamics, and inverse protein folding. Prior position: Manager of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics in the Healthcare/Pharmaceutical Solutions Organization at IBM, and Director of Research at Thinking Machines Corporation. Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and serves on numerous advisory boards and as an editor on a number of journals in computational science and applied mathematics.