OXFORD, England, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

OBN, the not-for-profit business network which provides comprehensive support for bioscience businesses in the 'Golden Triangle' biocluster and beyond, is pleased to announce that it has established two new high level Advisory Panels. The two Boards draw on leading experts from across the industry and have been created in order to maintain OBN's leadership position in program development at BioTrinity, Europe's 3rd Largest Annual Partnering and Investment Conference.

The Business Development and Licensing (BD&L) Advisory Panel contains participants from big pharma through to small biotech BD&L executives,  including Amgen, Astellas Pharma Europe, Biogen Idec, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Crescendo Biologics, Kymab, Polytherics, Prosidion, Shire and Takeda Pharmaceuticals Europe.

Dr Jon Rees, CEO of OBN, said: "Only by listening to key industry executives embedded in the deal-making and licensing environment can we respond to the needs and interests of the members in our network and continue to deliver cutting edge content to the participants at our networking events and conferences."

The Investor Advisory Panel draws on BioTrinity's long-standing role of bringing a wide range of international investors together with R&D companies. It includes participants from the UK, Europe and the US and from traditional venture capital and the corporate venturing worlds. Members include 3i plc, Abbott Biotech Ventures, Apposite Capital LLP, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund GmbH, Credit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE), Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners, Index Ventures, MedImmune Ventures, Merck Serono Ventures, Sofinnova Partners, SR One (GSK), and Takeda Ventures.

Already the panel participants have given their first round of feedback and suggestions for next year's BioTrinity panels and this will be developed to release the preliminary BioTrinity 2013 program in December 2012.  Combined with OBN's recent 'Life Sciences, New Money' series of networking events and breakfasts in London, Cambridge and Oxford, the advanced program development for BioTrinity 2013 maintains OBN's leadership position in providing comprehensive support for the UK bioindustry.

Dr Jon Rees, CEO of OBN, said: "I am delighted with the levels of energy and commitment the investment community, our 200 members, the wider industry and my team are feeding into ensuring our offer continues to be more relevant and more exciting than ever.  This synergy will benefit us all."

About OBN

OBN is a not-for-profit business network which provides comprehensive support for its member biotech and medtech companies in the Oxford and South-East England biocluster and the rest of the UK. Our activities can be summarised as networking, partnering, group purchasing, and fundraising advice. Through its delivery of Europe's fastest growing biopartnering and investment conference, BioTrinity, OBN generates more R&D-company-to-investor interactions than anyone else in Europe. OBN is sponsored by Shire, as Corporate Patron, and Corporate Sponsors MEPC, Manches LLP, James Cowper, George James, Ernst & Young, Interea International, SRG, FOCUS Insurance, Ardington Archives, World Courier and Citigate Dewe Rogerson as well as by its extensive membership of R&D companies and other companies across the entire life sciences industry ecosystem. OBN counts more than 200 companies amongst its membership, which is growing over 40% per year. 

For further information on OBN and its activities, please visit: http://www.obn.org.uk

About the Advisory Panels

The two Advisory Panels contain representatives from the following companies:

Investors

Credit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE), GlaxoSmithKline, Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP), MedImmune Ventures, 3i plc, Apposite Capital LLP, Index Ventures, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund GmbH, Sofinnova Partners, Merck Serono Ventures, Abbott Biotech Ventures, SR One (GlaxoSmithKline), GlaxoSmithKline, Takeda Ventures.

Business Development and Licensing

Amgen, Astellas Pharma Europe, Biogen Idec, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Crescendo Biologics, Kymab, Prosidion , Shire, Takeda Pharmaceuticals Europe, Polytherics.

Contacts

OBN
Andy Smith, Director of Investor Relations and PR
Tel: +44(0)845-5049715
andy.smith@obn.org.uk


Citigate Dewe Rogerson
Chris Gardner/Nina Enegren        
T: +44(0)20-7638-9571
chris.gardner@citigatedr.co.uk / nina.enegren@citigatedr.co.uk

SOURCE OBN