Hear from a panel of speakers on what will be “Hot or Not” for 2016 in biotechnology, medical technology, investment, IP, research, product development and health innovation. Will CRISPR technology change the world? What are investors looking for in 2016? What’s CSIRO doing to shape Australian innovation? How will the IP landscape impact business strategy? What’s hot in digital health and why? What are the global healthcare trends that will create opportunities for Melbourne companies?

This is the first BioMelbourne Network event for the year and will be a great networking opportunity to reconnect after the holiday season – our 2015 “Hot or Not” event was sold-out and we hope that you will be able to join us to kick off 2016 with a lively discussion on what the year ahead may hold.

Dr Debra Yin Foo, Partner, Philips Ormonde Fitzpatrick

Debra has over 25 years’ experience in patents and trade marks and provides advice on the management, protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Her expertise resides in the areas of biochemistry, cell biology, stem cell biology, immunology, oncology, cell therapeutics, vaccines, diagnostics, biomarkers, microbiology and cell culture technologies.
Following her graduation majoring in Chemistry and Biochemistry, Debra completed an honours degree exploring the immunology of Onchocerciasis infections. She then joined the Departments of Virology and Nutrition in the Tropical Veterinary Science Department at James Cook University.
Having completed her PhD in Biochemistry she then completed a Post Doctoral Fellowship in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research.
Debra works with a broad range of clients including universities, research institutions and biotechnology companies. She has also worked with universities and their start-up companies in the stem cell space to develop their portfolios for successful acquisitions.

Dr Amir Zalcenstein, Investment Manager, One Ventures

Amir Zalcenstein has recently relocated to Melbourne from Israel and has joined OneVentures as their Healthcare and life science Investment Manager. In Israel, Amir was Head of Business Development for BiondVax, a publicly traded company (TASE & NASDAQ) developing a Universal Flu Vaccine. Prior, Amir served as CEO of Amorphical (developing the next generation of Calcium-based therapies) and SoluBest, a drug delivery company advancing a proprietary technology for oral delivery of insoluble drugs.
Amir holds a PhD in Molecular Biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science and an Executive MBA from Technion, Israel.

Dr Keith McLean, Manufacturing Flagship Director, CSIRO

Keith McLean has a B.Sc. (Hons) and Ph.D. from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Following work in industry he undertook postdoctoral research in Scotland and New Zealand before joining the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in 1989. In 1996 he joined the surface chemistry group working on surface modification and characterisation for ophthalmic and other polymeric biomaterials applications. He was a team member of the implantable contact lens project in the VisionCRC which designed a polymer, surface and surgical methods for an implantable contact lens application and won the 2004 Royal Societies of Australia Eureka Award for Interdisciplinary Research and the 2009 CSIRO Medal for Research Achievement. He was Research Director for Biomedical Materials and Devices from 2006 to 2014 leading a multi-disciplinary team of materials scientists and biologists developing biomaterials for tissue engineering, stem cell propagation and implantable devices. He became Director of CSIRO Manufacturing in 2014 leading >400 scientists working in chemical, biomedical and advanced manufacturing. He is a Past President of the Australasian Society for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Inc. and was appointed Secretary of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering in 2012. He is a Board Member of CRC for Polymers, HySSIL Pty Ltd, Biomedical research Victoria and VESKI, sits on the Governance Committee of the ARC Special Research Initiative Stem Cells Australia, is on the Advisory Boards of the Melbourne Neuroscience Initiative (University of Melbourne); Institute for Frontier Materials (Deakin University) and Global Challenges Advisory Group for the Manufacturing Innovation Challenge (Wollongong University). McLean is an Adjunct Professor at Monash University.

Dr Louise Schaper, CEO, Health Informatics Society of Australia

Dr Louise Schaper PhD is the CEO of Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA). She is an innovator and a change agent who doesn’t sit still and whose passion and enthusiasm for digital health is shaping a new future for HISA. Louise is a world leader in health informatics and is intimately connected to Australia’s substantial health reform efforts, where digital health innovation will continue to be a key enabler to achieving high quality, safe, sustainable and patient-centred care. Louise has a background as an occupational therapist, a PhD on technology acceptance amongst healthcare professionals and is a graduate of Stanford University’s Executive Leadership Program. She is a highly sought after speaker and delivers keynote addresses at conferences around the world.

Marco Barsanti, Thermo Fisher Scientific

Marco completed his Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology at the University of Pisa, Italy. His thesis was focused on HIV therapeutic vaccination research. While studying in Italy, he also attended courses that allowed him to obtain a graduate diploma in Biotechnology and Biochemistry, as well as an internship at a small biotech company. There, he assisted in developing diagnostic techniques for influenza virus subtypes by multiplex qPCR. He later began his Master’s degree in Developmental Biology at the University of Nottingham, UK. His research on human embryonic stem cell epigenetics was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Lorraine Young, one of the leading researchers from the Roslin Institute, where ‘Dolly’ the sheep was cloned. During this period in Nottingham, he also attended virology, immunology and parasitology courses at Nottingham Trent University.
Following the completion of his Master’s degree, Marco moved to Melbourne, Australia to start his PhD in Immunology and Stem Cell Biology at Monash University, under the supervision of Prof. Richard Boyd and A/Prof. Ann Chidgey. He studied thymus development in mice, with the aim of identifying novel transcripts involved in its organogenesis. His research focused on improving or manipulating the immune system in the elderly, and in patients undergoing chemotherapy or affected by HIV. Additionally, his work could open the way for regenerative medicine through stem cell-derived tissue transplantation by avoiding graft rejection. While studying, Marco also acquired experience as a lecturer in Immunology, Pathology and Biochemistry at Monash University, and was employed as a research assistant for Prof. Sharon Ricardo, developing one of the first staining protocols for flow cytometry analysis of human renal podocytes. Furthermore, he has presented posters at conferences overseas and within Australia, published a review in an Elsevier Immunology Book, and a paper in Cell Reports as part of his PhD work. Whilst writing his PhD thesis and preparing additional manuscripts for publication, Marco began working for Life Technologies, now part of ThermoFisher Scientific, as an Account manager for Victoria. Here he continues to learn about product development, marketing, and business strategies in the fields of biotechnology and life sciences. In his first 18 months of employment, Marco has been awarded two prizes for top performance across Australasia.