Peking University, Sept. 13, 2017：On the morning of September 11, 2017, Professor Harvey F. Lodish, member of the US National Academy of Sciences, founder of Whitehead Institute and professor of biology and bioengineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was invited to deliver a lecture entitled "Treating Disease with new-technology-, novel-therapeutics-based Company".
Professor Lodish's research focuses on cell surface protein and interdisciplinary areas of molecular cell biology and medicine. He published more than 500 articles in Nature, Cell, Science and other prestigious journals, and was elected as member of the National Academy of Sciences, United States in 1987. At the same time, Professor Lodish is also committed to the industrialization of biotechnology, and co-founded Genzyme Corporation, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Rubius and other biomedical companies. Rubius, founded in 2014, received a financing of 120 million USD by the unique "red blood cell therapy" in June 2017.
Professor Harvey F. Lodish delivering the speech
Professor Lodish shared his experience in the field of biotechnology. He mentioned that there are two main motivations for the industrialization of biotechnology. One is the market needs. Genzyme Corporation, for example, is a company focusing on research and the development of recombinant enzymes and other rare drugs for phenylketonuria and other rare diseases, is now the world's largest genetic disease drugs manufacturer; The other is their own specialty and profession. Rubius, as an example, is a company taking advantage of its outcome in the red blood cell research and transforming the genetic modification of red blood cell to a drug-transporting tool, which opens a door for new therapies. He pointed out that to meet the success of biotechnology industrialization, several requirements are indispensable: seeking financial support; choosing high-quality incubators and exchange ideas with scholars.
During the lecture, students exchanged ideas about questions such as how to achieve the transformation of scientific results, how to set up the entrepreneurial team, how to obtain capital investment, how to develop rare drugs and other issues with Professor Lodish. Professor Lodish encouraged students to focus more on biotechnology industry, and to develop the ability of innovation and entrepreneurship while doing academic research. He looks forward to the achievement of excellent results in the field of bio-industry.
Group photo
Written by: Qian kang
Edited by: Wang Chengsiou
Source: PKU News
