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Brandon J. Price, Ph.D.

President, Falcon Ridge Associates, Inc.
Cary, NC, USA

Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
2:00 - 2:30 pm

Abstract:  Plant cells have long been touted as the “ideal bioreactors” for production of biopharmaceuticals and for production/oral delivery of vaccines.  Yet, in 20⁺ years of research and development, not one vaccine, and only two plant-made biopharmaceuticals have advanced beyond Phase I clinical trials.  We discuss why this promising technology has not panned out, and what are the critical factors required for it to play a more prominent role in biomanufacturing.

Biography

Dr. Brandon J. Price has more than 28 years experience in the biotechnology industry. Currently, he is President of Falcon Ridge Associates, Inc., a consulting firm providing business development services to the biotechnology industry, investment firms, and regional/national governments in Europe and North America. He has been CEO of Cognate Therapeutics, a stem cell research company, President and CEO of Goodwin Biotechnology, Inc., a biologics contract manufacturing organization and CEO of CropTech Corporation, a transgenic plant protein company. Dr. Price has also held senior-level management positions at Cardinal Health, as Vice President of Biotechnology Services; BioReliance Corp., where he was a key member of the team that led the company public in 1997, and Ortho Diagnostic Systems, a Johnson & Johnson Company. He currently sits on the Board of Prairie Plant Systems, Inc., The Virginia Biotechnology Research Park, CONNECT Central Europe, and Research Triangle Europe. He also teaches bio-entrepreneurism courses at the University of Guadalajara (Mexico) and Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA).

He holds the Ph.D. degree in Biophysics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and is the author of more than 50 articles in the scientific and business literature.