About Bay Area

Marianne De Backer has been a strategic advisor, scientist, business leader, deal maker and corporate investor at the world’s largest healthcare company (Johnson & Johnson (J&J); >70 Bn USD revenue) for more than two decades. Her deep subject matter expertise and experience forging partnerships with leading researchers and executives have led to launched breakthroughs in medicine and the development of new models for conducting business. She works across an extensive external network of pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, venture, NGO and government partners in United States, Europe, and beyond, bringing this diversity in perspective as she fosters alliances to improve the health of patients worldwide. In her current role Dr. De Backer leads M&A Operations and Divestitures for the global Pharmaceuticals Group of J&J (Janssen) and is global head business development for the Infectious Diseases & Vaccines therapeutic area.

At J&J, Dr. De Backer has had an impressive career path, transitioning from the lab bench to supporting innovative technology licensing to leading a 50 FTE commercial business unit to serving on the frontlines of late-stage pharmaceutical deal-making. As a scientist and R&D group leader, she was named as inventor on five patent applications. Under her direct leadership through licensing and business development roles across multiple therapeutic areas and regions, J&J has formed over 200 external alliances which have led to new approved medicines Olysio®, Odefsey®, Symtuza®, and Juluca® as well as drugs in Phase III development. As Business Unit Director (CNS, Immunology, Internal Medicine) she was responsible for a strategic turnaround, led operational sales and marketing, managed a P&L (~100 million revenue), and very successfully launched Xeplion® and Stelara® while significantly improving employee and customer engagement. In her latest role in JJDC, the venture arm of J&J, she co-championed the Bio-investor hub at JLABS, mentored several Biotech start-ups and was responsible for initiating and managing equity investments to drive business innovation and deliver new business to J&J.

Dr. De Backer has been recognized for her enduring passion to make a difference for patients, her credo-based leadership, her ability to deliver results in complex and challenging environments, and for building bridges across organizations. In 2018 she was elected as one of the Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business as well as Women of Influence in Silicon Valley, in 2016 she was nominated to the PharmaVoice100 list as “change agent” and to the Women In Bio “Boardroom Ready” class; she serves as a host, panelist and moderator at key industry conferences and global events for J&J; and actively mentors a diverse talent pool, especially advocating for female talent. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Gladstone Foundation, a San Francisco based non-for-profit supporting the Gladstone Institutes with a mission to use visionary science and technology to overcome major unsolved diseases, and of NYC based EcoHealth Alliance, a global non-for-profit developing the scientific evidence and tools needed to save ecosystems and predict and prevent global pandemics.

She holds an MBA from Erasmus University Rotterdam, a PhD in Biotechnology and Master in Engineering from the University of Ghent, and a MSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Brussels. She is fluent in English and Dutch, and proficient in German.

Dr. Chris Haskell leads Bayer’s West Coast Innovation Center, located in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. The West Coast Innovation Center supports Bayer’s Drug Discovery activities by developing and managing partnerships with U.S. academic research institutions and life science companies. Haskell is also responsible for cultivating life science startups within the CoLaborator, a biotech incubator space adjacent to the West Coast Innovation Center. The CoLaborator, which houses a number of startup life science firms, fosters collaboration between Bayer and emerging innovators.

Haskell is also board chair emeritus and current board member of the California Life Science Institute, the San Francisco Bay Area industry trade organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship, science education and workforce development in the region.

After his graduate work at the University of California, Davis and a postdoctoral fellowship at The Gladstone Institute in San Francisco, Haskell joined the Immunology group at Berlex Biosciences. Since joining Bayer in 2007, Haskell has served in various scientific leadership roles, including the Acting Head of Applied Research, the unit responsible for hemostasis research and drug development. In late 2009, Haskell was named head of Bayer’s Science Hub. In 2017, he assumed oversight for the West Coast Innovation Center.

Rachel is a co-founder of Caribou Biosciences and has been President and CEO since its inception in 2011. In 2014, she was named by Forbes Magazine to the “30 Under 30” list in Science and Healthcare, and in 2016, Fortune Magazine named her to the “40 Under 40” list of the most influential young people in business. In 2018, the Association for Women in Science recognized Rachel with the annual Next Generation Award. Rachel is an inventor on several patents and patent applications covering multiple CRISPR-based technologies, and she has co-authored scientific papers in high impact journals characterizing CRISPR-Cas systems. Rachel earned an A.B. in Biological Sciences from Harvard College, and received a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr. Richard Lin is the founder of Explora BioLabs, a San Diego-based preclinical vivarium service company. He also serves on the Planning Committee of the BIOCOM CRO Initiative, and is a member of the board of LaunchBio, a nonprofit organization that identifies, counsels, and supports high-growth, high-impact biotechnology companies. With his keen interests in education, he also serves on the Industry Advisory Board of the Southern California Biotech Center.

Richard has more than 25 years of academic research and industry drug development experience, with extensive knowledge of cancer biology, metabolic diseases, and animal physiology. Prior to founding Explora BioLabs in 2004, Richard held leadership positions in research and preclinical development at Ansata Therapeutics, Genset Corporation, Corvas International, and Axys Pharmaceuticals. Richard conducted his postdoctoral research at UC San Diego Cancer Center, and received his PhD in Zoology from UC Berkeley.

Gail Maderis is President & CEO of Antiva Biosciences, Inc. a venture-backed biopharmaceutical company pioneering antiviral therapies against HPV. From 2009 to 2015, Ms. Maderis led BayBio, the industry organization representing and supporting Northern California’s life science community. From 2003 to 2009, Ms. Maderis served as President and CEO of Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc., a protein discovery and development company. At FivePrime, she successfully funded the company’s rapid growth through substantial private equity financings and corporate partnerships and took the company’s first novel cancer therapeutic from discovery into clinical trials. Prior to FivePrime, Ms. Maderis held senior executive positions at Genzyme Corporation, including founder and president of Genzyme Molecular Oncology (GZMO). Ms. Maderis also practiced management and strategy consulting with Bain & Co. She currently serves on the board of NovaBay Pharmaceuticals (NBY), a publicly-traded ophthalmology company, and on the Board of Trustees of the UC Berkeley Foundation. She received a BS in business from UC Berkeley and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Dr. Janet McNicholas is noted for her patent-related achievements as a life sciences attorney with more than 30 years of practice, including serving biotechnology and pharmaceutical clients with technology platforms and products, including antibody, gene/gene editing, and cell-based products.

Janet advises clients in the development, management, and enforcement of worldwide patent portfolios. She writes and prosecutes patent applications for a broad range of life science technologies, advises clients in licensing and agreement matters, and is experienced in biopharma litigation and opposition matters. Her practice regularly includes conducting patentability, patent landscape, freedom-to-operate, infringement, and validity assessments; conducting IP audits; evaluating intellectual property portfolios in connection with acquisitions, licensing, financings, collaborations, and/or partnering deals; and mining both developing and mature patent portfolios covering products and platforms for opportunities to maximize value.

Prior to practicing law, Janet conducted research in immunology, molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics at the University of Illinois as a pre-doctoral student and then at Stanford University and at the California Institute of Technology as a post-doctoral fellow of the Arthritis Foundation.

Janet has spoken at national and international scientific, business, and legal conferences on a variety of patent-related matters relating to the development and commercialization of biotech/pharma products. Janet is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), Biotechnology Innovation Organization (via Jones Day membership), BIOCOM (via Jones Day membership), Chinese American Biopharmaceutical Society (CABS), Churchill Club, and TiE Silicon Valley.

As the leading advocate for the life science industry in California, President and CEO Joe Panetta guides Biocom by setting strategic direction, guiding policy priorities, and championing the biopharmaceutical industry at the local, state, national, and international level.

Mr. Panetta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biology from LeMoyne College, and a Master of Public Health degree in industrial and environmental health from the University of Pittsburgh. He is a graduate of the Brookings Institution Program for Executives and the Harvard Program on Negotiation.

• Travel

• Skiing

• Piano

Angela Rusakova joined the life sciences community in the Bay Area in 2004. Angela leads Deloitte’s West Region Life Sciences & Health Care Audit & Assurance practice. Deloitte’s Life Sciences & Health Care practice is among the largest in the world, leveraging the extensive knowledge, skills, and experience of approximately 12,000 professionals in 90 countries. Deloitte professionals work with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technology companies, contract research organizations, and distributors to help shape the new health economy and the roles these organizations play in it.

Angela has more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience and is a lead client service partner for many private and public life sciences companies in the Bay Area. She is passionate about advising her clients regarding their financial reporting processes and on key transactions such as equity and debt offerings, IPOs, collaborations, and mergers and acquisitions.

Angela holds a master’s degree in economics from Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia, as well as CPA and Chartered Accountant certifications. She is on the leadership committee for the American Diabetes Association.

Bio coming soon.

Dr. Gregory Theyel is the Director of the Biomedical Manufacturing Network and Professor at California State University. He is the founder of the Biomedical Manufacturing Network, a partnership of more than 1,000 biomedical companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Network maintains databases and maps of biomedical companies and assists companies with the commercialization of technology. The Network also conducts research on biomedical technology trends, value chain traceability, and the value and location of manufacturing. Dr. Theyel has helped over 500 biomedical companies with manufacturing, technology, and business planning. He also recently published the 2018 article “Understanding Manufacturing Location Decision Making: Rationales for Retaining, Offshoring, Reshoring, and Hybrid Approaches” in the Economic Development Quarterly and the book Industry Emergence: Strategic Management and Synchronization for New Industries (Routledge Press, 2017), which introduces a framework to explain the features, interaction, and synchronization of key elements for the birth and growth of new industries. He has published more than 25 peer-reviewed academic articles and has taught industrial engineering and management courses in Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Brazil, Russia, and the United States.