Impact of US Presidential Elections on Biotech
February 2008
Impact of US Presidential Elections on Biotech
In this exclusive interview, Fintan Walton and Matt Gardner, President and CEO of BayBio, look back on 2007
Impact of US Presidential Elections on Biotech
In this exclusive interview - filmed at the JP Morgan conference in San Francisco - Fintan Walton and Matt Gardner, President and CEO of BayBio, look back on 2007, beginning with Matt Gardner’s assessment of the biotech industry for the past year. Matt mentions the benchmarks that are used to quantify the state of the industry - which includes the status of the product pipelines of biotech companies. The interview moves on to discuss the key issues facing the biotech industry in light of the run-up to the 2008 US presidential elections. Matt talks about the major issues that one needs to be aware of with regard to the individual presidential candidates. These include their views on healthcare and on patent reform, and Matt says why he thinks the outcome of the patent reform debate is the most sensitive issue. The interview progresses towards examining the decline in venture funding of early-stage and seed companies - and how this may result in a future company ‘gap’. Personalised medicine, and its potential for eventually lowering the cost of healthcare is discussed. The interview concludes with Matt’s optimistic outlook for the industry.
About Matt Gardner
Matt Gardner is President and CEO of BayBio. Mr. Gardner oversees the company’s activities in advocacy, industry advancement, membership benefits and communications. He has contributed content to a broad range of publications, from biotechnology articles in Manufacturing Today and Helix International magazines, to white papers on enterprise development and innovation policy. Mr. Gardner previously held the position of Director of the Maryland Bioscience Alliance, in Rockville, Maryland. There, he was responsible for serving the Mid-Atlantic bioscience community. Before working for the Bioscience Alliance, he was the North American Director of Business Development for the Government of Queensland, Australia, which included responsibility for biotechnology initiatives. While serving Queensland, he founded and chaired of the Queensland-United States Bioscience Business Council. He was a member of the founding Global Board of Advisors for the Patent and License Exchange and was a charter member of the LA Morning Rotary Club serving downtown Los Angeles, California. Matt earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and his Master of Arts in History, both from the University of San Diego.
About BayBio
BayBio is Northern California's life sciences association, and supports the regional bioscience community through advocacy, enterprise support and the enhancement of research collaboration. BayBio members include organisations engaged in, or supportive of, research, development and commercialisation of life sciences technologies.
