Polsinelli Shughart PC attorneys from the Life Sciences and Health Care practices took leading roles in two major regional life sciences symposia held in March 2010. The “Missouri Regional Life Sciences Summit” hosted by the University of Missouri System and “The Personalized Medicine, Law and Policy” program at Arizona State University focused on the strategic policy issues and the tactical developments in science, commercialization, and medicine that will provide the basis for the future growth of life sciences in these regional areas of influence for Polsinelli Shughart.
At the conclusion of the Arizona program there was consensus that personalized medicine will be part of the healthcare landscape. Science is ahead of law and regulation, and ethical and liability issues have a long way to go before there is consensus on how they are resolved. Participants agreed that resolution of issues will require a collaborative effort of all the professions represented at the conference.
Kansas City hosted the “Missouri Regional Life Sciences Summit,” March 8-9, under the direction of MU President Gary D. Forsee, Chancellor of the University of Missouri-Columbia Brady Deaton, and Chancellor of the University of Missouri – Kansas City Leo Morton.
Speakers included Governor Jay Nixon, Senators Christopher Bond and Clair McCaskill, and Chancellor Emeritus of Washington University, Dr. William H. Danforth who discussed many of the public policy, government funding, and scientific research challenges in implementing public-private partnerships to facilitate scientific innovation and commercialization.
Representatives of the J. Craig Venter Institute, the National Cancer Institute, research scientists and officers from more than 10 leading universities in the region, reviewed scientific developments and “best practices” in translating cutting-edge basic scientific research into new technologies and products that will benefit mankind.
“Polsinelli Shughart is pleased to have been a major sponsor and to have assisted in the planning for this summit,” said Sweeney.
Former Congressman Kenny Hulshof, Public Policy Regional Kansas City Director Pete Levi and Science and Technology Chair Patrick Woolley represented Polsinelli Shughart at many of the forums at the summit. Life Sciences Chair Kevin Sweeney spoke in a plenary panel discussion on “Building Innovative Corporate-Academic Partnerships: What is Needed?” and on “Jump Starting and Moving New Technologies to the Marketplace.”
On the same days, Polsinelli Shughart was a major sponsor of The Personalized Medicine, Law and Policy program organized by The Center for Law, Science & Innovation at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
This two-day conference brought together an international team of lawyers, bioethicists, physicians and research scientists for a multidisciplinary evaluation of critical issues at the intersection of law, science and policy as they impact our future ability to provide targeted and specialized medical diagnoses and treatments to each individual based on their own specific medical needs and genetic compositions.
Polsinelli Shughart Chair of Health Care Mary Beth Blake and Chicago Shareholder, Dr. Teddy Scott, joined Phoenix colleagues, Managing Partner Marty Harper and Greg Garcia, along with clients and guests at many of the forums during this conference.
If you have any questions about these events, please contact Kevin Sweeney, chair of the Life Science Group at Polsinelli Shughart at .
For more information about the Missouri Symposium, click here
For more information about the Arizona State program, click here