BIO on the BAYOU 2023 showcased biotech in the Gulf South

Carolyn Scofield scofield@tulane.edu
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BIO on the BAYOU, the premier biotechnology conference for the broader Gulf South region, returned to New Orleans October 3rd & 4th 2023. The event spotlighted cutting-edge biotech advancements from universities and start-ups located in Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico.

Registration for the 2023 event included nearly 300 senior executives, investors, academics, and government officials, all coming together to advance the fields of bio and healthcare innovation.  In leveraging industry-standard partneringONE® software, attendees participated in over one hundred formal partnering meetings - with numerous other connections made outside the system.  These included representatives from Novo Nordisk, Osage University Partners, Nikon, Pepticom, and Lily Ventures, among others.

"I'm thrilled by the continued evolution and growth of this year's event," said James Zanewicz, JD, LLM, RTTP, Chief Business Officer for Tulane University School of Medicine. "One notable addition was recording several BIO from the BAYOU podcasts right on site, with amazing guests like Marc Malandro of CZI and Caitlyn Barrett of the Milken Institute."

Key highlights included 25 presentations from regional researchers on breakthrough technologies and advanced services, an additional 12 startups pitching their companies, and six interactive panels on topics including accelerating commercialization, working with investors, the intersection of AI and Healthcare, and a fireside chat with legendary ecosystem developer W. Mark Crowell.

Notable presenters included Dr. Monica Embers of Tulane University, who discussed a new diagnostic platform for improved Lyme disease testing, and Dr. Michael Dunham of LSU Health New Orleans, who described his novel tumor margin device.  Multiple academic startups also presented, including BioAesthetics, Chosen Diagnostics, Informuta, and PainVox.

"The success of this year's event proves the Gulf South region is poised to be a major hub for biotechnology innovation," said Elaine Hamm, PhD, Executive in Residence at Tulane University and CEO of Ascend BioVentures.

Planning is already underway for next year's conference to build on this year's momentum. Save the dates of October 29th and 30th, 2024, and check out videos from the 2022 and 2023 events on the BIO on the BAYOU YouTube page!