Early-bird registration has opened for Innovation Louisiana 2014, a conference on life science technology commercialization. Join us for a series of intensive workshops, seminars, and keynote speeches on various issues that high-growth startups face, from finding venture capital and grant funding to navigating regulatory pathways during product development.

The week will also feature the 3rd Annual BioChallenge. In this business pitch competition, Louisiana life science startups will compete in front of a panel of investors and industry experts for a chance to win cash and services prize packages worth over $25,000.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. James R. Baker, Jr.
Director, Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and Biological Sciences
Dr. Baker is an allergist and immunologist by training and has over 25 years experience in basic biologic research, concentrating in immunology and host defense. His long-standing research in immunology has helped define the basis of several autoimmune diseases. He has become an internationally recognized expert in nanotechnology, nanomolecular materials in biomedical applications, and the emerging field of nanomedicine. Dr. Baker has founded two Michigan start-up biotechnology companies, NanoBio Corporation and Avidimer Therapeutics, and he ran the global vaccine program at Merck for several years. He currently serves as Director of the Michigan Nanotechnology Institute for Medicine and the Biological Sciences, which is working to merge academic expertise and institutional resources across the university to develop and market applications for nanotechnology in medicine, the biological sciences, and the environment. Click here to read his full bio.

July 25, 2014 – Read more at The Times-Picayune/Nola.com