Brain Technology 2013! - Save the date

The hype around brain technologies creates exciting business opportunities.
Israel, as a leading player in brain research, can leverage its unique accumulated knowledge and expertise and obtain a major role in this field.
Join us to learn about new trends in brain research, interesting interaction between science and business and large scale funding opportunities from US, Israel and beyond.

Agenda:

15:30 –16:00: Networking & Refreshments

16:00 –16:10: Welcome and OCS updates - Mrs. Yuval Ratsabi

16:10 – 16:40: The Israel Brain Technologies - Dr. Rafi Gidron, Founder and chairman, IBT

16:40 –17:00: From Innovation to Products - Essential aspects in building collaboration with global and local companies - Dr. Einat Zisman, Chief Executive Officer, Hadasit Medical Research Services and Development

17:00 – 17:25: Federal Funding (NIH/DoD) for Neuroscience R&D - Mr. Ayal Ronen, Vice President, FreeMind Group

17:25 – 18:00: Intermission

18:00 – 18:30:Mutual Learning of Brain and Machine in "Brain Machine Interface"- Prof. Eilon Vaadia, Director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Science

18:30– 18:55: Picking an Investor’s Brain regarding Financing - Mrs. Anat Naschitz, Managing Director of OrbiMed

18:55 – 19:20: Neuroscience and Brain studies - Prof. Ilana Gozes, Director of the Adams Super Center for Brain Studies

Please Note: the session will be held in HEBREW

About the Speakers

Dr. Rafi Gidron, Founder and Chairman, Israel Brain Technologies

Dr. Rafi Gidron is an entrepreneur who founded and managed technology companies in multiple disciplines including fields such as telecommunications, nanotechnology, neurotechnology and cleantech. Most notably, Gidron was involved in one of the most successful exits in Israel’s hi-tech industry: the acquisition of Chromatis Networks by Lucent in 2000.

Gidron serves as the founder and chairman of Israel Brain Technologies. He’s also an active angel investor in various technology startups.

Gidron holds a BSc from Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. from Columbia University, where he also served as an associate director of NSF’s Center for Telecommunications Research.

Dr. Einat Zisman, Chief Executive Officer, Hadasit Medical Research Services and Development

Dr. Einat Zisman is the CEO of Hadasit Medical Research Services & Development Ltd., the technology transfer company and commercial arm of Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem, Israel. Prior to joining Hadasit, Dr. Zisman served as the Chief Business Officer of Yeda, the technology transfer arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Dr. Zisman also served at a range of senior positions in the Israeli bio-tech industry, among them managing projects, managing research and overall development and promotion of projects that originated in the academia.

Dr. Zisman holds an MBA from the Marshall Business School, University of Southern California, USA, a PhD in Immunology from the Weizmann Institute of Science and a B.Pharm degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Dr. Zisman's expertise is in building value via licensing, partnering, initiating start-ups, financing and marketing of early stage intellectual property.

Mr. Ayal Ronen, Vice President, FreeMind Group

Mr. Ayal Ronen is the Vice President of the FreeMind Group. Prior to assuming this position, he was a leading figure in FreeMind's professional department, managing complex projects for many of FMG's clients and in diverse scientific fields. During this time he was personally involved in submitting numerous grants utilizing the full spectrum of NIH mechanisms, thus gaining valuable non-dilutive funding expertise, both from a strategic vantage point and a hands-on approach. He holds an M.Sc. in Neurobiology from the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he was awarded the Dean’s prize for excellence based on scientific and academic merit, and an MBA from Recannati School of Business, Tel Aviv University.

Mrs. Anat Naschitz, Managing Director of OrbiMed

Anat Naschitz, Managing Director at OrbiMed, has over 18 years of international healthcare operational and investment experience. OrbiMed Advisors LLC is a leading healthcare investment firm, with approximately $7 billion in assets under management. OrbiMed invests globally out of five offices – New York, Tel Aviv, San Francisco, Shanghai and Mumbai – in private and public companies across stages, through a series of funds. OrbiMed Israel has $222 million in committed capital. Prior to OrbiMed, Anat spent seven years with McKinsey & Company in London, where she was an Associate Partner, managing strategy, M&A and marketing projects for senior leadership of the world’s preeminent pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Anat led the work which catalyzed pharmaceutical spinouts, resulting in the creation of two European biotech companies, which subsequently had IPOs for over $1 billion. Anat then joined Apax Partners, where she focused on life sciences investments. Subsequently, Anat worked with investors and companies on transactions and corporate strategy and served as a director/advisor to the boards of multiple medical device, biopharmaceutical and health IT companies. She earned her MBA at INSEAD and her LLB at Tel Aviv University.

Prof. Eilon Vaadia, Director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Science (ELSC) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Vaadia is a member of the Institute for Medical Research Israel- Canada (IMRIC) at the Faculty of Medicine. He was among the founders the University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Neural Computation (ICNC) in 1982. He was selected as the Jack H. Skirball Chair in Brain Research in 2005, and since 2009 he is the founding academic director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences. His research aims at understanding of the brain computation involved in sensorimotor learning and neuronal computation in the brain. In recent years his team studies adaptive computer “brain machine interfaces” that can “read” the brain intention from the electrical signal of the brain cells, modify the signals when the brain malfunctions, and control artificial devices by the brain signals. This work is motivated by the deep conviction that only true understanding of the mechanisms of the brain will lead humanity to find cleaver, innovative solutions to cure brain injuries, neuro-degeneration, and psychiatric disorders for the young and old.

Prof. Illana Gozes, Director of the Adams Super Center for Brain Studies

Prof. Gozes has extensive experience in the neuroscience field. With over 20 years in brain research she has filled many influential positions. Some of her more recent academic positions include: Head of the Unit of Clinical Biochemistry, Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine; Head of the Dr. Diana and Zelman Elton (Elbaum) Laboratory for Molecular Neuroendocrinology and Scientific Officer and the Director at Allon Therapeutics Inc. (http://www.brain.tau.ac.il/www.allontherapeutics.com) Professor Gozes received a B.Sc. from Tel Aviv University, a Ph.D. from The Weizmann Institute of Science, was a Haim Weizmann Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT and a Research Associate and Visiting Scientist at the Salk Institute and the Scripps.