DURHAM – We’ve received two reports tracking venture capital activity in the second quarter, and both conclude that 2018 is shaping up as a very good year for life science companies. While the PwC-CB Insights Money Tree report and the PitchBook-National Venture Capital Association Venture Monitor study cite slightly different totals, both indicate that overall deal value this year could set a record, topping the $17 billion invested in the sector in 2017. Large rounds of more than $10 million are on the rise, and the number of deals was about evenly split between pharma and biotech vs. healthcare devices and supplies.

Want to know more about the trends behind these eye-popping numbers? Join us Thursday, August 2, for a full report from Silicon Valley Bank, one of the authors of the Venture Monitor report.  Ben Johnson, SVB’s national leader of the Early Stage Life Science Practice, will share the highlights and delve into the picture for the southeast at LaunchBio’s signature networking event at The Chesterfield in Durham, NC.

Here’s a preview:

SVB says we’re experiencing a renaissance in the life science sector, according to the Venture Monitor report – a time when we will soon be talking more about “cures” than about “treatments” for some indications, which can only be good for both patients and companies. Come check out the presentation by registering for Larger Than Life Science.

Following the report on the state of the industry, we’ll hear entrepreneurs and investors talk about how deals are coming together during this go-go time.  We’ll soon announce details, including participation by investors from AbbVie and LabCorp.

Companies like BioLabs North Carolina resident StrideBio, which recently pocketed $15.7 million in venture funding, are developing technologies in genome editing. That field got a boost from the Human Genome Project, a massive international collaborative research project that ran from 1990-2003, which successfully completed a map of all the genes in the human body.

Misha Angrist was among the pioneers who had his entire genome sequenced in 2005, which helped launch the research field of personalized medicine. Angrist, now an associate professor at Duke University and editor-in-chief of Genome, will share his unique perspective on consumer genomics companies such as Ancestry.com and 23andMe, and what we collectively plan to do with all that information. He’ll be interviewed at Larger Than Life Science by Russ Campbell of Burroughs Wellcome Fund.

Think your genes are something special? Grab a test strip to find out if you are a “super taster” or whether you were born to hate cilantro. Duke’s Outreach in Genetics and Genomics volunteers will be on hand to explain your results. Afterward, you can delight your taste buds with a great-tasting beer or flavored sparkling water from Durty Bull Brewing Company. All of it’s free.

Note: LaunchBio is a partner of WRAL TechWire.

(C) LaunchBio