|
For immediate Release
August 26, 2004
2004 Virginia Biotechnology Summit opens Oct. 12
Richmond, Va. – The deadline quickly is approaching to register for the 2004 Virginia Biotechnology Summit, Oct. 12 – 13, at the McLean Hilton in Tyson’s Corner. This event features some of the biggest organizations in biotechnology and biomedical research.
The summit opens on Oct. 12, with Steen Riisgaard, the CEO of Copenhagen-based Novozymes A/S, the world leader in industrial enzymes and microorganisms. With about 3,900 employees in 30 countries, the company is the dominant player in the sale of industrial enzymes and microorganisms in the world today, with a global market share of more than 40 percent in both markets. With very few exceptions, Novozymes has been behind every major discovery in the field in the last 40 years.
Also featured will be leaders from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, two of the largest private biomedical research institutes in the world. These institutes will give presentations about their new multimillion dollar scientific campuses.
“Last year more than 550 scientists, entrepreneurs and industry professionals participated in the event, making it one of our most successful programs ever,” said Mark Herzog, executive director of the Virginia Biotechnology Association, which is headquartered at the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park. “Considering the program we have lined up, this year will be an exciting opportunity for our attendees to network with colleagues from Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and a number of foreign countries.”
The Tuesday-afternoon program also will feature the 2004 Virginia Bioscience Investors’ Forum. During the forum, an all-star panel of bioscience-focused venture capitalists and strategic investors will critique presentations made by start-up biotechnology companies and provide feedback and suggestions for the companies as well as conference attendees.
Concurrent sessions cover topics such as bioinformatics, drug discovery, the FDA approval process, systems biology, patent law, bio-defense, bioethics and venture capital formation.
The event concludes on Wednesday, Oct. 13, with a plenary luncheon address by Dr. Bert Adelman, EVP of Biogen-Idec. His presentation will provide an inside view of the recent $6.4 billion merger of two of the world’s largest biotechnology firms and the outlook for the bioscience industry in 2005.
Biogen-Idec Inc. is now the third-largest biotechnology firm in the United States, expects to invest over $550 million per year in research and development, and has 1,000 R&D employees, including approximately 400 in discovery research.
Individuals can register for the event online at http://www.vabio.org/events.
Contact:
Nicky Colomb
Virginia BioTechnology Research Park
Phone: (804) 828-6884
E-mail: ncolomb@vabiotech.com
Web site: http://www.vabiotech.com
|
