Georgia Life Sciences Summit Sets Record for Attendance

Business Wire, Oct 5, 2007

ATLANTA -- The 7th Annual Georgia Life Sciences Summit achieved another milestone, setting records for attendance and program excellence.

More than 750 professionals attended the October 3 Summit at the Georgia World Congress Center and a record 60 companies exhibited. More than 100 scientists participated in the poster competition from universities and companies throughout the state. Five winners were selected and each received a $500 prize. Graduate school students from Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology also made business plan presentations for start-up companies they founded.

The 2007 Summit, whose theme was Growing Georgia's Bioeconomy, featured more than 40 speakers exploring trends and issues in biomedicine, medical devices, agricultural biotechnology, food nutrition and biofuels.

Keynote speakers were Rhona Applebaum, Ph.D., Chief Regulatory Officer at The Coca-Cola Company; David Mott, President and CEO of MedImmune; Russell Medford, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of AtheroGenics and GBP Chair; and Gerald Steiner, Executive Vice President, Commercial Acceptance, Monsanto.

Panel discussions focused on global healthcare, medical devices, emerging life sciences companies, pharma-biotech partnering, plant and animal biotechnology and biofuels. The afternoon science program highlighted advances in cancer research.

The Summit also featured the release of Shaping Infinity, The Georgia Life Sciences Industry Analysis 2007. The 44-page report was produced by the University of Georgia's Selig Center for Economic Growth in cooperation with Georgia Bio. Among the findings is that the number of life sciences establishments in Georgia increased by an impressive 38.3 percent between 2001 and 2006, compared to a 13.8 percent average growth rate for all other industry sectors. The report is posted on GaBio's website at www.gabio.org. Printed copies are available free of charge by contacting GaBio's Maria Thacker: maria.thacker@gabio.org; 404-920-2042.

Winners of the poster competition were:

Vladimir Belozerov of Emory University School of Medicine: A Novel HIF Inhibitor Blocks Glioma Growth Through a Non-canonical Modulation of the Hsp90 Pathway

Sarah Cork of Emory University: Furin-Mediated Cleavage of Brain Angiogenesis Inhibitor 1 (BAI1) Produces Vasculostatin-40, a Novel Secreted Anti-angiogenic Molecule

Heather Bara of Georgia Institute of Technology: Tissue Engineering a Pancreatic Substitute Based on Recombinant Enteroendocrine Cells

Christopher Thompson of Georgia Institute of Technology: Peptide Toxins Active Against Chloride Channels: A New Field Emerging

Richard Carpenedo of Georgia Institute of Technology: Microsphere-Mediated Delivery of Retinoic Acid to Embryoid Bodies Alters Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation

About Georgia Bio

Georgia Bio is a private, non-profit organization whose members include 290 companies, universities, research institutes, government groups and other business organizations involved in the research and development of life sciences products to improve healthcare, agriculture, bioenergy and industrial production, environmental management and biodefense.