35 Biotech Companies To Present New Technologies & Products for Homeland Security

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 22, 2002) - The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is hosting an event that will link biotech companies with biodefense procurement officials and program managers from the Department of Defense and the National Institutes of Health. The BIO-Defense and Homeland Security Procurement Conference and Expo will be held on April 30 at the Doubletree Hotel Crystal City in Arlington, Va. Online registration and a complete agenda are available at www.bio.org.

“The biotech industry has the experience and R&D infrastructure to make a substantial contribution to national defense against biological and other attacks,” said BIO President Carl B. Feldbaum. “This conference will bring biotechnology applications for national defense to the attention of key federal program managers and help small, innovative biotech companies navigate the federal procurement system.”

Thirty-five biotech companies have been selected from a pool of close to 70 applicants to present cutting-edge technologies to Defense Department and Health and Human Services officials. Presentations will cover research topics including chemical and biological pathogen detection systems, vaccine and human antibody development, recombinant human blood clotting proteins, new injection devices, integrated drug discovery, improving vaccine production, treatments for anthrax and smallpox, and enzyme decontamination systems.

The companies chosen to present are Abgenix, Albany Molecular Research, Alexion Antibody Technologies, AltaGen Bioscience, AniGenics Inc., Aradigm Corporation, Xenerex Bioscience (a subsidiary of Avanir Pharmaceuticals), AVANT Immunotherapeutics Inc., Bavarian Nordic, BioCatalytics Inc., Biopure Corporation, Biotherapies Inc., Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research (CAMR), Cepheid, Cyrano Sciences Inc., Dow Chemical Company, EluSys Therapeutics, Felton International Inc., Genencor International, GenVec Inc., HandyLab Inc., Hemodyne Inc., Iomai Corporation, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, MaxCyte, Maxygen, Nanogen Inc., Novozymes A/S, Nucleonics Inc., Origen Therapeutics, ProdiGene Inc., Protein Sciences Corporation, Regenesis, Response Biomedical Corporation, Sention Inc., and Structural Bioinformatics Inc.

The conference includes an exhibition hall featuring more than 30 companies involved in bio-defense or public health protection including Agilent Technologies, Aradigm Corporation, Biopure Corporation, Cargill Dow LLC, Commonwealth Biotechnologies Inc., Genencor International, Heller Ehrman, Idaho Technology Inc., IOMAI Corporation, i2i Corporation, MaxCyte, National Institutes of Health, Novozymes A/S, Protein Sciences Corporation, Pyrosequencing Inc., Response Biomedical Corporation, Sceptor Industries Inc., Strategic Diagnostics Inc., Syrano Sciences, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U.S. Genomics, and V.F. Warner & Associates.

Press registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the news media. Registration and the complete schedule of events can be found at www.bio.org. Contact Carrie Housman at (202) 962-9200 or chousman@bio.org with any press registration questions.

BIO represents more than 1,000 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states and 33 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.

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