Amersham Pharmacia Biotech Sponsors The 1999 Genome Tri-Conference In San Francisco.

BOSTON--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 19, 1999--Cambridge Healthtech Institute has announced that the major corporate sponsor of its 1999 Genome Tri-Conference will be Amersham Pharmacia Biotech. Cited by many professionals as the "must attend" event of the year, the Genome Tri-Conference will be held for the second consecutive year in San Francisco, from February 27 to March 5, at the Fairmont Hotel.

The Genome Tri-Conference focuses on advances and key issues related to the Human Genome Project, particularly from the perspective of therapeutic drug development. It consists of three separate meetings: Genomic Partnering: Emerging and Early-Stage Companies; Human Genome Project: Commercial Implications; and Gene Functional Analysis. The deadline for advance registration for the conference is Friday, January 22, 1999.

Amersham Pharmacia Biotech is a global leader in innovative, enabling technologies and is working in partnership with industry and academia to advance genomic research. One of its key products is the MegaBACE 1000 DNA sequencer, the world's leading technology in high throughput sequencing which is now helping to accelerate the Human Genome Project. The MegaBACE technology was developed and continues to be researched at the company's central genomics research and development center based in Sunnyvale, California.

"We are proud to be the principal corporate sponsor of the 1999 Genome Tri-Conference," said Dr. David L. Barker, Chief Science Advisor at Amersham Pharmacia Biotech. "The Tri-Conference is a major international event, drawing together the scientific community and developers of genetic discovery technology to discuss new trends and advances in the field."

Dr. Barker is also a featured speaker at the "Human Genome Project: Commercial Implications" section of the conference.

Attendance at this year's Genome Tri-Conference is estimated to surpass last year's record of nearly 1,000 people. With more than 100 presentations and 35 exhibitors, business and research experts will have a unique opportunity to network with colleagues and preview the latest developments in the field of genomics. Strong international participation in the meeting is expected, including leading academic researchers, emerging company CEOs and pharmaceutical researchers and developers. Academic attendance is historically substantial, reflecting the importance of commercial collaborations for funding academic research in this field.

"One of the reasons this event has proven to be so popular," said Phillips Kuhl, President of Cambridge Healthtech Institute, "is that we have placed a real emphasis on not just the science and research of genomics, but on the applied aspects of it."

Cambridge Healthtech Institute is a leading provider of conferences in the biomedical and related fields, with more than 50 programs to be held in the coming year, in the U.S., Europe and Japan. Beginning in February, CHI's newest division, Publications, will begin providing analytical reports covering developments in genomics and drug development. More information about the Genome Tri-Conference is available via the Internet at www.healthtech.com/conferences/ or by calling CHI at [phone].

Amersham Pharmacia Biotech provides scientific services and tools which help researchers to discover and produce new drugs and therapies, faster and more cost-effectively. The company's systems are used to sequence DNA, uncover the function of genes and proteins, separate biomolecules and screen potential drugs. The people who use its products are working in international pharmaceutical, genetic and biotech companies and leading research centers.