Annual State Bioscience Industry Conference to Focus on Global Trends.

MADISON, Wis. -- How Wisconsin's growing bioscience industry shapes and is shaped by global trends will be the focus of the industry's annual conference next week, the Wisconsin Biotechnology & Medical Device Association (WBMA) announced today.

The conference is being held on Thursday, Oct. 18, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Madison Area Technical College Truax Campus, 3550 Anderson St., Madison. Registration for the conference remains open, with registration information and material available at www.wisbiomed.org.

"The industry's 2007 conference underscores the WBMA's commitment to being both a catalyst for what is happening here in Wisconsin and a leader for the industry on the significant global trends that are being shaped by and, in turn, shape our companies," said James L. Leonhart, executive vice president of the WBMA.

Mr. Leonhart said the conference will provide attendees with exposure to a number of different models for the growth of bioscience companies and the industry in Wisconsin. These models include leveraging new partnerships, aggressively taking advantage of new ideas and market opportunities, and ensuring that the appropriate, leading-edge infrastructure is in place.

"A major theme of the conference will be the connection of the continuing maturation of Wisconsin's industry to health care and bioscience trends around the world," Mr. Leonhart said. "The conference has been designed to rouse an interesting dialogue not only about how the industry can grow, but also about where it can grow. It is a dialogue that the WBMA will continue to lead, even after the conference has concluded."

The conference will feature four discussion sessions. Details of the fifth, keynote session will be announced later this week.

* Partnerships for Growth, with TomoTherapy Chief Executive Fred Robertson and executives from Third Wave Technologies, GenTel BioSciences and EMD.

* Unique Paths to Success, with Rudy Potenzone, worldwide technology strategist (pharmaceuticals), Microsoft Corp, and director of the BioIT Alliance; and three national thought leaders on topics as diverse as in-licensing and negotiating the path through Washington, D.C.

* Infrastructure for Success, with Jim Scozzie, co-founder and senior vice president of the nationally-recognized business formation and funding initiative, BioEnterprise in Cleveland; and representatives of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), Madison Area Technical College and the UW-Madison School of Education.

* Emerging Opportunities, with William Clarke, chief executive of Madison-based Cellectar, and former chief technology officer and chief medical officer of GE Healthcare; and representatives of Covance Laboratories and Platypus Technologies.

State Revenue Secretary Roger Ervin will be the special guest and speaker at the conference's closing reception.

"We are excited about this year's conference because of the strong topics, world-class discussion participants and conference format, which will maximize the participation of our attendees in those important discussions," Mr. Leonhart said.