BIO VentureForum East Conference Coming to Atlanta in May.

ATLANTA -- The Georgia Biomedical Partnership, in collaboration with 11 other state life science associations and BIOTECanada, is partnering with the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) to host BIO VentureForum East 2005 in Atlanta. The conference, to be held at the InterContinental Hotel-Buckhead, will bring together venture capitalists with promising, seed, early- and late-stage private biotechnology companies from across the country.

"Georgia is experiencing incredible growth in the life science and biotech industries," said Charles Craig, president of the Georgia Biomedical Partnership (GBP). "This conference is the ideal place for emerging companies to introduce themselves to the industry's most active and influential venture capitalists. We anticipate that many fruitful relationships will be forged at this conference. More life sciences companies and more life sciences venture capital firms will be in Atlanta than ever before."

The conference has attracted top-tier speakers. Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue will welcome conference participants to a plenary session on Tuesday, May 10, at 8:15 a.m. Also on Tuesday, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), will give the keynote luncheon address at 12 p.m.

BIO VentureForum East is the largest annual East Coast regional investor conference for venture stage biotechnology and healthcare firms. It features plenary sessions and workshops on financing and partnering trends in the biotechnology industry, networking receptions, and presentations by up to 120 biotech companies selected by an advisory board of equity capital leaders. Georgia companies selected to present include Alimera Sciences, Inc., Altea Therapeutics Corporation, AviGenics, Inc. and Femasys, Inc., GeneCure Biotechnologies, LLC, Guided Therapeutics, Inc. and Oncose, Inc.

In addition, AtheroGenics President and CEO Russell M. Medford, who is chair of the GBP, will moderate a roundtable session at the conference. Also participating as speakers are William Hawkins, president and chief operating officer, Medtronic, Inc., and a former member of the GBP board of directors; Philip Moise of Sutherland, Asbill & Brennan; Kris Ford, senior director of corporate strategy, UCB Pharma; John Richard of BioGrowth; Todd Sherer, assistant vice president of research and director of technology transfer, Emory University; and David Stern, CEO of CardioMems.

For more information about BIO VentureForum East or to register on-line, please visit http://bvf-east.bio.org/. Registration is complimentary for credentialed members of the news media. Advance registration is required for freelance journalists and web publications and is available online until May 2. Reporters and editors working full-time for print or broadcast news organizations may register onsite with valid media credentials.

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in 31 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products.