Comprehensive Program will Provide an Essential Guide to all Aspects of Biopartnering; Program details confirmed for BioPartnering North America.

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- The complete program for the 3rd Annual BioPartnering North America (BPN) conference has now been announced. Delegates at this year's conference will be able to listen to discussions and debates on a diverse range of topics ranging from a review of biotech and the outlook for 2005, to the subject of demystifying patent and business law and cross border issues on the life science sector.

The opening session of the conference will be the Keynote Address entitled, "Biotech 2005 - Biotech Industry Review & Outlook." Mr. G. Steven Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company and one of the pre-eminent thought leaders in biotechnology, will deliver this worldwide state of the industry review. Attendance at this session will be vital to all those involved in the biotech industry as it will cover where the industry is at present, how the industry has changed over the last year and where the industry is heading. Mr. Burrill will give his review of current technology - strategic drivers of change, hot new areas and implications for 2005, the financing environment and expectations for the capital markets, an overview of M&A and strategic partnering, and key issues / opportunities / predictions for 2005.

The first of the BioPartnering Leadership sessions will pick up on one of the themes of the Keynote Address, that of strategic partnerships in biotechnology. Mr. James D. Watson, Managing Director, Merchant Banking Practice Head, Burrill & Company will chair this session. In today's increasingly competitive partnering market, it is vital that all parties involved in this arena are fully aware of the major issues and opportunities and the prospects for the future. In this session, the audience will hear from Dr. Klaus Wilgenbus, Head Corporate Division Licensing, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Mr. William Newell, Senior Vice President, Chief Business Officer, QLT Inc., Mr. Clifford Stocks, Vice President Business Development, ICOS Corporation and Dr. Jeremy Levin, Global Head of Strategic Alliances, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research.

BPN's conference program will go on to cover deal making, patent issues, spin-outs, alternatives to partnering and raising capital in North America. The final day will be rounded off by a session that focuses on the heart of many biotech spin-out companies- academia.

The fifth and final BioPartnering Leadership Session is entitled, "Technology, the Essential Food for the Biotech Appetite: the Role of Academic Institutions in the Foodchain."

The panel for this session will be chaired by Dr. Caroline Bruce, Associate Director-International Business Development, UBC University - Industry Liaison Office. "BPN is one of the best international meetings for business in the biotechnology arena," says Dr. Bruce. "The Canadian biotechnology market is one of the fastest growing in the global arena; largely due to great science, excellent research funding, and both Provincial and Federal governments that realize the potential of this industry for the future of Canada and are highly supportive of the commercialization of technology from academic institutions. I am delighted to chair a session, my first at BPN, which will examine the important role of technology transfer from academia to maintain a growing and "healthy" biotech industry in North America, now and in the future, both for existing companies as well as the creation of new spin off companies."

During this session the panel will review the role played by academia in developing IP leading to spin-offs in North America. They will discuss the importance of collaborations in developing the technologies further at the bench with the biotech and pharma partners.

BPN will also feature all the hallmarks of previous BioPartnering conferences, with the Open House presentations, Emerging Company presentations, sponsor workshops and numerous networking opportunities.

The Open House presentations are a key feature of BioPartnering North America and its sister conference, BioPartnering Europe (www.techvision.com/bpe/). The Open House format allows biopharmaceutical and diagnostics companies to give interactive presentations in specially constructed booths. Presenting companies are available during a 2-hour period for informal discussions with business development executives. A great benefit of the Open House is that delegates are able to ask the presenters detailed questions, and sessions are lively and interactive.

"The Open House sessions at the BioPartnering conferences are a refreshing way to showcase our company's technology. We find these extremely helpful in making new contacts. We are very excited to be unveiling our breath-actuated single use disposable device in North America and believe BPN is the perfect environment to make potential collaborators aware of our unique technology," commented Helena Kyttari Djupesland, CEO of Norwegian company OptiNose AS, which is one of this year's Open House presenting companies.

BPN will take place in Vancouver, B.C., Canada at the Westin Bayshore Resort & Marina on February 6-8, 2005. Full conference details are available online at www.techvision.com/bpn/.

Conference Producer:

Technology Vision Group LLC 

Conference Hosts:

BC Biotech, BIOTECanada, and BioAlberta

Conference Sponsors:

Alberta Innovation and Science, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, BC Innovation Council, BioWa Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Burrill & Company, Cooley Godward LLP, Dorsey & Whitney, Farris, Genome British Columbia, Gowlings, Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO), JPMorgan Partners, Leading Edge British Columbia, Merck, Morrison & Foerster, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., OMRIX biopharmaceuticals, Pfizer, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, QLT Inc., Quintiles Transnational Corp., RBC Financial Group, Roche, Seed I.P. Law Group PLLC, Simon Fraser University, UK Science & Technology Network, UBC University - Industry Liaison Office & Sauder School of Business, Vancouver Economic Development Commission, and Western Economic Diversification Canada.

Conference Supporters:

Biotechnology Focus, BioWorld Today, CCNMatthews, Contact Canada(R), De Facto Communications plc, International Trade Canada, and U.S. Commercial Service.

To view a list of presenting companies, visit: www.techvision.com/bpn/participants/