ATLANTA, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The 6th Annual Georgia Life Sciences Summit, Wednesday, October 4, will begin with a one-of-a-kind presentation featuring the first-ever Georgia Life Sciences Industry Analysis and a review of a statewide poll showing Georgia registered voters support embryonic stem cell research by a two-to-one margin.
Dr. Russell M. Medford, president and CEO of AtheroGenics and chair of the Georgia Biomedical Partnership (GBP), will kick-off the day-long conference at 8:30 am with the release of findings from the inaugural Georgia Life Sciences Industry Analysis 2006, titled Shaping Infinity. Dr. Medford’s presentation also will include a discussion of the findings of a statewide poll that shows a significant majority of Georgia registered voters supports embryonic stem cell research and therapeutic cloning.
The Summit will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center. Registration begins at 7:30 am. The conference will conclude with a Gala Reception from 5 pm to 7 pm at the Georgia Aquarium. This event will include a ceremony to kick off the countdown to the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s BIO 2009 International Conference in Atlanta. BIO President Jim Greenwood and Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Craig Lesser will join the GBP in celebrating the excitement of hosting what has become an annual world’s fair of life sciences technologies, attracting an estimated 25,000 bioscience professionals from more than 60 countries.
The Georgia Life Science Summit, showcasing the best companies and science in Georgia, has become the premier bioscience conference in the Southeast, attracting more than 750 bioscience professionals from across the nation, Europe, Canada and Asia-Pacific. An exhibit hall will house 60 companies and organizations displaying their latest technological advances. For complete program information and registration, go to www.gabio.org. After Friday, September 29, the deadline for online registration, attendees can register onsite.
More than 20 expert speakers will be featured during the Summit, organized under the leadership of Summit Chair Dr. Eric Tomlinson, President and CEO of Altea Therapeutics and GBP vice chair.
The Summit’s theme is the Future of Biomedicine, and headline speakers include:
* Dr. Fabrice Egros, President of Brussels-based UCB Inc, the fifth largest biopharmaceutical company in the world, with US headquarters in Smyrna, Ga. UCB’s US sales topped $1 billion in 2005. * William A. Hawkins, President and Chief Operating Officer of Minnesota- based Medtronic. Before joining Medtronic, an $11 billion a year medical technology company, he was President and CEO of Norcross, Ga.-based Novoste. * Dr. Raymond F. Schinazi, Emory University Professor of Pediatrics and Chemistry, Director of the Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology and Co-Director of Emory’s Center for AIDS Research. Dr. Schinazi is a pioneer in the discovery and development of breakthrough anti-HIV and anti-hepatitis B medicines.
The Summit also will feature a scientific forum with presentations by three distinguished Georgia-based scientists:
* Dr. Guy L. Reed, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and Kupperman Chair in Cardiovascular Disease at the Medical College of Georgia. Dr. Reed will explore functional genomics approaches to treating and preventing heart attacks and strokes. * Dr. Jeffrey Skolnick, a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and Director of the Center for the Study of Systems Biology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. Skolnick will examine the role of systems biology in the development of diagnostics and treatments for cancer. * Dr. Fred Tenover, Associate Director for Laboratory Science, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Tenover will analyze the emergence of a dangerous, drug- resistant breed of staph infection.
Registration for credentialed news media is complimentary. Reporters can register by contacting Maria Thacker at 404-920-2042 or maria.thacker@gabio.org.
Georgia Biomedical Partnership
The Georgia Biomedical Partnership (GBP), founded in 1989, represents more than 270 pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies, universities, research institutes, government groups and other bioscience- related businesses and non-profit organizations.
Georgia Biomedical Partnership
CONTACT: Charles Craig of Georgia Biomedical Partnership, +1-404-245-0591,or charles.craig@gabio.org
Web site: http://www.gabio.org//
