WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifteen companies have been selected to present before an audience of venture capitalists and industry professionals at 2006 Mid-Atlantic Bio: The Conference for Industry and Investors. The company investment presentations are a unique component of the premier annual gathering of the mid-Atlantic region's entire bioscience community, which also features a variety of sessions on business, policy and scientific topics. The conference will take place October 10-11 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.
The majority of companies selected are from the hosting states of Maryland and Virginia, with the balance coming from other leading biotech states in the mid-Atlantic, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Selected companies represent a cross-section of industry sectors, with most coming from the pharmaceutical sector and the remainder focused on the diagnostics, devices and healthcare services categories.
"Our objective was to select the most fundable companies in the life sciences space that are reflective of the current interests of investors," said Bill Gust, Managing General Partner of Anthem Capital Management who co-chaired the Selection Committee with Don Rainey, Partner with Intersouth Partners. "The slate of presenting companies chosen for the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Bio conference provides a glimpse into the robust entrepreneurial environment of the mid-Atlantic biotech region."
"The diversity of the selected companies' investment stage and sectors, as well as the more seasoned management teams with compelling science, intellectual property and technologies speak to the growth of this industry in the mid-Atlantic region," said Bob Eaton, President of MdBio. "We are pleased with the quality and strength of the companies that were chosen by our investor-driven selection committee."
The selection process and the overall investor portion of the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Bio conference were bolstered by the strong leadership and participation of veteran venture capital firms including: A.M. Pappas, Anthem Capital, The Carlyle Group, CIT Gap Fund, H.I.G Ventures, Intersouth Partners, Maryland Venture Fund, New Enterprise Associates, Quaker BioVentures, Red Abbey Ventures, Tall Oaks Capital and Toucan Capital Corp.
The companies selected to present at 2006 Mid-Atlantic Bio are: * ACell, Inc. (Jessup, MD) * Adenosine Therapeutics (Charlottesville, VA) * ALIGN Pharmaceuticals (Cary, NC) * Capricor, Inc. (Lutherville, MD) * Correlogic Systems, Inc. (Rockville, MD) * Immune Control Inc. (W. Conshohocken, PA) * ION Healthcare (Midlothian, VA) * Jenken Biosciences, Inc (Research Triangle Park, NC) * Lentigen Corporation (Baltimore, MD) * MaxCyte, Inc. Gaithersburg, MD * Neotropix, Inc. (Malvern, PA) * PluroGen Therapeutics, Inc. (Charlottesville, VA) * StageMark, Inc. (Pittsburgh, PA) * Traxion Therapeutics Inc. (Baltimore, MD) * Vital Sensors Inc. (Richmond, VA)
The conference is a jointly-hosted regional event for the bioscience industry and the investor community, combining components of a regional industry convention and investor conference under one roof dedicated to promoting the growth of biotechnology in the mid-Atlantic region. Mid-Atlantic Bio is hosted by the region's most influential bioscience and investor associations: The Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO) and MdBio.
As part of the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Bio program, executives from presenting companies are participating in several pre-conference programs, including a networking event and a one-day boot camp session to help prepare for the formal presentations before investors. This effort by the organizers was made to encourage collaboration beyond the one-day presentation.
Event information, registration, presentation, and sponsorship opportunities are available at http://www.midatlanticbio.org.
About Mid-Atlantic Bio
Mid-Atlantic Bio is the only industry and investor conference and exhibition dedicated to promoting the growth of biotechnology in the region. The Conference is collectively sponsored by the mid-Atlantic's most influential bioscience and investor associations, MdBio, the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO). The initiative benefits from broad regional support, including the investor and greater business communities, academic institutions, government agencies, and partnered regional associations. The conference provides the platform for conducting business, and building broad alliances with key organizations and audiences sharing a common interest in the long-term growth and stability of biotechnology in the mid-Atlantic. For more information, please visit http://www.midatlanticbio.org
Mid-Atlantic Venture AssociationCONTACT: Stacey Sweeney, +1-571-228-2249, stacey@staceysweeney.com; AliciaMoran, +1-410-991-7027, alicia@brightlinemedia.com, both for Mid- AtlanticVenture Association
