Minnesota Partnership to Present at BIO2008

Monday, June 16, 2008

Leaders from the Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics will highlight the list of Minnesota speakers at BIO2008, the international conference on biotechnology to be held at the San Diego Convention Center, June 17-20. Minnesota's theme for the conference is Positively Minnesota — A Culture of Innovation.

Eric Wieben, Ph.D., program director for the Partnership, will present "Medical Genomics — From Discovery to Medical Practice" in the Minnesota pavilion at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 18. Dr. Wieben, who also heads Mayo Clinic's Genomics Research Center, will explain how genomics has already begun to change the face of medicine and how it will drive the focus of medical therapies in the future.

The Minnesota Partnership is a principal innovator in bringing new discoveries to light, not only in genomics, but also in the broader area of biotechnology, bioinformatics and nanotechnology. The Partnership also helps shepherd those discoveries into the commercialization pipeline so they can be marketed widely for the benefit of all.

The Partnership is one of many biotech and bioscience companies and organizations representing Minnesota at BIO2008. In collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, LifeScience Alley, and the Minnesota BioBusiness Alliance, the Partnership is helping to support and coordinate the Minnesota theatre, one of several new additions to the pavilion this year. The theatre schedule includes 17 speakers over three days, showcasing leaders in biomedical research, medical devices, food technology, pharmaceuticals and biologics, and renewables.

The Minnesota Partnership for Biotechnology and Medical Genomics is a collaboration among the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic and the State of Minnesota. To learn more about the Partnership, go to www.minnesotapartnership.info.

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