BIO 2004 to Highlight Newer "Green" Biotechnology

WASHINGTON (April 8, 2004) — The Biotechnology Industry Organization’s (BIO) annual convention, BIO 2004, to be held in San Francisco June 6-9, will bring together international experts to make presentations on a new type of biotechnology called industrial and environmental biotechnology. These experts will discuss how biotechnology can provide solutions to improve the quality of the environment, provide sustainable bioenergy sources and cleaner manufacturing processes.

BIO 2004 is the world's largest biotechnology gathering and will feature 23 tracks of programming, including sessions on policy, finance, business development, science and regulatory affairs. The convention will also host forums on bioethics, business development and global opportunities; 440,000 square feet of exhibit space; a series of receptions at San Francisco landmarks; and a BIO TV studio and media center, complete with two press conference rooms. For complete information and media registration, visit http://www.bio.org/events/2004/. Reporters are urged to register online as soon as possible.

A sample of key industrial and environmental biotechnology speakers includes Craig Venter, director of the Institute for Biological Energy Alternatives; Ari Patrinos, associate director at the U.S. Department of Energy; Michael Oborne, director of the International Futures Programme at the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD); scientists and researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; and Terry Hazen, head of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Key industrial and environmental biotechnology topics that will be highlighted at BIO 2004 include:

• Recent advancements in applying bioinformatics and genomics to clean hydrogen production and climate change issues.
• The application of "in-silico" technology to solve environmental contamination problems such as MTBE in groundwater.
• Using biotechnology to produce transportation fuel and green plastics.
• Biorefinery development for the conversion of agricultural biomass to renewable energy, plastic and chemicals.

BIO represents more than 1,000 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations in all 50 U.S. states and 33 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of health-care, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. For more information, please visit www.bio.org.