The majority of companies selected are from the host states of Maryland and Virginia, with others coming from additional leading biotech states in the mid-Atlantic – Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Selected in a competitive process, this year’s companies represent a cross-section of industry sectors, with most coming from the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical sector and the remainder focused on drug development and discovery, devices, and vaccines. The companies, at various stages of development, range from seed and early stages to later stage growth.

“Our goal was to select some of the most fundable healthcare investment opportunities in the market and we are proud that our rigorous selection process has identified these 15 quality presenting companies for our 2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference,” said Julia Spicer, Executive Director of MAVA and Host Committee Member. “With the leadership of Amita Shukla, NEA and Sinclair Dunlop, MASA Life Science Ventures, coupled with the committee of investors that are working to produce this event, we are presenting a line-up of companies from a cross-section of sectors and various stages of development that will add to the incredibly strong programming already scheduled for this year’s 2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio.”

The companies selected to present at 2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio are:

• Alba Therapeutics Corporation (Baltimore, MD)
• CoGenesys, Inc. (Rockville, MD)
• Diffusion Pharmaceuticals LLC (Charlottesville, VA)
• Elusys Therapeutics, Inc. (Pine Brook, NJ)
• Envisionier Medical Technologies, Inc. (Rockville, MD)
• GlycoMimetics, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD)
• Immune Control Inc. (West Conshohocken, PA)
• Innovative Biosensors, Inc. (Rockville, MD)
• Intrexon Corporation (Blacksburg, VA)
• Neotropix Inc (Malvern, PA)
• Nucleonics, Inc. (Horsham, PA)
• Panacea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Gaithersburg, MD)
• Sequoia Pharmaceuticals (Gaithersburg, MD)
• SMART Biosciences (Philadelphia, PA)
• VaxInnate (Cranbury, NJ)

As part of the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio program, executives from presenting companies are participating in several pre-conference programs, including a networking event and half-day boot camp session to help prepare for the formal presentations before investors and industry attendees.

About Mid-Atlantic Bio

Mid-Atlantic Bio is the only regional event to combine components of an industry convention and investor conference under one roof. Co-hosted by MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland, 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 event aims to bring together a critical mass of public and private stakeholders, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical senior executives, scientists and researchers, academia, policy makers, legislators, and venture capitalists to provide a premiere Mid-Atlantic networking and business development forum, leverage the region’s world-renowned R&D resources and opportunities, and favorably position the region’s biotechnology industry in terms of its collective strengths, resources and competencies among key constituencies. For more on the Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference, complete program agenda and speaker information, as well as registration information, please visit www.MidAtlanticBio.org.

About MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland

MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland is a private non-profit trade association with a mission to promote the growth and quality of the life sciences and technology communities in Maryland and the region. For more information, please visit www.techcouncilmd.com.

About MAVA

Founded in 1986, MAVA represents the collective interests of venture capitalists investing in the mid-Atlantic, including more than 500+ venture professionals, at 125 firms, with more than $90 Billion in capital under management. For more information, please visit www.mava.org.

About VaBIO

VaBIO, the Virginia Biotechnology Association, is the 200-member statewide trade group that promotes the considerable scientific and economic impact of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. For more information, visit www.vabio.org.

Dedicated to promoting the growth of biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic region, the conference is collectively sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic’s most influential bioscience and investor associations, MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO). Mr. Greenwood will join a world-class lineup of keynote speakers, including Nobel Laureate Dr. Thomas Cech, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, David Brennan, CEO of AstraZeneca, and James Mullen, Chairman and CEO of Biogen Idec. James Greenwood is scheduled to speak on Thursday morning, October 25th. On Friday, October 26th, Thomas Cech, David Brennan and James Mullen will deliver plenary and closing luncheon addresses. In addition to keynote addresses, 2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio’s panel discussions will explore topics such as:

• What’s hot and what’s not in medical devicesV
• Recent advances in science, translation into product development and definition of specific regulatory requirements for clinical assessment
• Cases, decisions, and legislation which may affect bioscience moving forward
• Some of the recent advances and opportunities in biodefense and pandemic research
• Recent M&A activity and lessons learned from recent transactions in the mid-Atlantic region
• Biotech strategies that combat climate change and positively impact the Earth
• Innovative business models, IP, and strategies for commercializing biomarker research
• Trends in regulations across federal agencies

See www.MidAtlanticBio.org for a complete program agenda.

A sampling of featured panelists and speakers include such notable figures in bioscience as:

• Mario Brossi, Senior Representative for North America, Swiss Foreign Investment Agency
• Daryl Falkner, CEO, Digene
• Paul Fisher, President and CEO, Genvec
• Russ Gantt, Vice President of Deal Management, AstraZeneca
• Scott Gottlieb, Former Deputy Commissioner, FDA
• Carole Heilman, Director of the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NIAID
• Lorence Kim, Co-Head of Biotech Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs
• Michael Kurilla, Director, Office of Biodefense Research Affairs
• Dr. Linda Magee, Director, Bionow, Warrington, UK
• Jeffrey Matsuura, Technology Partnering Officer, Embassy of Canada
• Randy Mills, President & CEO, Osiris
• David Mott, CEO and President, MedImmune
• Robert Power, Vice President, Global Corporate Client Group, New York Stock Exchange Euronext
• Jeanne Riley, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, ATCC
• Andrew Thompson, CEO, Proteus Biomedical, Inc.
• Sudhir Srivastava, Chief of the Cancer Biomarker Research Group at NCI’s Early Detection Research Network 2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio will also host some of the areas most influential venture funds, who will offer advice on how to present to investors for funding, discuss differential product development costs here and abroad, and strategies for emerging companies and CEOs.

Venture funds participating in 2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio include:

• Anthem Capital
• CIT Gap Fund
• Harbert Venture Partners
• H.I.G. Ventures
• Intersouth Partners
• New Enterprise Associates
• Oxford Finance Corporation
• The Carlyle Group

About Mid-Atlantic Bio

Mid-Atlantic Bio is the only regional event to combine components of an industry convention and investor conference under one roof. Co-hosted by MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland, 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 event aims to bring together a critical mass of public and private stakeholders, including biotechnology and pharmaceutical senior executives, scientists and researchers, academia, policy makers, legislators, and venture capitalists to provide a premiere Mid-Atlantic networking and business development forum, leverage the region’s world-renowned R&D resources and opportunities, and favorably position the region’s biotechnology industry in terms of its collective strengths, resources and competencies among key constituencies. For more on the Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference, complete program agenda and speaker information, as well as registration information, please visit www.MidAtlanticBio.org.

About MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland

MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland is a private non-profit trade association with a mission to promote the growth and quality of the life sciences and technology communities in Maryland and the region. For more information, please visit www.techcouncilmd.com.

About MAVA

Founded in 1986, MAVA represents the collective interests of venture capitalists investing in the mid-Atlantic, including more than 500+ venture professionals, at 125 firms, with more than $90 Billion in capital under management. For more information, please visit www.mava.org.

About VaBIO

VaBIO, the Virginia Biotechnology Association, is the 200-member statewide trade group that promotes the considerable scientific and economic impact of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. For more information, visit www.vabio.org.

From 2001 until his appointment to CEO, David was President and Chief Executive Officer of AstraZeneca LP, the Company’s North America subsidiary.  He was appointed Executive Board Director of AstraZeneca in 2005, with responsibility for the United States, the company’s largest market, as well as all North American operations. 

David began his career in 1975 at Merck, where he rose from sales representative in the U.S. Division to general manager of Chibret International, a French subsidiary of Merck specializing in ophthalmics. He joined AstraMerck in 1992 with responsibility for helping to build the joint venture into a multi-billion dollar business in the U.S. Prior to the AstraZeneca merger he was responsible for business planning and development at Astra Pharmaceuticals. He was appointed Senior Vice-President of Commercial Operations of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP in 1999.   He is an alumnus of Gettysburg College.

David is an Executive Director of AstraZeneca PLC.  He is a Member of the Executive Board of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and a Member of the Executive Board of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA).  In addition, he is past Chairman of the Board of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Heart Association, and Honorary Board member of the US CEO Roundtable on Cancer.

David is married with four children and four grandchildren.  He enjoys scuba diving, cycling and is an amateur photographer.

BETHESDA, Md.– The 2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference today announced the keynote speakers for their October 24 - 26 conference: Nobel Laureate Dr. Thomas Cech, president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, AstraZeneca CEO David Brennan, and Jim Mullen, chairman and CEO of Biogen Idec. More than 800 attendees will hear these luminaries discuss emerging academic and entrepreneurial trends in bioscience, analyze the latest technology and research findings, and offer their opinions on the future of this exciting industry.

The selection of such bioscience notables as Dr. Thomas Cech, CEO David Brennan, and Chairman and CEO Jim Mullen underscores the conference’s goal of delivering world-class, innovative programs from the bioscience industry’s premier thought leaders.

“Mid-Atlantic Bio provides an opportunity for attendees to hear from the experts of our industry and to attend educational programs on topics such as pandemic flu, building a biotech business and raising capital. Equally important, the conference provides the platform for conducting business and building broad alliances with key organizations and audiences dedicated to promoting the long-term growth and stability of biotechnology in the Mid-Atlantic,” said Mark A. Herzog, executive director of the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO). VaBIO is joined by the MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) as co-hosts of Mid-Atlantic Bio.

Our Speakers

In addition to winning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1989, Dr. Thomas Cech’s work has been recognized by many national and international awards and prizes. Dr. Cech serves as the president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), a private biomedical research institute with an endowment of more than $16 billion. Last year, HHMI opened the Janelia Farm Research Campus (JFRC) located on a 689-acre property in Northern Virginia. The unique, world-class biomedical research complex represents a $500 million investment by HHMI.

James Mullen, CEO and President, Biogen Idec, has helped shape Biogen Idec into a global technology leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and commercialization of innovative therapies. For the past 18 years, Mr. Mullen’s vision and direction have helped ensure that Biogen Idec’s 3,900 employees in over 70 countries around the world are delivering results for the company and its customers. From 1984 to 1988, Mr. Mullen held various positions at SmithKline Beckman Corporation (now GlaxoSmithKline plc). Mr. Mullen is also a director of PerkinElmer, Inc. and served as chairman of the board of directors of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO).

As CEO and Executive Board Director of AstraZeneca, David Brennan is responsible for directing North American operations for one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. With AstraZeneca’s acquisition of Maryland-based MedImmune, Mr. Brennan is part of the team working to create a premier, fully integrated biologics and vaccines company. A member of the executive board of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and a member of the executive board of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), Mr. Brennan is past chairman of the board of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Heart Association and honorary board member of the US CEO Roundtable on Cancer.

The Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference
Dedicated to promoting the growth of biotechnology in the region, the Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference is collectively sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic’s most influential bioscience and investor associations, MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland, the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA), and the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO). The goal of the conference is to deliver a unique combination of hands-on information, visionary viewpoints, analyses of technology trends, and discussions of critical bioscience issues. For more on the Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference, complete program agenda and speaker information, as well as registration information, please visit www.MidAtlanticBio.org.

About MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland
MdBio/Tech Council of Maryland is a private, non-profit corporation whose mission is to advance the commercial development of bioscience in Maryland. For more information, please visit www.mdbio.org.

About MAVA
Founded in 1986, MAVA represents the collective interests of venture capitalists investing in the mid-Atlantic, including more than 500 venture professionals, at 125 firms, with more than $10 billion in capital under management. For more information, please visit www.mava.org.

About the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VaBIO)
VaBIO, the Virginia Biotechnology Association, is the 150-member statewide trade group that promotes the considerable scientific and economic impact of the life sciences industry in the Commonwealth of Virginia. For more information, visit www.vabio.org.

2007 Mid-Atlantic Bio Conference Media Contact:
Kirstin Crane
703-356-3099 ext. 111
kcrane@hpproductions-inc.com