BIO 2002: Highlights for Tuesday, June 11
7:30 - 8:15 a.m., North Building, Halls B and C
Opening Breakfast Plenary. This session will feature two different perspectives on biotechnology: that of John Davidson, the father of a son with a disabling illness, and that of Juan Enriquez, a Harvard academic who has explored the socio-economic implications of high technology. Davidson, author of Jesse's Journey, walked across Canada - 8,300 kilometers - as a tribute to his son, Jesse, a Duchenne muscular dystrophy patient; the former broadcaster has raised millions of dollars for biomedical research. Enriquez is director of the Life Science Project at Harvard Business School and author of As the Future Catches You: How Genomics & Other Forces are Changing Your Life, Work, Health & Wealth.
8:30 - 10 a.m., South Building, Room 707
Religious Perspectives on Biotechnology. The stem cell and cloning debates have been flashpoints for those of faith who are concerned about biotechnology, but their concerns and interest in the technology go beyond these specific technologies. Many want to know how we will bring biotechnology's benefits to the world's poor, and how biotechnology might change our spiritual and ecological relationships to the world around us. At this panel session, leaders from several major religious traditions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - come together to discuss the intersection of biotechnology and religion.
Various Times, South Building, Room 712
Press Conferences. At 10 a.m., Invest Quebec will host a press conference on expansion of biotechnology in Montreal. In the afternoon, EuropaBio leads a discussion of European policy makers on development of European biotechnology from 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Other organizations that have scheduled press conferences Tuesday are IBC Life Sciences (10:45 - 11:15 a.m.), MetaMorphix (2 - 2:30 p.m.), and Amersham Biosciences (3 - 3:30 p.m.).
Noon - 1:30 p.m., North Building, Halls B and C
Plenary Luncheon. Tuesday's plenary luncheon features three speakers: Dr. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, which represents 50 million parishioners; Thomas Von Essen, the former fire commissioner for New York City who led the Sept. 11 emergency response; and Iowa Gov. Thomas Vilsack, a founder of the Governors Biotechnology Partnership and current chair of the organization.
2 - 5:30 p.m., South Building, Room 717
Chemical Genomics - Linking the Genome to the Therapies. Learn about how the convergence of chemistry and genomics is creating new methods of validating genetic targets and improving drug design.
4 - 5:30 p.m., South Building, Room 713A
Canadian Public Opinion on Biotechnology. Earnscliffe Research and Communications will present findings from five waves of public opinion research on biotechnology in Canada conducted over the past three years for the Canadian Biotechnology Secretariat.
4 - 5:30 p.m., South Building, Room 701B
Nanobiotechnology: Origins, Status and Future. Find out why nanotechnology is one of the hottest sectors in science and engineering at this panel session describing applications that integrate nanotech and biotech.
Media registration policy: Only credentialed media (with photo ID credentials) from print, broadcast or radio outlets qualify for on-site registration. The deadline for freelance journalists has passed and none will be registered on-site. For details, including registration hours, visit www.bio.org.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (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.