North Carolina Joins Mid-Atlantic Bio as Strategic Partner

Expands Footprint of Leading Regional Bioscience Conference

BETHESDA, Md., March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Mid-Atlantic Bio conference announced today that the North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech) has joined the Virginia Biotechnology Association (VABIO), Tech Council of Maryland (TCM), and Mid-Atlantic Venture Association (MAVA) as a 2012 strategic partner.  The addition of North Carolina to the Mid-Atlantic Bio geography solidifies the conference's position as the leading regional life-sciences event.  Expected to attract more than 1,000 attendees from industry, government, academia, the investment community and the media, Mid-Atlantic Bio is 2012's can't miss event.  Mid-Atlantic Bio will be held on September 27-28 at the North Bethesda Marriott and Conference Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

In announcing their partnership, Norris Tolson, President & CEO of the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, said, "The Mid-Atlantic region and its portfolio of federal government, emerging company and investment sector assets holds great potential for the life sciences.  North Carolina, which has fostered unprecedented growth through three decades of attention to biotechnology, is delighted to join forces to promote the continued expansion of the sector and strength of the region."

Bioscience industry leaders from North Carolina's Research Triangle will join senior executives from more than 200 companies, 50 investment funds and researchers from the Mid-Atlantic region's top academic institutions. 

"Mid-Atlantic Bio is an important expression of the vitality of the biotechnology community in the mid-Atlantic region," said H. Thomas Watkins, President and CEO, Human Genome Sciences, and Chair of the Maryland Life Sciences Advisory Board.  "We look forward to expanding regional participation to include North Carolina, and we expect this year's meeting to provide evidence of a gradually improving economic outlook in the life sciences sector." 

With the addition of North Carolina to the existing collaboration between Maryland and Virginia, Mid-Atlantic Bio 2012 will expand the critical mass of innovators and entrepreneurs that make it a destination for investors.

According to David Mott, General Partner, NEA and former CEO of MedImmune, "As investors, we're about ROI.  From our perspective, a larger event, one that draws attendance from leading industry clusters and centers of excellence – both in and outside this region's footprint – as well as offers unparalleled access to policymakers in Washington, is a unique and valuable conference platform.  The 2012 Mid-Atlantic Bio is well positioned to provide key insights for investors as to the pulse of the industry – from policy to pipelines.  This means more VCs, more investment opportunities, more high value attendees from the private and public sectors, more media, and more clarity as to what's going on in Washington.  In other words, this is where business from Maryland to North Carolina will get done."

"If you are searching for business development and investment prospects in today's resource constrained world, you are going to prioritize where the greatest opportunities are. That's Mid-Atlantic Bio.  It's the biotech combine and our members will have their scouts there," said Julia Spicer, Executive Director, MAVA, which represents 500+ venture and private equity investment professionals with cumulatively more than $90 billion under management.

"Mid-Atlantic Bio has long been a dynamic event thanks in large part to our strategic proximity to key stakeholders from NIH, FDA, NSF, CMS and the U.S. Congress here in our backyard.  Now, with the addition of North Carolina, this event will engage an even broader constituency comprising one of the largest bioscience regions in the nation in terms of innovation and commercial output," said Art Jacoby, Interim CEO, Tech Council of Maryland.

The multiplier effect of North Carolina's participation cannot be overstated.  "This partnership represents a rare platform to bring together influential stakeholders for the benefit of our companies and the industry as a whole," said Mark Herzog, Executive Director, VABIO, on behalf of the Mid-Atlantic Bio Coalition.  "Having already offered world-class collaboration, best practices exchange and networking opportunities in the past, North Carolina is the catalyst which will propel Mid-Atlantic Bio, its sponsors and attendees, into the national spotlight."   

Located at the epicenter of biotech R&D, capital and policy, the combined Mid-Atlantic Bio region represents one of the largest industry clusters in the nation in terms of number of companies, size of workforce, funding, innovation, clinical trials and commercial opportunities.

About Mid-Atlantic Bio
Mid-Atlantic Bio is one of the country's premier bioscience and investor conferences. Its proximity to the US government, federal labs, commercial research and development, academic centers of excellence and a growing investment community, make it a uniquely valuable venue for those in the life sciences community. First launched in 2005, the conference is a joint initiative of the three-member host coalition including the Mid-Atlantic Venture Association, the Virginia Biotechnology Association, the Tech Council of Maryland, and – now – the North Carolina Biotechnology Center as a 2012 strategic partner.  More than 1,000 senior-level executives, policymakers, academia, financiers, media and service providers – representing 30 states and 10 countries – are expected to attend the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Bio conference.  For more information visit: midatlanticbio.org.

SOURCE Mid-Atlantic Bio