SEBIO recognizes South Carolina as an emerging center for biotechnology

Wilmington, NC, August 31, 2005
Southeast BIO (SEBIO) will hold its seventh annual biotechnology investment conference November 30th - December 2nd 2005 in Charleston, S.C.

South Carolina was chosen as the site of the 2005 SEBIO Investor Forum because it is a growing center for biotechnology innovation. In combination with a significant increase in research dollars going to its three major research universities, several recent initiatives are helping to attract world-class talent and companies to the state.

The SEBIO Investor Forum is the Southeast region's premier life sciences venture capital conference. The SC Health Sciences Collaborative between the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina, Greenville Hospital System and Palmetto Health, will yield $160 million in health sciences research over the next ten years.

The Life Sciences Act, adopted in 2004, not only resulted in $50 million in venture capital funding for promising SC-based companies, but also made biopharmaceuticals manufacturing enterprises eligible for a 15-year tax abatement on manufacturing facilities.

Research is being conducted across the state in such diverse areas as brain imaging, regenerative medicine, proteomics, neuroscience and marine genomics. "The decision to hold the Investor Forum in South Carolina reflects the state's commitment to the life sciences," said Anne Wein, executive director of SEBIO. "South Carolina continues to attract both emerging and public biotechnology companies. SEBIO's efforts are aimed at helping the region to sustain the industry's growth and to support the Southeast as a major center of biotechnology."

The Investor Forum will connect emerging life science companies with potential investors and venture capitalists in a forum that will provide multiple opportunities for networking. Companies selected to participate will be announced at the end of September.

Adrian Wilson, managing general partner of The Trelys Funds in Columbia, SC, and co-chair of the SEBIO Investor Forum, stated, "This Investor Forum provides emerging life science companies the opportunity to tell their story to investors and venture capitalists to ensure the continuation of research and development for their innovative, cutting-edge technology initiatives. The SEBIO Investor Forum affords these companies maximum exposure to help them meet their financing goals."

Featured speakers will include Michael Giaquinto, co-head U.S. Healthcare Group, Citigroup Global Markets, and Frank Litvack, MD, chairman and CEO, Conor Medsystems. Other notable events at the Investor Forum will include an Angel Investor Retreat, interactive Early-Stage company panels, a CEO and Investor Golf Tournament held at the Links Course at Wild Dunes Resort, an Emerging VC Leaders Reception, and a Kick-Off Reception at the South Carolina Aquarium.

Since 1999, SEBIO has presented an annual Investor Forum that attracts investors from the Southeast and from around the world, and showcases more than 30 emerging life sciences companies each year. Former SEBIO participants have raised more than $1.2 billion in venture capital funding.

About SEBIO

Southeast BIO (SEBIO) is a regional nonprofit organization that fosters the growth of the life sciences industry in the Southeastern U.S. through efforts that promote entrepreneurship and bring together companies, investors, universities, and support organizations active in the development of the industry. Today, the Southeast is recognized as one of the fastest growing life sciences regions in the U.S. and home to more than 220 life sciences companies. A public/private partnership formed in 1999, SEBIO is committed to conducting activities that create regional leverage and facilitate the common interests and goals of constituents in the life sciences industry. The geographic footprint of SEBIO presently includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.

For more information on SEBIO, go to: www.sebio.org.

Contact:

Heather McDonald F
einstein Kean Healthcare
617-761-6727
heather.mcdonald@fkhealth.com