54.3 F
San Diego
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Publisher’s Notebook BIO 2001 brings the world to San Diego

The BIO 2001 conference was a huge success with more than 20,000 visitors spending between five and seven days here enjoying our wonderful city and leaving behind millions of dollars in cash.

The much-heralded army of protesters ready to demonstrate against everything from cloned cows to a better mousetrap failed to materialize. I’m not complaining, and neither are the police and delegates. In addition to the economic impact that comes with an international event like BIO 2001 comes worldwide recognition of our city in every capital city in the world through the magic of computers and television. It’s good recognition , not the kind that shows police wrestling with people dressed up as a side of beef or a 500-pound genetically engineered tomato.

It also drew lots of attention to our biotechnology industry in San Diego, showcasing it to hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

While we are becoming known around the globe as one of the top 10 high-tech centers, now many know that we are also one of the top cities in the world in biotechnology research and manufacturing, with 250 biotech companies and 180 medical device companies. The nation collectively has about 1,200 biotechnology companies.

Along with the positive recognition of this conference comes an opportunity for our local industries to show off in front of nearly every venture capital firm and investment company in existence. It takes a decade or two and about $500 million to bring a drug to the marketplace.

Since the industry started to spread its wings and grow, the Food and Drug Administration has approved 90 drugs and treatments for human use. Nearly a dozen of those have been created or discovered right here in San Diego.

Augmenting the industry here are seven Nobel laureates, and more than 50 members of the National Science Foundation. They are teaching our future scientists and researchers and working in many of the local companies discovering state-of-the-art drugs and cures.

We are the perfect place for this conference and they selected the right guy to run it, Duane Roth, CEO of Alliance Pharmaceutical. Along with his brother, Ted, and thousands of volunteers, the world watched as the collective brain power of the greatest companies and research centers in the world gathered here to share their discoveries and talk about creating new products and devices.

We have to thank Duane, Ted and their cast of thousands, who include hundreds of police officers and security personnel for putting our best foot forward to the world. Congratulations to the industry and the government leaders locally, like San Diego Mayor Dick Murphy, for their leadership as well , because without their support the program would have been less spectacular.


To the balance sheet:


Credit:

To the Biotechnology Industry Organization and BIO 2001 for donating $30,000 to the San Diego Zoo’s Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species as a gesture of appreciation to the city of San Diego for being the host city for its International Convention.


Credit:

To the Biotechnology Industry Organization and Biocom San Diego and its members for donating $25,000 to kick off a trust fund for San Diego police Officer Donna Mauzy, who was killed in an automobile accident June 23. The money was an expression of gratitude for the outstanding performance and professionalism of the San Diego Police Department during the BIO 2001 conference. The $25,000 fund honors her memory.


Credit:

To Dr. Ken Blanchard and the University of San Diego on the occasion of the graduation of their first joint class in executive leadership. The two groups joined together to create a 22-month-long master’s degree in executive leadership. Both Ken and the university have touted for years the value of leadership to organizational success. Both their dreams have come true with the first class of 24 graduating June 17.

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-