A contingent of Nebraskans will travel to Toronto this weekend to attend the largest biotechnology convention in the world in an effort to raise awareness for Omaha’s biotechnology programs. 
The group, which includes representatives from the academic, business and governmental sectors, will be attending the BIO 2002 International Biotechnology Convention and Exhibition being held June 10 to12 in Toronto. More than 14,000 people from around the world attended last year’s convention.
For the second consecutive year, the Nebraska contingent involves a partnership spearheaded by UNMC and its technology transfer company, UneMed. Other partners include the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Nebraska Department of Economic Development, the Omaha Public Power District and three area biotechnology companies – American Laboratories and Lab-InterLink, both of Omaha, and Nature Technologies of Lincoln.
“Last year was the first time we attended this convention,” said Don Leuenberger, vice chancellor for business and finance at UNMC. “We were able to meet people in the biotechnology field and plant the idea that Omaha and UNMC are players in this fast-growing field. This year, we hope to further highlight our successes, show how conducive Omaha is to these types of businesses and identify possible partnerships for some of our new technologies that have commercial potential.”
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This year’s theme for the Nebraska delegation will be “Bio’s Hot in Omaha….UNMC is sizzlin’ with biotech opportunities.” To attract more attention to the UNMC booth at the convention, Leuenberger said UNMC will have a robotic dog named Sizzle on display. Visitors to the booth can leave their business cards to be eligible for a drawing for Sizzle at the end of the convention.
“We did the same thing at last year’s convention in San Diego, and it generated thousands of visitors to our booth,” he said. “Sizzle is more sophisticated than last year’s robotic dog (Boomer), so we hope to get even more traffic.”
“We know that Omaha provides a nurturing environment for biotech companies,” said Tom McDonald, Ph.D., president of UNeMed and professor of pathology and microbiology for UNMC. “At UNMC, biotechnology work has spawned more than 300 new inventions, more than 35 technology licenses and the development of several world-class technology-based companies in Omaha.”
Some of those success stories include: Lab-InterLink, an Omaha company that makes clinical laboratory automation systems; HKS Medical Information Systems, an Omaha firm that sells computer software systems to enhance patient record-keeping and workflow management in the health care industry; and Hesed BioMed, an Omaha company focused on making new cancer therapeutics using antisense oligonucleotide compositions.
Leuenberger said Omaha’s central location and excellent workforce are very attractive to biotechnology firms. “Omaha is a Midwest transportation hub located at the intersection of major interstate highways and with an airport serviced by 12 major airlines. It offers biotech businesses the kind of workforce that businesses in other cities can only dream of — dependable, well-educated and loyal people who care about doing a good job.
“Within a 50-mile radius of Omaha, there are 17 colleges and universities with more than 80,000 students. Eleven of these colleges and universities are located in the Omaha metro area and have a combined enrollment of more than 45,000. Every year, more than 7,000 new college graduates join Omaha’s labor pool.”
Leuenberger said Omaha was recently rated as one of the top 10 “high tech havens” by U.S. News & World Report magazine and as a leading “knowledge value added city” by the Milkin Institute. In 2001, the Nebraska legislature passed a bill authorizing the distribution of $50 million per year for biomedical research and other health-related programs and services across the state.
Besides Leuenberger and Dr. McDonald, other UNMC staff attending the convention will be Sandy Goetzinger-Comer and Elizabeth Kumru, both of public affairs, Marsha Morien, business and finance, Annika Weber, pathology & microbiology, and Kim Lamb, UNeMed. In addition, the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce will send three people, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development two people, and OPPD will send one representative.