ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- MichBio, the state's life science organization, is pleased to announce that MichBio members have the opportunity to meet, one on one, with business development, strategic alliance and licensing professionals from top pharma and medical device companies at its upcoming Expo. The MichBio Expo is a three-day event being held October 10-12, 2006 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Business Development Meetings will be held on the last day of the Expo, Thursday, October 12 at the DeVos Center.

"We're thrilled to be able to offer top, national and regional firms interested in developing relationships with our membership," said Stephen Rapundalo, Executive Director of MichBio. "The Business Development Meetings are designed to attract opportunities in the areas of small molecule and protein pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, drug delivery and medical devices -- arenas that many of our MichBio members engage."

    Participating companies include:
    *  Abbott Laboratories
    *  Ash Stevens
    *  Dow Chemical Company
    *  Eli Lilly and Company
    *  Johnson & Johnson's Corporate Office of Science and Technology
    *  Medtronic, Inc.
    *  QuatRx
    *  Pfizer Legal, Pfizer Procurement, Pfizer Strategic Alliances
    *  Stryker Corporation
    *  Terumo

Companies who wish to apply for the Business Development Meetings must be a member of MichBio and registered for the MichBio Expo. A one-time company fee of $195 will cover three, 25 minute long, pre-scheduled meetings. Applications for these meetings are available on a first come-first served basis.

Applications, meeting restrictions, and more information about the Business Development Meetings are available at: http://www.michbio.org/Expo/BusDevMeetings/ .

Further agenda details and Expo registration are available at http://www.MichBioExpo.com .

About the MichBio Expo

MichBio Expo, a dynamic three-day event for the Michigan Life Sciences community is being held on October 10, 11 & 12, 2006. The first day, held at the Van Andel Institute and the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, is an invitation-only career day for high school students, which will bring in a range of Life Sciences professionals to discuss topical issues and career tracks. The second day, located at DeVos Place convention center, will feature tours and a series of educational seminars focused on life sciences companies. The third day, also located at the DeVos Place, will focus on attracting professionals from across the life sciences spectrum and at every stage of business development. More than just a conference or trade show, it consists of four components: a life sciences conference covering the latest developments in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, government and academia in Michigan; an industry exposition with more than 50 of the area's most exciting life science leaders in finance, research, government, and business; a research business plan competition for early life science companies; and exclusive business development meetings between emerging technology companies and pharmaceutical and medical device industry leaders in a private setting. The MichBio Expo is hosted by MichBio with sponsorship from Pfizer Global Research and Development, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Van Andel Institute, Asterand, Esperion, and Grand Valley State University.

About MichBio

MichBio is dedicated to driving life sciences industry growth within the State of Michigan. For new and established biosciences companies, MichBio provides a community focal point by offering networking and educational events, a roster of support services, and a portal to state and national information. MichBio represents biosciences companies, academic and research institutions, bioscience service providers and related organizations. MichBio is focusing on the human resource, funding, and infrastructure issues affecting the state bioscience industry. MichBio is affiliated with BIO, the national organization that represents biotechnology companies across America. The knowledge based economy presents the state of Michigan with unprecedented economic opportunity; the MichBio Expo serves to act as a catalyst in bringing academic and industry leaders together for a briefing on the dynamics shaping life sciences.

SOURCE MichBio