China, India find higher profile at biotech expo
By Leonard Anderson
Reuters
06/08/04 19:51 ET
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – The fledgling biotechnology industry is
already reinventing itself — as an economic booster in emerging
countries.
To this end research scientist Kiran Sharma expects India will develop
an edible vaccine against cholera within five years.
And Weiping Yang is working on “biochip” technology at a new company in
China to wed molecules with computers in systems to detect infectious
viruses like SARS.
India and China are among 59 foreign countries and 16,000 scientists,
executives and government officials crowding into three big meeting
halls for the BIO 2004 Annual International Convention in San
Francisco. The forum, which first began in 1993, ends Wednesday.
“We always had strong international representation from Canada, Great
Britain, France and Germany, but nothing like we have now,” said Dan
Eramian, a spokesman for the Biotechnology Industry Association,
which organizes the conference. The number of countries attending
has doubled since 1999.
“More countries now see building biotech industries as a way to
strengthen their economies.” Eramian added.
The global biotechnology industry posted about $47 billion in revenues
last year, according to a study by the Ernst & Young accounting firm.
“We have two goals here,” said B.P. Acharya, secretary of Industries
and Commerce in the Andhra Pradesh government in India: “Showcase what
is happening in biotechnology in India to change the view that the
industry is all U.S. and Europe. And take advantage of the networking
opportunities for new business.”
Acharya, who is promoting “Genome Valley” in southeast India as the
nation’s biotech hub, attended the 2001 convention in San Diego
alone. At this week’s conference, however, he has 30 colleagues
to help him scout for new business and take part in scientific
presentations. India’s total delegation numbers 89.
VACCINE IN A PEANUT
Indian scientists with the International Crops Research Institute
are linking life sciences and agriculture to develop edible vaccines
against polio, cholera and other diseases that could be delivered in
peanuts or other plants at greatly reduced costs, said Sharma.
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has expressed interest in
the work, said Acharya.
Yang said four biotech companies from China attended the San Francisco
meeting and “visa problems” prevented four more from showing up. This
was the first year that China had its own “pavilion” on the convention
floor to present technologies.
Beijing-based three-year-old Capital Biochip Corp., part of China’s
National Engineering Research Center, is developing a range of medical
detection systems founded on biochips — electronic devices that use
organic molecules and form a semiconductor.
The technology can examine tens of thousands of genes in a scanning
system in 10 minutes versus years in conventional detection systems,
Yang said.
“We have developed some interesting leads from companies in the
U.S. and Europe who are interested in our overall technology,” he said.
This year’s conference also signed up 11 new member nations — Algeria,
Armenia, Ivory Coast, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Peru, Romania, Slovenia,
Uganda, Ukraine and Yemen.
Wales also had nine biotech companies and research organizations
represented at its pavilion.
Bioscience in Wales is developing healthcare diagnostic systems,
clinical trials for cancer drugs and chronic wound treatments,
medical devices and instruments, and doing research in grassland-based
livestock agriculture, said Bob Wallis, research manager for the
Welsh Development Agency.
Closer to home, 28 U.S. states set up pavilions to vie for business
leads, contracts and jobs.
A study issued on Tuesday by the Los Angeles-based Milken Institute
think tank said San Diego is the top U.S. city for biotech business,
with Boston second and the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill triangle third.