NEW BIO IT COALITION ADVISORY BOARD TO BE INTRODUCED AT ITS ANNUAL EVENT ON APRIL 26, 2005 AT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

This year's BIO IT Coalition annual event, the fourth since inception of the organization, is entitled SEQUENCING THE GENOME: CREATING AN INDUSTRY AND A WORKFORCE. It will be held during the afternoon and evening of Tuesday, April 26 on the Fairfax Campus of George Mason University. It will include presentations about Top Trends in BIO IT, Workforce Insights, a Speakers and Sponsors Dinner, Industry Awards, and a play, The Sequence, written by award winning playwright, Paul Mullin, with a grant of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The play is the story of the story of the race to crack the code of life. It will be performed and produced in conjunction with GMU's Theater of the First Amendment as a rehearsed reading, and with Equity actors.

"We have a solid program set for April 26," said Steve Mandell, a partner at Pepper Hamilton LLP and the chairman of the Coalition.

During the evening session, the BIO IT Coalition will announce its new Advisory Board. The members of the Advisory Board are respected experts in their fields from industry and academia who will come together four times a year to discuss the critical issues which must be addressed in order to move the BIO IT industry forward. The members of this distinguished group understand the impact of information technology on the world of healthcare and the economic impact of changing technologies on existing systems. They will work together to guide the industry and to help the Coalition bring information and networking opportunities to its members.

Steve Mandell noted that, " The new Advisory Board announcement is very exciting. The people who have enthusiastically accepted the challenge of working to advance IT in the Lifesciences are experienced and highly regarded for the work they have done and continue to do. The Coalition and the industry will benefit greatly from their combined wisdom and thoughtful discussions at their quarterly meetings. These meetings will provide a forum for the Advisory Board members to address and discuss problems of the industry and recommend solutions, which the Coalition will publish and help develop."

The new Advisory Board members are: Joanna L. Batstone , Ph.D . a Senior Manager in IBM's Healthcare & Life Sciences Business Unit with development responsibilities for IBM's Life Sciences Solutions for Pharma and Biotech ; Jennie Hunter Cevera, Ph.D . President, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute; Rita Colwell, Ph.D.; Chairman, Canon, U.S. Life Sciences, Inc. and past director of the National Science Foundation; Kenneth Geoly, M.D.; John Holaday, Ph.D. , Chairman of the Board, Harvest Bank of Maryland ; Leslie Platt, J.D. , Principal, Itaris LLC and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Biojudiciary Project ; Daniele Struppa, Ph.D. , Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, George Mason University.

Current sponsors of the event include George Mason University, Pepper Hamilton LLP, AMRN, Sage Communications, Sutton Partners and Arlington County Economic Development Department.

About the BIO IT Coalition

The BIO IT Coalition advocates the growth of the life sciences industry through the development and use of information technology tools. The Coalition achieves this through its events, monthly meetings and communications, and by providing valuable opportunities for education, networking and the formation of strategic alliances .

To find out more about the Coalition and the April 26 event, contact Eileen Mandell at 202-220-1402 or at mandelle@pepperlaw.com.

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