Phoenix, Arizona Biocluster Seeks Business & Research Opportunities
With European Biotech Companies

Wednesday March 23, 2005

Vibrant Urban Setting Creates Unique Ambiance for 28-Acre Biocenter

PHOENIX, AZ

The City of Phoenix has officially become the nation's newest
biotech cluster with the grand opening of its Downtown Biomedical
Center and worldwide headquarters for TGen (Translational Genomics
Institute) and IGC (International Genomics Consortium). The City of
Phoenix and State of Arizona have invested and laid the foundation
for becoming one of the industry's foremost research centers with
regards to neurogenomics and related research areas of alzheimer's,
autism, cancer, and diabetes. The city seeks to attract biotech and
related companies to Phoenix and Arizona from Europe for business
opportunities in R&D, collaboration, partnering, and office
expansion.
Source: City of Phoenix

The Phoenix Biomedical Center provides a unique, urban environment
for cutting edge companies to expand offices or open R&D centers.
The $46 million TGen/IGC building forms the foundation of the PBC, a
28-acre development area planned near the epicenter of Copper
Square -- a thriving and rejuvenated section of Phoenix featuring
sports, music, theatre, restaurants and other entertainment and
cultural venues. The futuristic, 173,000-square-foot TGen/IGC
building is owned by the City of Phoenix.

"Building our biotech industry is very important for the state's
future economic growth and will benefit all its citizens," said
Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. "We are committed to investing
resources, and fostering a positive investment climate in
partnership with our universities, to make Arizona more attractive
to out of state companies wishing to open or expand offices here."

"Now that we've completely moved into our state-of-the-art facility,
I'm looking forward to the next stages and milestones we will
accomplish in the scientific community," says Dr. Jeffrey M. Trent,
TGen's President and Scientific Director. "The research conducted
here will be valuable to companies and organizations worldwide."

"In addition to our rich cultural and entertainment venues, Downtown
Phoenix has the resources and infrastructure necessary to attract
and sustain world-class organizations and companies," said Phil
Gordon, Mayor of Phoenix. "We're excited to have TGen, IGC, and
NIDDK in our midst, and we invite biotech companies from out of
state and around the world to investigate the business opportunities
for R&D, collaboration, and expansion that we offer."

Building Grand Opening Features Leaders from Government and
Scientific Community

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be attended by Arizona State
Governor, Janet Napolitano, City of Phoenix Mayor, Phil Gordon, U.S.
Senator, Jon Kyl, and TGen President & Scientific Director, Dr.
Jeffrey M. Trent. A keynote speech will be delivered by Francis S.
Collins, M.D., Ph.D. Director, National Human Genome Research
Institute. Thousands are expected to attend. The celebration also
includes a Health & Research Fair from 7:30 a.m. - noon with exhibit
booths from more than 40 biotech and related partner organizations.

About the Phoenix Biomedical Center The PBC is the keystone of the
state-wide bioscience initiative and is expected to have a
significant impact on biomedical discoveries, the quality of health
care for Arizona's residents, and the expansion and diversification
of the state's economy. Other planned developments for the PBC area
include the Arizona Biomedical Collaborative (a three university
teaching facility), a College of Medicine, a College of Pharmacy,
and a College of Nursing.

Major Regional Biotech Organizations & Resources

-- Arizona Heart Institute
-- Arizona State University
-- Banner Health
-- Barrow Neurological Institute
-- Mayo Clinic
-- NIDDK
-- Scottsdale Healthcare
-- St. Joseph's Hospital
-- The Biodesign Institute of ASU
-- University of Arizona
Phoenix Region Facts

Population: 3.4 million
Bio-Related Companies: 1,000+
Major Airport: 23 major airlines, 7th busiest airport in
the world
Higher Education: 25 institutions of higher learning, 277,000
enrolled students
Weather: Average temperature 73F. 300+ sunny days a
year
Entertainment: 52 theatres, 40 museums, 200 art galleries,
4 pro
sports teams
About TGen

The mission of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)
is to make and translate genomic discoveries into advances in human
health. Translational genomics research is a relatively new field
employing innovative advances arising from the Human Genome Project
and applying them to the development of diagnostics, prognostics and
therapies for cancer, neurological disorders, diabetes and other
complex diseases. TGen is focused on personalized medicine and plans
to accomplish its goals through robust and disease-focused research
programs and its state-of-the-art bioinformatics and computational
biology facilities. For more information, visit the Web site:
www.tgen.org.

About Phoenix

Phoenix is one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. The
region offers a growing and skilled workforce, a competitive
business environment, easy access to major markets and more. The
city has a wealth of programs and activities to assist businesses,
large and small. Phoenix offers just about everything in the way of
sports, recreation, arts, culture, dining, lodging and financial
opportunities. Because of our beautiful weather, activities can be
enjoyed year-round. The city has won many major awards, including
the Carl Bertelsmann Prize, a prestigious international competition
that recognizes the best-run city government in the world. For more
information about Phoenix and regional biotech related business
opportunities, visit the Web site http://phoenix.gov or call 1-866-
TECH CITY (832-4248) or (602) 534-6122.

Arizona Biotech
Biotech News
Arizona Entrepreneurs
Arizona High Tech

Arizona Biotech

Biotech News

Arizona Entrepreneurs

Arizona High Tech