[April 17, 2012]

Leaders in Science, Advocacy to Judge 2012 Biotech Humanitarian Award

Today, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) announced a distinguished panel of judges who will evaluate nominations for the fourth annual Biotech Humanitarian Award and select the 2012 Honoree. BIO created the Award to recognize an everyday hero who has helped to heal, fuel and feed the planet through their work in or support of biotechnology. Nominations for the Award will be accepted online through the April 20, 2012 deadline.

"The Biotech Humanitarian Award is a highlight of the BIO International Convention each year because we recognize a true innovator, who is unleashing the promise of biotechnology to address the world's most pressing challenges and improve our everyday lives," said BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood. "I am looking forward to working with the distinguished judging panel on the challenge of selecting just one honoree from such an impressive group of nominees."

The following thought leaders in science, advocacy and media have agreed to serve as judges for the Award:

• Dr. David Agus - Professor of Medicine, Director, USC Center for Applied Molecular Medicine, Director, USC Westside Cancer Center, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine
• Dr. Yali Friedman - Managing Editor of the Journal of Commercial Biotechnology, author of Building Biotechnology and blogger at Biotech Blog
• Jim Greenwood - President and CEO, Biotechnology Industry Organization
• Rachel King - Chief Executive Officer and Founder, GlycoMimetics Inc.
• Dr. Antonio Moreira - Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, University of Maryland Baltimore County
• H. Thomas Watkins - President and Chief Executive Officer, Human Genome Sciences
• Phyllis Dillinger - President of Women in BIO and Executive Vice President & CFO, KPL
• Dr. Greg Stephanopoulos - Bayer Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT

Last year's Honoree was Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine advocate who serves as the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Offit was presented the Humanitarian Award in recognition of his 25 years spent dedicated to developing RotaTeq, one of the main vaccines currently used to fight rotavirus, a disease that is the leading cause of severe, dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children.

The Award and a prize of $10,000 will be presented at the 2012 BIO International Convention, in Boston, MA on June 18-21, 2012. Nominations are open to all individuals and can be accessed here until 11:59 ET on April 20, 2012.

About BIO

BIO represents more than 1,100 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world's largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.

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