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Delegates: Meet put
Star-Bulletin staff
state on biotech mapHawaii delegates to one of the largest biotechnology conferences ever held, BIO 2000, in Boston, Mass., say it has put the 50th state on the biotech map.
"We had thousands of visitors to the Hawaii booth," said David G. Watumull, chairman of the Hawaii Technology Trade Association Biotechnology Council and executive vice-president of Aquasearch Inc.
Hawaii's booth, "BIODiversity: Your Biotech Partner in the Pacific," presented visuals, literature and samples featuring Hawaii's biotechnology industry in agriculture, medicine, the ocean and the environment.
Highlighted were the Rainbow papaya, altered genetically to resist the ring-spot virus; the Tropic Fire anthurium; Aquasearch's new nutraceutical, the AstaFactor; shrimp; and green mice.
"A number of companies and organizations were seriously interested in the products and services of the Hawaii biotech community," said Kevin Kelly, operations director for the UH Marine Bioproducts Engineering Center.
More than 10,000 people from 35 nations attended.
An exhibit is also being planned for 2001, in San Diego, Calif. For details on BIO 2000, see http://www.bio.org.
