Human Cloning Key Issue at Law School's Biotechnology Conference
The president of the first company to clone a human embryo
successfully will be a keynote speaker at the conference "Bio-Innovation:
Strategies for Success," to be held June 20-21, at the Marriott
at Sable Oaks in Portland.
The Technology Law Center of the University of Maine School
of Law, Portland, invited Dr. Michael D. West of Advanced
Cell Technology, Inc. (ACT) and other experts to address businesspeople,
lawyers and academics who are interested in exploring the
latest legal and financial issues facing the biotechnology
industry.
Late last year, scientists at ACT announced that they had
successfully created the first clone of a human embryo in
their laboratory. The story broke in an exclusive, headline-grabbing,
cover story in U.S. News & World Report, and quickly thrust
the small Worcester, Massachusetts biotechnology company into
the international spotlight. The announcement sparked controversy
and debate among lawmakers, religious groups, and even other
biotechnology companies.
Since that time, ACT's West has appeared on national talk
shows and news programs. He has testified before Congress,
which is currently considering several bills that may ban
human cloning technologies.
Will Worden, a partner at Pierce Atwood, the Maine law firm
representing West's company and the event's underwriter, was
instrumental in arranging for his presentation at the conference.
The "Bio-Innovation" conference also will feature Dr. Greg
Koski, director of the Office of Human Clinical Trials at
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His office
oversees biomedical research laboratories that use human volunteers
to test their new pharmaceutical products or related human
therapies.
Biotechnology researchers and lawyers who attend the conference
will also learn about proteomics and genomics patents, financing
strategies for start-up biotechnology companies, navigating
the drug approval process in the U.S. and abroad, and the
latest insights regarding industry/university collaboration
and technology licensing.
The Technology Law Center brings together faculty, students,
practicing attorneys, the scientific community, and Maine
businesses, through educational programs and outreach, to
promote and assist technological innovation and economic growth.
This summer's bio-innovation conference is the Center's third
annual technology law conference in Maine.
More information about the conference is available at the
Center's Web site: www.mainetechlaw.org
or by calling 874-6521.
Editor's Note: For more information, you can contact
Rita Heimes, director, Technology Law Center at 874-6521,
rheimes@usm.maine.edu;
William Worden, partner, Pierce Atwood at 791-1100, wworden@pierceatwood.com;
or Michael D. West, Ph.D., of Advanced Cell Technology, 508-756-1212,
Ext. 113.
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