BIO-Europe Spring(TM) Launches in Milan: Business Leaders, International Biotech Industry and Italian Government Welcome New Springtime Biotech Partnering Conference

At a press conference held on January 16th at the Palazzo Marino
(Sala Alessi), leaders from the Italian government, the city of Milan
(with the Mayor, Miss Letizia Moratti) and luminaries from both the
Italian and global biotechnology industry officially inaugurated
BIO-Europe Spring. Held at the Milano Convention Center (MIC), March
5-7, 2007, BIO-Europe Spring will be the preeminent springtime
partnering conference for the biotechnology industry as well as a
valued counterpart to BIO-Europe, the world's largest standalone
biotechnology partnering conference.

"We are excited that the EBD Group has chosen Milan as the venue
to unveil its latest biotech partnering conference, BIO-Europe Spring.
When leaders of the global biotech industry gather here in March they
will discover a city and region poised to become a leading center for
scientific knowledge and discovery, adding to Milan's well-known
reputation as the center of the design and fashion world," said
Alessandro Sidoli, Chief Operating Officer of Axxam and Vice President
of Assobiotec, the Italian Bioindustry Association, that organizes the
event in partnership with EBD.

Strategic partnering is becoming an increasingly important element
for companies operating in the biotechnology industry. In this highly
competitive and rapidly globalizing industry, successful partnering
strategies help companies gain access to new markets, funding, and
identify new intellectual property for in-licensing. BIO-Europe Spring
and its sister conference, BIO-Europe, use EBD Group's proprietary
state-of-the-art web-based partnering software platform that enables
firms from every part of the biotechnology value-chain to quickly
identify, engage and enter into strategic relationships that drive
their business successfully forward.

"We are proud to inaugurate our new partnering event in Milan, a
city that throughout history has seen the technological innovations
giving shape and meaning to the modern world," said Carola Schropp,
Founder of the leading partnering firm in the biotechnology industry,
the EBD Group. "Designed as the counterpart to our flagship conference
BIO-Europe, the BIO-Europe Spring event will feature the powerful
combination of one-on-one partnering meetings and company
presentations characteristic of all of EBD's partnering events. It
will bring together international decision-makers from all
biotechnology sectors, pharmaceutical companies and financial firms."

About EBD Group

EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global
biotechnology industry. For over 12 years, firms in the life sciences
have leveraged EBD Group's partnering conferences, technology and
services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic
relationships that drive their business. EBD Group's conferences (run
in collaboration with leading industry partners and international
trade associations such as BIO and Eucomed) include BIO-Europe, the
world's largest stand-alone life science partnering conference;
BIO-Europe Spring; the investor conference BioEquity Europe conference
(co-organized with BioCentury Publications); and the medical
technology partnering conference, BioDevice Partnering. EBD's
proprietary software system also powers partnering at numerous
third-party events around the world. Outside of the conference format,
EBD Group's consultants can provide hands-on operational consulting
for firms seeking to in- or out license products and technologies.

EBD Group has offices in San Diego, Munich and London. For more
information visit www.ebdgroup.com or www.bioeuropespring.com for
conference related issues.