Biotech Industry Leaders and Exciting Start-Ups to Forge Partnerships at First-Ever BIO-Europe Spring Partnering Conference in Milan, March 5-7, 2007

On Monday, March 5, the first-ever BIO-Europe Spring will open its
doors at the Milano Convention Center (MIC) in Italy. The three day
conference (March 5-7) promises to be exciting as deal- and decision
makers from across the globe meet at the pre-eminent springtime
partnering conference for the biotechnology industry.

Like its conference counterpart, BIO-Europe, which is held in the
Autumn, BIO-Europe Spring will be an important focal point for
companies seeking to identify new business opportunities and strike
deals to drive future business. The conference, organized by EBD
Group, will feature many notable industry leaders such as Rob Wills,
VP of Alliance Management at Johnson & Johnson; Judith Hills, VP of
Corporate and Business Development for Licensing, Europe, Japan & Asia
Pacific, at Bristol-Myers Squibb; and Roger Longman, Managing Partner
of Windhover Information. These and other speakers will cover a wide
range of trends, issues and technologies that are shaping the
industry's future.

The conference will also feature a proprietary online partnering
system through which participants can set up individual meetings with
potential partners -- thus providing an unbeatable opportunity for
direct engagement between individuals from all parts the biotechnology
value chain.

EBD Group, the organizer of the BIO-Europe Spring and BIO-Europe
partnering conferences, expects more than 1,000 attendees to attend
the conference -- which should become one of the world's premier
international partnering events for biotechnology and the life
sciences. Since 1993, EBD Group's conferences have provided annual
partnering fora for networking, sharing research and innovations and
striking deals. Today, the BIO-Europe conferences are the largest and
most comprehensive international life science partnering events in the
world.

Highlights of the BIO-Europe Spring conference sessions include:

-- Rethinking the Biotech-Pharma Partnering Model: Will the whole
ever be worth more than the sum of its parts?

-- Next Generation Companies: With increasing competition for
late-stage assets, pharmaceutical companies are taking a
greater interest in earlier stage biotech companies. In
keeping with this trend, some of the most exciting early-stage
players of the biotech industry will make their pitches to the
conference's elite audience.

-- Pink Biotech, The Convergence of White and Red Biotech: New
enabling technologies are transforming the industry and
cost-advantages linked to disruptive technologies are already
a reality. BIO-Europe Spring will explore how the convergence
of White and Red biotech will play a key role in helping both
early and late-stage companies overcome industry challenges.

-- Future of Mid-sized Pharma:Globalization is profoundly
affecting the biotechnology industry -- and especially
mid-sized pharma companies. This session explores the unique
opportunities and challenges confronting mid-sized firms and
discusses optimal ways to navigate the globalization trend.

Partnering System Goes Live:

The web-based conference partnering system is now live and
registered attendees can access it at
www.ebdgroup.com/bioeuropespring/partnering.htm . As at all EBD Group
conferences, BIO-Europe Spring leverages the organizer's proprietary
state-of-the-art web-based partnering software platform. The
partnering system enables all participants to quickly query a
comprehensive database in order to identify and engage with many
potential partners during the conference. The partnering system also
allows journalists to arrange meetings and interviews in advance of
the conference. Two hundred booths will be available for one-on-one
meetings. In addition, a quiet interview room in the BIO-Europe Europe
press office can be booked on site. Delegates' meeting schedules will
be made available on personal log-in pages on the BIO-Europe Spring
website in the days prior to the conference.

Notes to Editors:

The conference's press office will actively disseminate evolving
news, stories, and conference themes to journalists. Entry to
BIO-Europe Spring is free to the media, as is full access to the
partnering system, sessions, press conferences, workshops, and
pre-arranged partnering meetings. Attending journalists will also
receive a complimentary delegate pack, including the complete
conference handbook. Visit the BIO-Europe Spring conference website at
http://www.ebdgroup.com/bes/registration.htm for detailed information
on this year's conference and online registration. When you register
online, please write into the comment field within the registration
form that you are requesting a complimentary press registration.
Please fax a copy of your press pass to complete your complimentary
media registration to fax number +49 (89) 23 88 756 - 55.

About EBD Group

EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global
biotechnology industry. Since 1993, 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 (co-organized with BioCentury
Publications); and the convergent medical technology partnering
conference, BioDevice Partnering. EBD's novel, web-based, partnering
software system is also used at numerous third-party events around the
world. Outside of the conference format, EBD Group's consultants can
provide hands-on assistance 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