22 Biotechnology Companies from Western Australia to Join Prof. Marshall

    PERTH, Australia, April 3 /PRNewswire/ -- 2005 Nobel Prize winner
Professor Barry Marshall will be part of Western Australia's biggest
contingent of 22 life sciences companies visiting Chicago for the annual
Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) conference this month (April).
    Western Australia's Premier, Alan Carpenter, is leading the delegation of
46 industry representatives, from companies and research centers in Western
Australia, to the conference.
    Barry J. Marshall, MBBS (born in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia) is an
Australian physician and Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the University
of Western Australia. He is well-known for proving that the bacteria
Helicobacter pylori is the cause of stomach ulcers, reversing decades of
medical doctrine which held that ulcers were caused by stress, spicy foods,
and too much acid. Professor Marshall received the 2005 Nobel Prize in
Medicine with fellow Western Australian scientist Dr. Robin Warren for their
ground-breaking research into Helicobacter pylori and stomach ulcers.
    The BIO conference, from 9-12 April, will be Professor Marshall's first
visit to the US since winning the Nobel Prize. He will join Premier Carpenter
in showcasing the State of Western Australia and its achievements in life
sciences.
    "There is considerable life-enhancing research under way in Western
Australia, and it has enormous potential to contribute to future discoveries
in the fields of human health, animal health and industrial biotechnology,"
Professor Marshall said.
    Premier Carpenter has made Western Australia's life sciences sector a
priority for the State by focusing on creating collaborative research
environments between universities, hospitals and healthcare foundations and
encouraging a culture of commercialization.
    "We are immensely proud of Professor Marshall and Dr. Warren," Premier
Carpenter said. "They are among a growing number of Western Australians making
outstanding achievements in their field.
    "Last year Dr. Fiona Wood was made Australian of the Year for her work on
tissue regeneration for burns victims, and Professor Harvey Millar won
Australian Life Scientist of the Year for his research into plant energy
biology, which will create plants with higher yields, environmental tolerance
and greater biomass for future fuel production.
    "Some of our other leading biotech companies and researchers are attending
BIO in Chicago."
    Premier Carpenter said Western Australian industry and research was
growing at a tremendous pace and there was a strong commitment from his
Government to build upon the achievements.
    "Western Australia will continue to invest in our very talented
researchers and use the achievements of Professor Marshall and Dr. Warren to
inspire them along the way," he said.
    The Premier recently announced the establishment of a new medical research
centre, the Centre for Food and Genomic Medicine, which will focus on
world-leading research into obesity and diabetes.
    Plans are also being made to develop a structure to use data from the
longitudinal health study started 40 years ago in the regional community of
Busselton in the south-west of Western Australia for genomic research.

     U.S. Media Contact:
     MacDougall Biomedical Communications
     Peter Steinerman (516) 374-3031
     Kari Watson (508) 647-0209

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