BIO news: Optimism and police out in force for BIO

A large police presence was apparent for the official opening of BIO 2007 here in Boston on Sunday but the protests that had greeted earlier BIO conventions was minor by comparison.

Local police reported a peaceful protest of about 150 people in a residential area of Boston who were protesting against the planned building of a level four biosecurity lab, but they were kept well away from the conference site on Summer St.

BIO CEO Jim Greenwood opened the conference with the results of a survey comparing US voter and industry leader opinion on the biotechnology industry, which showed overwhelming optimism that biotechnology would find cures to major diseases in the next 10 to 15 years.

Voters rated the importance of finding cures to diseases as a top national issue, ahead of challenges most often cited by the US Government, such as the 'war on terrorism' and dealing with illegal immigration.

The two surveys were conducted jointly by leading Republican and Democratic strategy firms, Public Opinion Strategies and Peter D. Hart Research Associates. They compared the views of voters nationwide with senior-level biotech industry executives on a number of issues, including health care, the environment, alternative fuels and stem cell research.

Industry leaders and voters both had high levels of optimism about the potential for finding cures for serious diseases, with 94 per cent of industry leaders saying they were optimistic about the potential of finding cures for disease, compared to 86 per cent of voters.

Both groups agreed on the likelihood that the industry would able to find solutions for protecting the environment and reduce pollution, as well as developing new plants that would be like "green drug factories".

Where they diverged, however, was on the topic of alternative fuels. A massive issue in the US, voters were far more confident that biotech could offer solutions to oil dependence on foreign nations than the industry itself.

Voters rated energy independence as more important than alleviating world hunger, while the industry went the other way.

The burden of regulation was ranked as the top challenge facing the industry by biotech leaders. Industry was also concerned about avoiding prince controls on biotechnology products in the US and the lack of funding for biomedical research.

On the controversial issues of stem cell research and genetically modified foods, voters were in favour of embryonic stem cell research by a margin of two to one.

Voters were evenly split on their perceptions of genetically modified crops, with 47 per cent seeing GM as a positive development due to its ability to reduce world hunger and reliance on pesticides, while 43 per cent saw GM crops as a troubling development due to safety concerns.

Steve Sherwan, CEO of US biotech Cell Genesys, said he was surprised about the level of optimism shown by industry leaders about the potential for finding cures for serious disease so quickly. "I work in the cancer field, so I know how long it takes," he said.

Sherwan also criticised the Bush Administration's ban on embryonic stem cell research, saying other countries had seized the initiative from the US.

Greenwood said the survey showed strong public support for the current direction of the biotech industry. "This survey demonstrates that voters and the biotechnology industry share a similar optimistic vision of the future."