Beacon Sciences Announces BIO 2008 Panel Session Participation

“Lurking In the Shadows: Are You Prepared for the Next Threat?” The BIO 2008 International Convention Panel Session addresses the critical need for rapid methods to detect infectious disease agents andpathogens associated with public safety and bioterrorism.

Austin, TX – May 23, 2008 – Biotechnology company Beacon Sciences, a pioneer in chemical sensors and color indicators announced today that it will be participating in a devices and predictive diagnostics panel session, “Lurking In the Shadows: Are You Prepared for the Next Threat?” at the upcoming Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) International Convention, June 17-20, 2008 in San Diego. The panel session will take place Tuesday, June 17, 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Room 27AB, San Diego Convention Center.

Co-Chairs of the panel session are Stephen A. Morse, Associate Director for Science, Division of Bioterrorism, Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Dr. Ralph A. Tripp, Professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, Department of Infectious Diseases, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia.

Dr. Eric Anslyn, Chief Scientific Officer of Beacon Sciences, will speak in the panel session. Other scientists participating in the panel session will be Dr. Michael Natan, President and Chief Technical Officer, Oxonica, Inc; Dr. John Carrano, Vice President, Research and Development, Luminex Corporation; and Dr. Rich Dluhy, Director, Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, University of Georgia.

“Lurking In the Shadows: Are You Prepared for the Next Threat?” BIO panel session will address:

• Information on the rise of public health and safety threats in the past decade and of the most important currently unmet diagnostic tests.

• Identification of the need for technologies that can rapidly detect viruses (including those that cross from animals to humans) and food-borne pathogens.

• Several platform technologies capable of outpacing these emerging threats through flexible and simple assay design.

The 2008 BIO international convention will take place from June 17-20 at the San Diego Convention Center. The convention is considered the most important event dedicated to the growth of the biotechnology industry, and is expected to attract 20,000+ attendees, including more than 10 State Governors of the 400+ U.S. and international public officials attending, 7,000 international participants from 68 countries and 600 media representatives from around the world.

About Beacon Sciences
Beacon Sciences is a biotechnology company founded on the pioneering research of Dr. Eric Anslyn and his research team. The Beacon Sciences platform utilizes supramolecular recognition chemistry rather than antibodies or enzymes to create a binding event in an assay. Custom chemistry scaffolds enable Beacon Sciences to design a custom, non-biological receptor for many classes of biological or non-biological molecules - even those too small for current antibody-based assays to detect. The technology is also compatible with existing assay techniques and can possibly improve antibody- or enzyme-based assays. It has wide-ranging applications, including medical diagnostics, biowarfare detection, molecular tools, environmental monitoring, food and beverage testing, chronic disease monitoring, and pre-clinical drug safety testing. Beacon Sciences is actively seeking in-licensing opportunities for novel biomarkers and rapid detection analyte markers. Beacon Sciences is managed and funded by life sciences venture firm, Emergent Technologies, Inc. (ETI). For more information, visit the Beacon Sciences website, www.beaconsciences.com

Eric Anslyn, Ph.D.
Dr. Eric Anslyn is the Chief Scientist of Beacon Sciences and Professor of Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. He is one of the top scientists in the world in the creation of chemosensors, and has recently extended his expertise to the field of chemiluminescence, “glow chemistry.” Among his numerous accolades, Dr. Anslyn was named the 2006 Cope Scholar by the American Chemical Society for his pioneering research in the fields of pattern recognition and supramolecular chemistry, and was recently elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His research has applications in environmental, industrial and medical diagnostics.

About Emergent Technologies, Inc.
Emergent Technologies Inc. (ETI), founded in 1989 by Thomas A. Harlan, is a unique life sciences venture firm that forms and manages companies and funds that commercialize groundbreaking institutional and university-based technologies. ETI is a turnkey solution for converting university science into high return ventures. ETI works with regional economic development groups and universities to capitalize on what the firm describes as invention capital. In addition to the traditional venture capital approach of raising and investing funds, ETI drives the selection and expansion of each technology assets unique to their region. ETI is pioneering a unique business approach to investment in intellectual property, the key asset to most technology-based start-up companies. For more information, visit the company website www.etibio.com

Media Contact:
Sandra Oak
Nsight Public Relations
Phone: 1-321-591-1508
Email: soak@nsightpr.com