A massive biotech conference to begin in San Diego on Sunday may be the scene for a large-scale, love-hate relationship.
Companies will try to charm venture capitalists at Bio 2001, while government representatives from the United States and about 30 other countries will try to show they're the next biotech capital of the world.
The mayor of San Diego has officially declared it "Biotech Week," and Prince Andrew will tell attendees why England is poised to be the royal hot spot for biotech on Monday morning.
All hope their efforts will encourage investment in the industry, knowing it will be tough in a tepid economy to repeat the $32 billion garnered last year.
The regularly scheduled love fest will be interrupted by a group of protesters who call themselves BioDevastation. They oppose various products the biotech industry develops -- genetically engineered foods, in particular.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control announced the results of a study on Starlink corn -- the genetically modified crop that inadvertently made its way into food products for humans, but was only approved for ingestion by animals. According to the CDC, the study found that Starlink does not cause reported allergic reactions.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization, which is putting on the conference and represents almost 1,000 companies, quickly issued a press release announcing the CDC results as a victory.
"We don't think the CDC findings prove anything. They tested between 18 and 20 people -- that's certainly not a large enough sample size to say it’s not allergic," said Simon Harris, West Coast field organizer for the Organic Consumers Association and part of BioDevastation.
The protesters expect to peacefully gather between 500 and 1,000 demonstrators to rally against other issues as well, including "globalization."
Harris submits that the biotech industry is just another arm of this globalization, which he says takes away consumers' right to make their own decisions.
"Say I'm on the school board and I don’t want my kid to eat genetically modified mod food at school. Globalization removes my ability as a community member to effect these decisions," he said.
Meanwhile, states and countries plan to peddle the attributes of their respective geographies as the best place for biotech.
Iowa has the best soil, while Virginia has genetically modified pigs. Switzerland officials say the country is in the "premier league of biotechnology." Australia has a huge telescope. And the governor of Missouri is out to educate schoolchildren so they can understand it all.
Dan Jenkins, BIO vice president of communications, said as long as they don't disrupt the meeting, he's happy to open up a dialog with BioDevastation.
"If their message is 'We should question and be careful how we use new technology, I think they would find we have a lot in common," he said. "But if they'll be rappelling from buildings and disrupting the meeting, I'm not sure talking to them will accomplish a lot."
