Governor Tim Pawlenty Proclaims December 8-12, 2008, Life Science Week in Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Governor Tim Pawlenty has issued a State of Minnesota Proclamation designating December 8-12, 2008, as Life Science Week. The proclamation has been issued to showcase Minnesota as a national and world leader in ground-breaking scientific research and innovation in the health care and life science industry, contributing to the health and well-being of people, animals, plants, and the environment. December 8-12, 2008 has been deemed Life Science Week with three exceptional programming opportunities: The annual Bakken Surgical Device Symposium at the University of Minnesota December 8-9; the 7^th Annual LifeScience Alley Conference & Expo, December 10; and the Midwest Personalized Health Framework meeting hosted by LifeScience Alley on December 11.

Through the three programming opportunities of surgery, life sciences and health, Life Science Week showcases the leading-edge health care and life science research, innovation and commercialization that have become hallmarks of Minnesota and the surrounding region. The life science industry is extremely important to the state of Minnesota’s economy employing over 250,000 Minnesotans and thousands more world wide. LifeScience Alley and its nearly 600 member organizations as well as the University of Minnesota, invite all Minnesotans to learn how our state’s leadership in life sciences enhances the health and well-being for our fellow citizens around the world. View the Governor’s proclamation online.

About LifeScience Alley™

LifeScience Alley is the largest trade association serving the life sciences in the Upper Midwest. It represents nearly 600 member companies, organizations and institutions of all sizes that devote their efforts to the research, development and commercialization of the life sciences. LifeScience Alley acts as the industry’s central resource for fostering innovation, offering education and creating consensus. It offers members unique opportunities to network and collaborate and provides them with a strong, unified voice at the state and federal level. Members hail from all life science industry sectors, including medical device, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, health care providers and insurers, agricultural and industrial biotechnology, and renewable energy. For more information, visit www.lifesciencealley.org or www.lifesciencealleyconference.org or call 952-542-3077.

About the University of Minnesota Academic Health Center

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.