Five Top Colorado Bioscience Company CEOs Present at This Year’s BioWest Mature Company Forum

Denver, CO – The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) announces participation of the following Colorado bioscience CEOs in the BioWest Mature Company Forum on December 6, 2007 (3 - 5:30 p.m.), at the Grand Hyatt Denver: Bob Conway, Array Biopharma; Greg Baldwin, Baxa Corporation; Jeff Probst, Blue Sun Biodiesel; Chris Smith, Cochlear Americas; and Bob Grieve, Heska Corporation.

“We are honored to have assembled this high caliber group of Colorado CEOs for our Forum this year,” says Denise Brown, CBSA Executive Director, “They will share their secrets to consistent growth and staying power in the rapidly changing bioscience industry, newest clinical findings, regulatory approvals and other relevant management information with attendees.”

Conference registration is required in order to attend the Mature Company Forum. Complete registration details for the BioWest Conference and Expo are available at http://www.BioWestConference.com. Here is more information about each participating company:

* Array Biopharma, CEO Bob Conway

Array BioPharma Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of targeted small molecule drugs to treat debilitating and life-threatening diseases. The proprietary drug development pipeline is primarily focused on the treatment of cancer and inflammatory disease and includes clinical candidates that are designed to regulate therapeutically important targets. Array Biopharma is listed on NASDAQ under ARRY. The company has over 320 employees in Boulder and Longmont, CO. http://www.arraybiopharma.com

* Baxa Corporation, Chairman and CEO Greg Baldwin

Baxa develops technology to provide solutions that meet pharmacy needs. They focus on products for preparing, handling, packaging, and administering fluid medications. Customer value is delivered by streamlining pharmacy practice, enhancing patient safety, and reducing operating costs. The company is privately held and employs more than 400 at the Englewood, CO, headquarters and throughout the world. http://www.baxa.com

* Blue Sun Biodiesel, CEO Jeff Probst

Blue Sun is working to reduce the cost of high-grade biodiesel fuel through the development and production of low cost oilseed crops for dryland agriculture on the High Plains of Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, and neighboring states. Blue Sun's affiliate biodiesel production facilities supply Blue Sun's distribution network, using preferred relationships with the region's fuel distributors and biodiesel customers. The company is located in Westminster, CO. http://www.gobluesun.com

* Cochlear Americas, President Chris Smith

Cochlear delivers innovative cochlear implant and bone-anchored solutions to the hearing impaired around the world. Over the past 25 years, Cochlear has helped over 120,000 people. Cochlear employs almost 300 in their Americas office in Englewood, CO. The company is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange as COH. http://www.cochlear.com

* Heska Corporation, Chairman and CEO Bob Grieve

Heska sells advanced veterinary diagnostic and other specialty veterinary products. Heska's offerings to its customers include diagnostic and monitoring instruments and supplies as well as single use, point-of-care tests, vaccines and pharmaceuticals. The company's core focus is on the canine and feline markets where it strives to provide high value products for unmet needs in veterinary medicine. Heska has over 300 employees in Loveland, CO and throughout the world. The company is listed on NASDAQ under HSKA. http://www.heska.com

More than 900 participants are expected at this year’s event, December 6-7, at the Grand Hyatt in Denver. Best-selling author & noted management scholar Jim Collins headlines a stellar lineup of national presenters for BioWest 2007. Collins most recent work, GOOD TO GREAT: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t, attained long-running positions on The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek best seller lists, selling 2.5 million hardcover copies since publication. Collins will spend two hours with the audience presenting his ideas and thoughts and interacting with the participants for a unique extended business education session (http://www.jimcollins.com).

Additional national speakers confirmed for BioWest 2007 include:

* December 6 Founder’s Breakfast: Chris Nolet, Partner & Leader, Pacific Northwest Area, Life Sciences Industry Group Ernst & Young.

* December 6 Luncheon – Karen Bernstein, Chairman and Editor-in-Chief, BioCentury, the essential source of intelligence for a global audience of biotech and pharmaceutical executives and investors.

* December 7 Breakfast Address: Stephen Ubl, President and Chief Executive Officer of AdvaMed, the Advanced Medical Technology Association

* December 7 CBSA Awards Luncheon Keynote: Ivor Royston, M.D., founder of the legendary Hybritech and Managing Member at the San Diego-based Forward Ventures

The BioWest Conference and Expo is the Rocky Mountain region’s preferred venue for visiting with researchers about their newest discoveries and meeting founders of the area’s most innovative and promising bioscience start-up companies. The annual Venture Showcase, scheduled for the morning of December 7, will bring together six start-up companies to make their “pitch” to a panel of national venture capitalists. The $10,000 Faegre & Benson Venture Showcase Award will again be presented to the company with the best presentation.

Earlier stage technologies will be showcased at the Technology Transfer Poster Reception on the evening of December 6. Researchers from the region’s top institutions will be on hand with scientific poster presentations to discuss their bioscience discoveries. BioWest 2007 will also provide participants with a 30,000 foot overview of the national biotechnology and medical device issues and trends.

In addition to formal presentations, productive networking among attendees will occur at this year’s BioWest Expo, featuring 50 bioscience suppliers whose exhibits will fill the hallways with services and products to help the region’s companies succeed and grow.

Last but not least, the grand finale to the BioWest Conference and Expo is the December 7 CBSA Annual Awards Luncheon where the bioscience industry celebrates the “Best of the Best” and recognizes industry leaders and supporters. Dr. Royston, keynote speaker for the luncheon, led the concept of partnering medical discovery with industry when he co-founded Hybritech, San Diego's first biotechnology company, in 1978. Today, a good majority of San Diego biotechnology companies can trace their roots back to Hybritech. Dr. Royston is currently Managing Member of San Diego-based Forward Ventures. Additional information is available at http://www.forwardventures.com

About Colorado BioScience Association

CBSA is a not-for-profit corporation providing services and support for Colorado's growing biosciences industry. With more than 400 members, CBSA actively works to promote the growth of the industry by working for a better business environment, grow the state's biotech workforce, fight for policies that support a strong bioscience industry in the state and speak with a single voice on behalf of the industry. For more information, visit http://www.cobioscience.com

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Contacts:

Christine Shapard, Deputy Director, Colorado BioScience Association http://www.cobioscience.com – 303-592-4089 or cshapard@cobioscience.com

Maggie Chamberlin Holben, APR, Absolutely Public Relations http://www.absolutelypr.com – 303-984-9801, maggie@absolutelypr.com