Boston Hosts Global Biotech Conference

Some 16,000 people from more than 60 countries are expected in Boston this week to attend the convention of the global biotech industry.

As WBUR's Curt Nickisch reports for our Newscast unit:

The convention, known simply as BIO, was last held in Boston five years ago. That’s when the state announced a billion-dollar, decade-long effort to promote biotech.

Bob Coughlin, the head of the state trade group MassBio, says it sent an important signal.

"That let the life sciences industry know that the government was willing to work with them to not only retain them here, but promote them in Massachusetts," Coughlin said.

The state plans to announce several new international biotechnology collaborations this year.

Among the industry trends the four-day convention will cover are the resurgence of drug-resistant infectious diseases and the expanding cost of personalized medicine.

The Associated Press adds: "Massachusetts officials say there are more than 500 biopharmaceutical companies in the state employing about 48,000 people."