FLORIDA’S NEWEST BIOTECH CLUSTER AT LAKE NONA UNVEILS NEW ADDITIONS AT BIOFLORIDA’S 12TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

October 14, 2009; Orlando, Fla.  – In November, BioFlorida will host its 12th Annual Conference in Orlando – home of Lake Nona’s medical city. As the state’s largest gathering of life science professionals, the conference will showcase the increasingly active health and life sciences community in Orlando and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the industry across the state. This year’s theme, “Convergence: Creating BioSynergy,” is expected to attract more than 400 business and scientific leaders from across the state, ready to explore Florida’s life science technologies and biosynergy.

The new east coast campus of the Burnham Institute for Medical Research at Lake Nona, which celebrated its official grand opening October 8th, will host the annual conference’s Welcome Reception on November 4th. Conference attendees will be among the first to tour the beautiful three-story research institution that is home to a $12-million robotic Ultra High Throughput Chemical Screening System. Burnham is one of only four NIH comprehensive centers for chemical biology and drug discovery in the nation and will ultimately staff more than 300 scientists. Already, the Orlando facility attracts almost $40 million in NIH funding.

In addition to an exclusive look at the research facility’s newest location, conference attendees will also have an opportunity to explore Lake Nona’s 600-acre health and life sciences campus, known as medical city, where it was also recently announced that the University of Florida would build a new research facility. The UF Academic and Research Center at Lake Nona will house three major activities relating to the mission of the University: A unique Comprehensive Drug Development Center; the UF College of Pharmacy doctoral program in Pharmacy; and biomedical research laboratories.

This month, Florida’s newest biotech cluster, Orlando’s medical city at Lake Nona, is featured on the cover of Florida Trend magazine, Florida’s only statewide business publication. The eight-page story written by award-winning editor Mark Howard cites Lake Nona’s medical cityas “a game-changer in the state’s biotech future” and highlights Lake Nona’s leadership for their ongoing collaborative efforts to “change Florida’s DNA.”

Private investment company Tavistock Group, Lake Nona’s parent company, is creating a unique scientific and medical core at Lake Nona that is quickly becoming the center of biomedical research in Central Florida with preeminent organizations including Burnham Institute for Medical Research, UCF’s College of Medicine, Nemours Children’s Hospital, M. D. Anderson - Orlando's Cancer Research Institute, University of Florida Research and Academic Center, and Orlando VA Medical Centerall locating within the 600-acre site.

BioFlorida’s 12th Annual Conferencewill take place at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes in Orlando, Fla., November 4-6, 2009. For additional information on the program or sponsorship, please visit http://BioFlorida.comor call 561.653.3839.

ABOUT BIOFLORIDA

BioFlorida is Florida’s statewide trade association for the bioscience industry providing advocacy, business development and communications services for more than 200 member companies. Our mission is to be the voice of the bioscience industry and the advocate for our member organizations. Bringing knowledge and resources to Florida’s bioscience community, BioFlorida supports the health, agricultural and energy sectors of biotechnology as well as the pharmaceutical and medical technology fields.

ABOUT LAKE NONA

Lake Nona is a 7,000-acre master planned community within the city limits of Orlando that will be home to world-class education, medical and recreational facilities, a medical city, diverse workspaces, retail centers, entertainment choices and residential options for all types of people seeking the best the city has to offer with all the conveniences of living within a dynamic, vibrant community.  Lake Nona is being developed by Lake Nona Property Holdings, owned by Tavistock Group, a private investment company with a broad portfolio of assets around the world.

For more information on Lake Nona, visit www.learnlakenona.com.

ABOUT TAVISTOCK GROUP

Tavistock Group is a private investment company founded by Joe Lewis.  The Group has grown to encompass a broad portfolio of investments around the world in the following sectors: life sciences, sports teams (Tottenham Hotspur Football Club) and sporting events (Tavistock Cup, Isleworth Collegiate Invitational), manufacturing and distribution (Puma, Gottex, Vans), oil and gas, financial services, restaurants (Freebirds World Burrito, Napa Valley Grille. Zed451), private luxury residential properties and master-planned real estate developments.

Private club communities include Isleworth and Lake Nona Golf & Country Club both located in Orlando, Florida.   Lake Nona forms a cornerstone holding to the Group’s current innovative, 7,000-acre mixed-use development plan highlighted by a life sciences cluster becoming known as Lake Nona’s medical city. 

Tavistock Group, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els have partnered to develop Albany, a luxury resort community on the island of New Providence in The Bahamas. Albany will feature a broad array of amenities for all members of the family, including a luxury boutique hotel, an Ernie Els-designed 18-hole championship golf course and a mega-yacht marina flanked by luxury residences designed by some of the most respected architects in the world.

Tavistock Group also announced its partnership with the Jamaican Government’s Harmonization Ltd. to jointly plan and develop 2,350 oceanfront acres on the country’s northern coast in Trelawny Parish. The development is designed to reclaim the age of luxury in Jamaica and will include several hotels, a gaming lounge, golf courses, retail shops and restaurants, making it the definitive premier resort destination in the Caribbean.