Leroy Hood, chairman of molecular biotechnology at the University ofWashington School of Medicine, Seattle, will receive the 1994National Biotechnology Award on Oct. 31, at the seventh annualNational Conference on Biotechnology Ventures, at Redwood Shores,Calif.Alan Walton, senior partner of Oxford Bioscience Partners, Stamford,Conn., will present the prizes _ a check for $10,000 and a gold medal.Oxford co-sponsors the event with Ernst & Young, San Francisco.Walton gave BioWorld Today advance notice of the award, partly tostem the continuing flow of nominations for the distinction.This "does indeed close off further nominations for this year," he said.Since 1989, six biotechnology scientists have won the honor: StanleyCohen and Herbert Boyer (gene splicing _ 1989); Cesar Milstein(monoclonal antibodies - 1990); Kary Mullis (PCR technology - 1991;Marvin Caruthers (nucleotide synthesis - 1992); James Watson(lifetime achievement - 1993).The award committee named Hood this year "for his seminalcontributions to the advancement of molecular genetics andbiotechnology, particularly the development of instruments that havefacilitated the micro-sequencing of proteins and synthesis ofpolynucleotides."The two-day, closed-door conference is open only to venturecapitalists. About 200 such professional investors will hearpresentations by 30 biotechnology companies, "based on the theme,Walton said, of how genomics leads to specific new approaches totherapy. It's a technology conference, even though you've got VCsonly in the audience. It's meant to be cutting edge of what's comingnext." _ David N. Leff

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