SCIENCE and Innovation Minister Lord Sainsbury today praised two York companies for taking part in the world's largest biotechnology event being held in San Francisco next week.

The UK delegation, including Bridgehead Pharmalicensing and Procure Therapeutics Ltd, will be led by Lord Sainsbury to showcase their latest products and research at the four day BIO 2004 Annual International Convention, from this Sunday.

Bridgehead Pharmalicensing of Marlborough House, York Business Park, Nether Poppleton, is loosely described as an online dating agency for the biopharmaceutical industry, providing support for executives involved in partnering, licensing and business development.

Part of the Bridgehead International Group based at Melton Mowbray, its service, bringing together potential dealmakers, attracts 1.4 million industry experts to its pharmalicensing.com website every year.

Procure Therapeutics, based at the Biocentre at York's Science Park in Heslington, develops products for the treatment and diagnosis of prostate cancer and recently raised £149,000 in private equity.

At the San Francisco convention will be Prof Norman Maitland, its chief scientific officer, who headed up the Yorkshire Cancer Research Unit at the university from which Procure was a spinoff. He will be accompanied by Procure's new chief executive, Dr Alan Raymond.

Lord Sainsbury said: "These companies are outstanding in their field, offering world-class services and products to the increasingly important biotech sector. I am very pleased that they will be part of the 50 strong delegation of firms at this major industry event and will be able to demonstrate their cutting-edge technology to the world."

UK Trade & Investment, in partnership with BioIndustry Association (BIA), is supporting 50 companies and organisations specialised in biodefence, drug discovery, structural biology, cancer and oncology to take part in BIO 2004.

The event is expected to attract more than 16,000 bio executives, investors, journalists, policymakers and scientists from more than 55 countries worldwide.

Bio 2004 will feature business forums, educational sessions and workshops on biotech finance, partnering, research and development, science and policy, as well as an exhibit hall that hosts 1,200 displays.

Updated: 10:37 Friday, June 04, 2004