Michael J. Fox to keynote upcoming BIO conference in Boston, MA

The Washington, D.C.-based Biotechnology Industry Organization reports that Michael J. Fox, founder of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, will deliver the keynote address at the 2007 BIO International Convention on May 7, 2007, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

The 2007 BIO International Convention, the global event for biotechnology, runs May 6-9 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Titled "Driving the Development and Availability of Novel Therapies," Fox's keynote will address the need for creative approaches to speed research and discovery into advances in treatment. The discussion will explore strategies and solutions to "de-risk" investment in novel therapeutics for the biotechnology industry and academia alike.

Fox established The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in 2000, shortly after announcing his retirement from television. At the time of his retirement, Mr. Fox publicly disclosed that he had been diagnosed with young-onset Parkinson's disease nearly seven years earlier.

As of January 2007, the Foundation has funded more than $90 million of research, either directly or through partnerships, supporting more than 300 Parkinson's research projects throughout the world.

Following his keynote, Fox will be joined by Deborah W. Brooks, president and CEO of The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, and Gene Johnson, the Foundation's chief scientific advisor, for a panel discussion on the topic.