Penang gears up for biotech.

(From Business Times (Malaysia))

Byline: Marina Emmanuel

BIO-PHARMACEUTICALS and medical devices along with marine biotechnology research and development (R&D) are among the areas Penang is poised to venture into as part of its "next leap" in economic development.

Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said yesterday that the state, which has already ventured into medical biotechnology with several ongoing projects and others in the pipeline, is now looking at more areas.

"Future potentials to be explored include vaccine development for common tropical diseases and diagnostic devices," he said when opening the 2006 Biotechnology Symposium …