BIOCOM/san diego, the regional association for the life sciences industry, says that San Diego has the most concentrated cluster of life science companies in the United States. The announcement kicked off the annual CALBIOsummit conference, ``Advancing the Business of Health,'' scheduled to conclude Tuesday at the San Diego Convention Center.

Biotech has been a staple of the county's office and industrial markets, particularly in North County coastal areas.

The life science industry continues to have "an incredible impact in San Diego,'' says Brent Jacobs, senior vice president, Burnham Real Estate Services Life Science Group. ``With over 4,255 square miles and the infrastructure in place to foster innovative start-up companies, attract world-class pharmaceutical institutions and support scientific institutes, it is no wonder that San Diego is home to some of the nation's leading biotechnology companies.''

``As a thriving hotbed of biotechnology for the past 20 years, we wanted to see how we compared with other biotechnology clusters in the nation in terms of companies per square mile,'' says Joe Panetta, president and CEO of BIOCOM/san diego. ``We examined the number of companies in San Diego and found that San Diego has 38% more companies per square mile as compared tothe Bay Area ‹ a true testament to San Diego's life sciences presence.''

Our region's approximately 500 hundred life science companies, employ more than 25,000 people and are developing hundreds of products, nearly 50 of which are in the final stages of drug development, Panetta adds. ``This unparalleled growth and innovation in San Diego has only been possible through rich sources of science and technology research and innovation, access to investment capital, an educated and accessible workforce, and a political climate supportive to emerging enterprises.''