SAN ANTONIO (October 30, 2006) - The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) will hold its Annual Meeting and Exposition from October 29 to November 2, 2006 bringing 9,000 attendees to San Antonio.  The conference will feature a range of coordinated keynote and plenary lectures with topics such as the influence of intellectual property (IP) and law on pharmaceutical development, scientific research and product development and the practice of medicine. 

A major destination for medical meetings, San Antonio is home to an expanding healthcare and bioscience industry that employs about 15 percent of the local workforce, with an annual economic impact of $14 billion.  The industry's local impact has increased 85 percent in the past 10 years. 

In 2004, San Antonio bioscience research entities received $164 million in annual National Institutes of Health funding.  Some of the largest areas of research were conducted by the Cancer Therapy & Research Center, the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, one of the top 30 universities for research funding. 

In 2005, after considering four cities, pharmaceutical manufacturer DPT Laboratories began construction on a 258,000 square foot complex at San Antonio's newest technology park, Brooks City-Base.  The $24 million expansion will provide more research space to the company and serve as a worldwide distribution site. 

San Antonio provides a unique blend of research and educational institutions, cutting-edge biotech companies, and successful national corporations.  In the same collaborative spirit, community and industry leaders have formed BioMed SA, a non-profit corporation dedicated to growing and promoting the city's vibrant healthcare and bioscience sector. 

For more information about the conference or the AAPS organization, please see the AAPS website at:    www.aapspharmaceutica.com