Rubber Division, partners to expand Rubber Expo

ERJ staff report (R&PN)

AKRON (April 12, 2010)-The ACS Rubber Division is expanding its Cleveland Rubber Expo to include advanced materials and healthcare, in partnership with a number of universities and enterprises involved in the biomedical industry.

The Oct. 11-13, 2011 event in at the International Exposition Center will be called the Rubber Expo and Advanced Materials in Health Care show, the association said.

The Rubber Division, quoting a local news story, said Northeast Ohio's biomedical industry has grown by 37 percent during the past five years, with the region's professional, scientific and technical services growing at 79 percent during the past 15 years.

This has been augmented by the growth of biomedical corridors in Northeast Ohio along with the introduction of new enterprises such as the Austen Bioinnovation Institute and the University of Akron's Polymer Innovation Center, both of which are among the partners in the event.

The other partners are BioEnterprise Inc.; UA's College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering; Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, or NEOUCOM; Ferris State University; Cleveland I-X Center and the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center.

Ohio has more than 1,200 biomedical companies and continues to grow rapidly, meaning there are opportunities for advanced materials companies to participate in the industry as suppliers and end product manufacturers, said Baiju Shah, president and CEO of BioEnterprise Inc.

In a statement, Ed Miller, executive director of the Rubber Division, said, “This new direction is a natural extension that will provide a proven venue every two years in Cleveland for international rubber, polymer, biomaterials and other companies relating to the health care industry to showcase their organisation, products and services.

“This new venue retains all of the benefits for traditional rubber and polymer companies to exhibit, while offering new benefits to those in the biomaterial and health care industries to join the show.”

By expanding the conference, the Rubber Division recognises the tremendous potential in using biomaterials to find innovative solutions to significant clinical problems, said Dr. Frank Douglas, who heads the Austen Bioinnovation Institute, a partnership of Akron Children's Hospital, Akron General Health System, NEOUCOM, Summa Health System and the University of Akron. “Given our focus on patient-centered innovation and commercialisation at the intersection of biomaterials and medicine, we applaud the Rubber Division for fostering a collaborative environment,” he said.

The exposition will continue to offer technical symposia and educational workshops in rubber and polymer research, applications, technology and business while adding others in advanced biomaterials, research and applications relating to the healthcare industry.

Judit E. Puskas, professor of polymer science and integrated bioscience at UA, is leading a group from NEOUCOM, Ferris State and UA to develop the technical and educational programs for advanced materials in health care.

More information about the expo and the trade show's floor plan is available at the Rubber Division Web site, www.rubber.org.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)