ARMONK, NY--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 11, 2008 -- IBM (NYSE:IBM - News) will host a virtual conference and expo focusing on innovations in drug discovery and development on April 16 and 17, 2008. Far more than a webinar, the Life Sciences Virtual Conference and Expo will provide a fully interactive event that incorporates on-line learning, live chat, immersive exhibit booths and sessions, vendor presentations and more.

"Because the conference is 100 percent virtual, attendees can experience the expo from the comfort of their own desks, saving their businesses significant travel expenses and getting right to the industry information and solutions they seek free of charge," said David Turek, Vice President Deep Computing.

Leading scientists and researchers from industry, academia, and research institutions will discuss how they are solving a wide range of challenging biological, chemical, imaging, clinical, and interdisciplinary systems problems. These experts will share with attendees their use of breakthrough High Performance Computing (HPC) solution approaches that integrate new software applications, systems, and sophisticated algorithms.

Selected speakers at the event and their topics include:

 
--  Dr. Paul Matsudaira, Director Whitehead Institute Professor of Biology
    and Bioengineering, MIT, Advanced Imaging and Informatics Methods for
    Complex Life Sciences Problems
--  Professor Jan-Eric Litton, Director of Informatics, Karolinska
    Institute, Biobanking - The Challenge of Infrastructure for Large Scale
    Population Studies
--  Dr. Joel Saltz, Professor and Chair, Department of BioMedical
    Informatics, Ohio State University, The Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid
    (caBIG(TM))
--  Dr. Ajay Royyuru, IBM Research, Computation Biology at IBM, Update on
    the IBM Genealogy Project co-sponsored with National Geographic
--  Dr. Michael Hehenberger, Solutions Executive, Global Life Sciences, IT
    Architectures and Solutions for Imaging Biomarkers

Free registration for this event is available at: http://vts.inxpo.com/scripts/Lightning.dll?LASCmd=AI:4;F:QS!10100&ShowKey=1 129&AffiliateKey=526. Participants will receive a final agenda and full list of speakers prior to the event.

IBM has a long history of active collaboration with leading life sciences applications developers and researchers. The company's industry's leading portfolio for Deep Computing and HPC systems and architectures ranging from the Cluster System 1350(TM) to the Blue Gene® solution are used throughout the life sciences industry for bioinformatics, biochemistry, medical imaging and analysis, as well as clinical development.

IBM is also leading in the development of the next evolutionary phase of the Internet, helping clients and partners to conduct business inside virtual worlds and to connect the virtual world with the real world through a richer, more immersive Web environment. As demonstrated by the Life Sciences Virtual Conference and Expo, IBM is experimenting with innovative companies across a variety of industries from healthcare & life sciences to banking and insurance and from retail to media & entertainment.

For more information, please visit www.ibm.com.

     CONTACT:
      
     Gina Jesberg
     IBM Public Relations
     (203) 445 1545
     ginajes@us.ibm.com
      
     Michael Corrado
     IBM Public Relations
     (914) 766-4635
     mcorrado@us.ibm.com