The UNLV College of Sciences was awarded the inaugural Nevada Biotechnology Award from the Nevada Biotechnology and Bioscience Consortium (NevBio) for its contributions to the advancement of biotechnology and life sciences in Nevada.

Growing the biotech sector in Las Vegas has long been a goal of city officials and the Nevada Development Authority, both of whom believe the industry is critical to their economic diversifications efforts in Southern Nevada and across the state.

The award was presented Feb. 18 during a meeting of the NevBio and Regenerative Medicine Organization at the Wynn Hotel and Casino. Senator Harry Reid was honored with the individual award for his support of both higher education and the growth of Nevada's biotechnology sector.

"Most of the advancements in biotechnology that have occurred at universities later become the basis of new treatments for disease, economic diversification and improvements in the quality of life," said John Laub, executive director of NevBio. "We are pleased to honor UNLV's College of Sciences for the impressive accomplishments it has made in the last few years."
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The NevBio board cited several reasons for honoring the college with its inaugural award, including the College's development of new research infrastructure, increased peer-reviewed funding, greater quality and quantity of faculty scholarship, and its commitment to community outreach. Ron Yasbin, dean of UNLV's College of Sciences, says the award reflects years of hard work, strategic planning and a commitment by the university to hire and retain a team of excellent, collaborative faculty.

"UNLV believes it has a responsibility to help Nevada become a leader in biotechnology, and the College of Sciences has long made that goal a priority," Yasbin said "We are honored to receive this award and strongly believe that this honor is evidence of our progress toward that end. UNLV will continue to serve not only as a training ground for new scientists entering this exciting field, but as one of the catalysts for future economic growth and diversification across the state."

In 2007, the College of Sciences was awarded more than $20 million in federal research grants, published more than 300 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals, and saw the medical school acceptance rate for its alumni increase to almost double the national average. Additionally, several of its academic programs have been recently recognized for their quality of research and contributions toward increasing the economic development of high-tech sectors in Nevada and nationwide.

The NevBio is an organization of institutes, companies, and academia in Nevada engaged in the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceutical research and production, medical devices, and health science research. The mission of the NBBC is to foster and support biotechnology and life science-related businesses in Nevada and to promote and elevate the presence of life science research in Nevada.