(NIST: Gaithersburg, Maryland) -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) will cosponsor an international conference on “Accelerating Innovation in 21st Century Biosciences: Identifying the Measurement Standards and Technological Challenges,” Oct. 19–22, at NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The conference goal is to identify and prioritize measurement, standards, and technology needs that are currently creating barriers to innovation—and impeding full realization of the societal and economic benefits of new discoveries in the biosciences. The conference will focus on:

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