PRESS RELEASES   Search for innovation brings U.S. senator to research park 04/16/2005 The Oklahoman By Jim Stafford Business Writer U.S. Sen. George Allen said he came to the Presbyterian Research Park on Friday looking for "innovation." After a 40-minute tour that included a pair of companies focused on disease prevention, it was obvious he found it. Allen, a Republican from Virginia, was in town to speak to state Republicans this weekend. His fellow Republican, Sen. Jim Inhofe, brought him to the Research Park for a meeting with business leaders and the tour in which Oklahoma-based research and technology was highlighted. "I'm one who's advocating innovation, technology and ways this country can be a leader in innovation," Allen said before strolling across the Research Park campus. "One of those areas of innovations is in a variety of technologies including biotechnology. "It's always good to get invigorated by good ideas, and Senator Inhofe said this would be a perfect place." Inhofe quickly cut in: "It's one of our best-kept secrets here. We're kind of the research capital of the nation now." Two Research Park-based early stage companies -- InterGenetics and Inoveon -- that are working to bring innovative medical technologies to the market briefed Allen on their missions. InterGenetics has developed a genetic process for identifying women at risk for breast cancer. Inoveon has created a process to detect and monitor diabetic retinopathy, one of the nation's leading causes of blindness. Allen also heard a quick briefing from a Cytovance Biologics Inc. representative on that company's plans to ramp up biopharmaceutical manufacturing at a $16 million plant under construction on the West side of the Research Park campus. The tour included a stop at the InterGenetics laboratory where a scientist discussed the process used to assess the DNA from samples submitted from throughout the nation. Allen also got a first-person glimpse of Inoveon's technology that uses scans of the retina to detect progression of diabetes-related eye disease. "Both of these companies we are showing you are treating human beings at a prevention level that will save everybody in the country hundreds of billions of dollars," said Mike Anderson, the Presbyterian Foundation's president who served as tour guide. Allen peppered Craig Shimasaki, InterGenetics' chief executive officer, and Inoveon's chief medical officer, Dr. Lloyd Hildebrand, with questions about potential benefits of their technologies to both patients and the economy. After lingering for 20 minutes beyond the scheduled conclusion of the tour, Allen confirmed that his quest for innovation had been met before he moved on. "What a tremendous asset this (Research Park) truly is," he said.