Minnesota and Wisconsin in bio battle

The flight of promising homegrown biotech start-ups to Wisconsin does not bode well for Minnesota, a state that depends heavily on medical technology for economic growth and well-paying jobs. While Minnesota is one of the world's top producers in heart-related mechanical devices like stents and pacemakers, experts predict biotechnology -- the use of DNA to predict and diagnose diseases and develop lifesaving treatments -- will drive medical innovation over the next century and beyond.

Wisconsin has become the regional biotech equivalent of traditional high-tech powerhouses like Boston, Silicon Valley and Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, thanks to strong political support, an influx of investor capital and what is arguably the most formidable university technology transfer program in the country.

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