Venture capitalists convening next month in Chicago will hear presentations from 70 Midwestern biotechnology companies - including one from Cincinnati.

CardioEnergetics, founded in 1998 by Dr. David Melvin, is one of five Ohio companies that will attend the BIO Mid-America VentureForum on April 3-4. The event will be hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization and co-sponsored by Omeris, an Ohio biotech group based in Columbus.

CardioEnergetics has developed a cardiac care treatment that helps weakened hearts pump a normal amount of blood. The company says prototypes have been tested successfully in animals and people.

The other Ohio presenters will be Athersys and Imalux of Cleveland, Diagnostic Hybrids of Athens and iMEDD of Columbus.

James McNair