Gov. Jim Doyle led a group of Wisconsin scientists to Chicago Monday to attend the world's largest biotechnology conference.

In the first time the conference has been held in the Midwest, Doyle and the Wisconsin delegation convened with other policy makers and scientists representing more than 60 countries.

"Wisconsin has a really great story to tell, and that's why we're going to the conference," Doyle's spokesperson Matt Canter said. "Wisconsin is the birthplace of a lot of what's happening in the biotechnology revolution."

As conference attendees point to the state's groundbreaking biomedical research as a facet to the scientific community, the issue has sparked a moral debate over research's ethical limits and appropriate place in society.

According to Canter, Wisconsin's position as a frontrunner in biotechnology and stem cell research needs to be maintained for the sake of the state's future.

"Wisconsin has something very special here," he said. "We are a leader in this research. Although [further] research will take years to develop … the industry is moving very fast and Wisconsin has got to stay ahead."

Canter added the governor has and will continue to secure Wisconsin's place as a research leader, because biotechnology "is the economy of the future."

But some critics have said this mentality borders closely on threatening the mainstream moral values of Wisconsin citizens, arguing legal limits are necessary to prevent crossing the line.

Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis., for example, said while he supports research and advancement, firm regulations should be in place.

"[T]he ends should always justify the means," Rob Vernon, Green's campaign press secretary, said. "Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. … We need guidelines for medical research."

Vernon added the governor has failed to place the necessary limits on research, heavily criticizing Doyle's decision last year to veto legislation that would have banned human cloning.

But Canter pointed to such a decision as evidence of the governor's concern for the state's medical and economic future, adding continued biotechnology research will not only create jobs, but also save lives.

"Much of this [conference] is tied into research into the most deadly diseases," he said, adding scientists are hoping to cure illnesses like juvenile diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.

Vernon agreed the conference holds importance in terms of improving human health, but added it cannot be exempt from a basic code of ethics.

"[Rep. Green] believes … that we should absolutely do all we can to find ways to improve people's health and quality of life, but we should not pursue that noble cause without regard to right and wrong," he said.

The Wisconsin group attending the BIO 2006 conference marks the largest delegation ever formed in the state. Those in attendance include University of Wisconsin faculty member James Thomson, who derived the first stem cells in 1998.

BIO 2006 will last through Wednesday.