October 29, 2012
Vancouver, BC – Dr. Eric Green, Director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) will deliver a keynote address in Vancouver on Thursday, November 1. This free public talk is the third annual Don Rix Distinguished Keynote Address, presented by Genome British Columbia.
As head of the largest organization in the world solely dedicated to genomics research, Dr. Green is at the nexus of the genomics revolution that has been sweeping the scientific community for over two decades. While working as an independent researcher, Dr. Green was at the forefront of efforts to map, sequence, and understand eukaryotic genomes, including significant, start-to-finish involvement in the Human Genome Project.
During his lecture, The Human Genomics Landscape: Bringing Genomic Medicine into Focus, Dr. Green will talk about past accomplishments in human genomics as well as his vision for the future of genomic medicine.
“The Human Genome Project was a landmark scientific achievement of historic significance,” said Dr. Green. “Effectively exploiting the opportunities provided by the human genome sequence will ensure the productive growth of genomics as one of the most vital biomedical disciplines of the 21st century.”
The NHGRI is pursuing a broad vision for genomics research, including the use of genomic data, technologies, and insights to acquire a deeper understanding of genome function and biology, as well as to uncover the genetic basis of human disease. The opportunities the Human Genome Project provided for the field of genomics are boundless. The growing foundation of genomic knowledge is serving as a platform for innovative researchers and clinicians to tackle increasingly complex problems in biomedicine.
Today, revolutionary new DNA-sequencing technologies are catalyzing some of the most profound advances in applying genomics to medicine. These new methods are producing prodigious amounts of DNA sequence data as part of studies aimed at elucidating the complexities of genome function and unraveling the genetic basis of rare and complex diseases. Together, these developments are ushering in the era of genomic medicine.
“Genomics has dramatically changed how we approach human health, forestry, fisheries, bioenergy, mining, agriculture and the environment,” says Dr. Alan Winter, President and CEO of Genome BC. “Hearing from someone so engaged in the past, present, and future of genomic medicine will offer our community great insight and, I suspect, great inspiration.”
Event: The Human Genomics Landscape: Bringing Genomic Medicine Into Focus
Date: Thursday, November 1st, 2012
Time: |
4:00pm to 4:30pm – Registration
4:30pm to 6:00pm – Keynote, Q&A with audience
6:00pm to 7:00pm – Reception |
Location: West Meeting Room 118-120, Vancouver Convention Centre, 1055 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC
Registration is closed
Dr. Eric Green is the Director of the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute based in Bethesda, Maryland. He is responsible for providing overall leadership of the Institute’s research portfolio and other initiatives; this requires significant coordination with other NIH components and funding agencies. Most recently, Dr. Green led NHGRI to the completion of a strategic planning process that yielded a new vision for the future of genomics research, entitled Charting a course for genomic medicine from base pairs to bedside (Nature, 470:204-213. 2011).
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Media
Dr. Eric Green is available on November 1, 2012 to offer viewpoints on the impact of the Human Genome Project and the movement onwards from that discovery to an era of genomic medicine (selected availability).
Dr. Alan Winter, President & CEO Genome BC is available on November 1st and 2nd to provide the BC and Canadian context for this exciting work.