Media Roundtable

Sequencing the first human genome - the Manhattan project of biotechnology - cost billions and required an army of scientists. Today, it can be done for a mere fraction of the cost, in a single lab. What has enabled this incredible development within a few years, when will we see the first ‘1000 Dollar Genome’ and, most importantly, what impact will this have on our daily lives and on science and medicine ?

The first applications are already visible today in scientific research, be it analyzing the earliest dawn of human evolution in the DNA of our ancestors, better identification of responders toHIV drugs, improvements in our understanding of the earth’s natural environments such as coral reefs or - asa current example of very high interest - virology research to understand the actual developments of the new Influenza A H1N1 virus. Last but not least, DNA sequencing,together with other established or evolving DNA and protein technologies, is a crucial factor to drive Personalised Healthcare, one of the major and most important challenges in medical research which academia, clinics and industry are facing today.

To discuss these topics, we have invited

• Christopher Mc Leod, CEO of 454 Life Sciences, Branford, US, who will give deep insight and first hand information on the history and development of sequencing and many of its current applications,
• Prof. Ian Lipkin, Columbia University, New York, who will report on his research in collaboration with the WHO investigating Ebola and also the new Influenza A H1N1 virus and
• Mitchell Martin, Molecular Medicine Laboratories, Roche who will explain ‘How to do’ Personalised Healthcare using examples from our own R&D.

The Roundtable will be held on Friday, 20. November 2009.

Presentations :

• Christopher Mc Leod
• Prof. Ian Lipkin
• Personalized Healthcare Backgorunder

Audio Replay: