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For immediate release
Jan. 7, 2006
Systems Biology Summit to be held in Richmond
Richmond, VA – Several top research universities from around the nation have come together to organize a Summit on Systems Biology with the mission of influencing research and develop plans of the future. The summit has attracted the attention of the industry’s most influential researchers and policy makers and is scheduled for March 29 – 31, 2006 at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va.
“The systems biology approach represents the future of biomedical research and relevant diagnostic tools and treatments,” said Richard L. Summers M.D., Ph.D., director of Emergency Medicine Research at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “Summits such as this are necessary in addressing the experimental, technological, computational and sociological challenges we face as this field continues to develop.”
Over the past ten years, systems biology has become a major focus of research laboratories in both academia and industry. It is the study of an organism, viewed as an “integrated” and “interacting network” of genes, proteins and biochemical reactions instead of a system of individual components. For example, to understand the immune system, system biologists do not study a single gene or chemical mechanism, but rather the interactions of numerous genes, proteins, mechanisms and the organism’s external environment, which produces the immune responses to fight infections and diseases.
“It is the complex and dynamic interactions between the various parts of a cell, organ and organism that ultimately dictates function and the phenotype, thus understanding this interplay is crucial for developing a true understanding of any organism, something that can not be achieved by investigating individual parts in isolation.” said Jennifer Van Eyk, Ph.D. director of the Johns Hopkins NHLBI Proteomics Group “This global systems approach should ultimately transform our understanding of human health and disease.”
According to Gregory Buck, director of the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity at Virginia Commonwealth University, the goal of this summit is to bring together key people from academia, government and industry to forge the relationships that can influence key policy issues related to systems biology and steer the future of research and development.
“This event will encourage collaboration between investigators, department chairs, and other university and industry leaders who are in positions to shape the future of systems biology,” said Buck. “We have lined up several diverse and provocative topics with excellent speakers in sessions that should prove to be very enlightening and informative to a broad spectrum of participants.”
The agenda includes three main educational blocks that have been titled “Computational Biology,” “Genomics and Proteomics,” and “Complexity in Biological Systems.” Each block will have a number of presentations following a keynote speaker. Included among the scheduled speakers and topics are:
- Jonathan B. Perlin, M.D. Ph.D.
Under Secretary for Health
U.S. Veterans Administration
Topic: Integrating Biology, Medicine, Engineering and Computer Sciences: Policy and Practice
Joseph Loscalzo, M.D., Ph.D.
Editor in Chief, Circulation
Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Chair, Department of Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Topic:The Future of Collaborative Medical Research
- Stephen Stice, Ph.D.
Professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar
Director of the Regenerative Bioscience Center
University of Georgia
Topic: Harnessing The Potential of Stem Cell Research
Terry Ryan, Ph.D.
Director, Integrative Biology
GlaxoSmithKline
Topic: Case Study in Systems Biology Approach to Pharmaceutical Development
The summit, which will be held March 29 – 31, 2006, will be hosted by VCU and the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park at The Jefferson Hotel in downtown Richmond, Va. The cost of the summit is $395 for early bird registration, and $450 after February 20.
More information can be found on the summit Web site at http://www.systemsbiologysummit.com.
Contact:
Nicky Colomb
Virginia BioTechnology Research Park
Phone: (804) 828-6884
E-mail: ncolomb@vabiotech.com
Web site: http://www.vabiotech.com
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