Medical Advances Resulting from 50 Years of DNA Knowledge

Newswise — In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the description of DNA structure by James Watson and Francis Crick, the Gene Therapy Program at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the journal, Science, will bring together many of the world renowned scientists who have spearheaded the era of molecular medicine.

Titled "A Celebration of 50 Years in Medicine," the symposium will be held Nov. 14-15 at the Price Center Theater on the UCSD campus in La Jolla, California. Information is available at 858-534-3940 or [email protected].

Speakers will describe the impact of the DNA findings on real-world medical treatment, according to symposium coordinator Theodore Friedmann, M.D., UCSD professor of pediatrics; director, UCSD Program in Human Gene Therapy; and chair, Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee of the National Institutes of Health.

Among the presenters will be Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, which recently announced the successful completion of the Human Genome Project; J. Craig Venter, PhD, president of The Center for the Advancement of Genomics and head of the private group that sequenced most of the human genome; Sir David Weatherall, a pioneering researcher in molecular genetics; Margaret Liu, MD, whose investigations in plasmid DNA-based vaccines has helped immunologists attack diseases such as cancer and AIDS; Janet Rowley, MD, Lasker Prize recipient and prominent cancer researcher; Stuart Orkin, MD, a specialist in stem cell research; and Nobel Prize winners J. Michael Bishop, MD, UC San Francisco, and the Salk Institute's Sydney Brenner, PhD and Renato Dulbecco, MD.

In an article noting the 50th anniversary, the Los Angeles Times commented that without understanding the structure of DNA, there would be no biotech industry, no Human Genome Project, "not a whisper of a chance for stem-cell therapy, and oceans of ignorance about the workings of our bodies in sickness and in health."

While many of the celebrations held this year have focused on the science surrounding the discovery 50 years ago, the UCSD symposium will emphasize the translation of genetic and genomic knowledge to the patient's bedside.

Topics and speakers will be:Phenotype-Genotype Relationships in Human DiseaseDavid Weatherall, FRS Weatherall Institute for Molecular Medicine University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Disease ModelsSession Chair: Renato Dulbecco, MDProfessorThe Salk InstituteLa Jolla, California

Mouse Models of Human Disease: From Cancer to Psychiatric DisordersMario Capecchi, Ph.D.Professor of Human Genetics and Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteUniversity of Utah School of Medicine

Modeling the Molecular Pathogenesis of CancerJ. Michael Bishop, MDChancellorUniversity of California, San Francisco

Searching for Breast Cancer Genes: Families, Maps, and SequencesMarie-Claire King, PhDDivision of Medical GeneticsUniversity of Washington, Seattle

Comparative Genomics Towards Gene-based MedicineAnd Session Chair, Gene-based Medicine Therapy and PreventionYoshiyuki Sakaki, PhDProfessor, Institute of Medical ScienceThe University of Tokyo, Japan

Rare and Common Disease Genes in a Population: From Diagnosis to PreventionLeena Peltonen, MD, PhDDepartment of Medical Genetics & Molecular Medicine And National Public Health Institute of FinlandHelsinki Finland

Genetics of Neurodevelopmental Disorders Anthony P. Monaco, MD, PhDUniversity of OxfordWellcome Trust Centre for Human GeneticsUnited Kingdom

Gene-based Therapy and PreventionSession Chair: Janet Rowley, MDDepartment of Medicine, Molecular Genetics and Cell BiologyThe University of Chicago Impact of Imatinib Mesyiate on the Treatment of CMLBrian Druker, MDInvestigator, Howard Hughes Medical InstituteJELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research Oregon Health & Science University, Portland

From Disease Mechanism to C Gene) Therapy: The Example of the Genetic Immune DisorderAlain Fischer, MD, PhDFaculte de MedecineHospital Necker-Enfantes MaladesParis, France

Gene-Based Vaccines and Immuno TherapeuticsMargaret Liu, MDKarolinska InstituteLafayette, California

The Therapeutic Applications of Ribozymes and RNAi for AIDSJohn Rossi, PhDChair and Professor, Division of Molecular BiologyCity of Hope National Medical CenterDuarte, California

Genomics, Medicine and SocietyAnd Session Chair: Gene-based Drug Design, PharmacogenomicsFrancis Collins, MD, PhDDirector, National Human Genome Research InstituteBethesda, Maryland

Seven Membrane Spanning Receptors: How did we get here and where are we going? Robert J. Lefkowitz, MDJames B. Duke Professor of Medicine, Duke University Medical CenterInvestigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Future of Gene-based MedicineSession Chair: Francis Collins, MD, PhD

Stem Cell Biology and Human DiseaseStuart Orkin, MDChairman, Department of Pediatric OncologyDana-Farber Cancer InstituteDavid G. Nathan Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical SchoolInvestigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Systems Biology and Predictive, Preventive, and Personalized MedicineLee Hood, MD, PhDPresident, Institute for Systems BiologySeattle, Washington

Advancing the Revolution Through Genomic-based MedicineJ. Craig Venter, PhDPresident, The Center for the Advancement of GenomicsRockville, Maryland

The Genome and Human RightsDaniel Kevles, PhDDepartment of History, Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut

Closing Address - Humanity's Genes Sydney Brenner, PhDThe Salk InstituteLa Jolla, California