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Tuesday, June 10

12:00 pm Registration Open

2:00 Chairperson’s Remarks
Kevin Davies, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief, BioIT World

2:35 Consumer Genomics and Preventive Medicine
Kári Stefánsson, CEO, deCODE genetics
The past two years have seen a tidal wave of discoveries of variants in the sequence of the human genome that associate with the risk of common diseases such as heart attack, type 2 diabetes, prostate cancer, breast cancer and glaucoma. The risks conferred by many of these variants are large enough to warrant their use in diagnostics (DNA based predictive tests). Some of these variants have been turned into such tests and they are currently marketed through healthcare systems, ordered by physicians. Western populations are becoming increasingly concerned with health and healthy living and individuals are, in part, seizing control of their own healthcare. One of the keys to maintaining health is the understanding of what diseases one is at risk of developing. Therefore, it could be argued that reliable assessment of the risk of common diseases is an unmet need in our society. The development of consumer genomics services is an attempt to meet this need. We believe that genetic profiling that consists of the assessment of the genetic risk of a large number of common diseases will be a major force in the paradigm shift from interventional to preventive medicine.

2:55 It’s All About Me. Deal With It: A Model for Patient Centered Genomic Healthcare
Steven Murphy, M.D., CEO, Personalized Medicine, Helix Health PLLC/LLC 
Patient centered care has been a solution put forward by many insurance companies as a solution to issues as complex as patient compliance and physician workload. Education of physicians regarding genomics and molecular medicine is and will remain a daunting task. Patient Centered Genomic Care aims to place the patient at the center of all healthcare knowledge including one’s genome. Guided by a trained genomic healthcare professional, patients will be better motivated to learn about their risks and take proactive steps to prevent disease. This talk will outline the model, barriers and solutions to implementation.

3:15 Consumer Genomics: Opportunities for Genetic Self Discovery, Social Networking and Research Participation
Joanna Mountain, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research, 23andMe, Inc.
Companies such as 23andMe, Inc. now provide consumers with an unprecedented opportunity to discover a world within and to connect with one another. Although today's knowledge about the relationship between genetics and health is in its early stages, we believe the future holds the promise of far more extensive understanding and the opportunity to help make personalized medicine a reality.  Meanwhile, consumers can grow increasingly familiar with the terminology and concepts associated with genetics and genomics and participate in the research that will lead to advances in knowledge.

3:35 Technology Spotlight (Sponsorship Available)

3:50 Networking Refreshment Break, Poster and Exhibit Viewing

4:30 The Nuances and Utility of Personalized Presymptomatic Risk Assessment for Common Genetic Disorders 
Dietrich A. Stephan, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Science Officer, Navigenics
Whole genome association studies have recently been enabled by ultra-high density SNP genotyping and sequencing technologies. A multitude of DNA variant-disease association studies have been pub-lished in this space, and for a few diseases we have captured a significant percentage of the heritability to allow probabilistic risk assessment. There are a large number of assumptions and nuances that must be made and transparently communicated, including educational (individuals, counselors and physicians), ELSI, privacy, regulatory, counseling, environmental risks, amalgamation of many risk factors in a single individual, and actionability issues that must be addressed so that we accurately communicate the individual risks, the gaps in our knowledge at this time, and the changing nature of the information as epigenetic, structural variation, and biomarker monitoring eventually layer together. 

Revolution or Revelation? 
Moderator: Kevin Davies, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief, BioIT World
For the past six months, three companies (deCODE, Navigenics, and 23andMe) have been offering the first comprehensive, whole-genome tests for personal genomics. In this interactive panel discussion, providers, subjects and commentators will discuss the early reaction to these offerings. Does the information offered by personal genomics tests live up to expectations? What can consumers learn from their own genotype? How are physicians reacting to this new source of consumer empowerment? How can participation help research in general? What are the prospects for regulation and privacy in this industry?

5:30 Close of Day

Short Courses | Day 1 | Day 2 | Download Brochure