Human Genome Organisation’s 14th Human Genome Meeting (HGM)

May 17, 2010 · Posted in HUGO Events 

PRESS RELEASE

500 international scientific delegates expected to participate in Human Genome Organisation’s 14th Human Genome Meeting (HGM), 18TH to 21st May 2010, in Montpellier, France

500 international scientists from all over the world will converge at the HGM2010 – the Human Genome Organisation’s (HUGO) 14th Annual Meeting, to be held in Montpellier, France, from 18th to 21st May 2010.

HGM2010 will bring together senior and junior scientists from 50 countries to interact with the world-renowed experts in genomics and genetics. The topic this year is "Next Generation Genomics and Medicine", with a focus on the integration of biology, computational sciences, and genomic technologies towards resolving complex biological and medical questions. It will showcase a wide-ranging programme covering, amongst other topics, the interface between next generation technologies and human biology and pathophysiology, the application of new genetic knowledge to further the understanding of diseases and enhance health care, and the ethical dilemmas and issues that advances in science present.

HUGO’s current president, Prof Edison T Liu, Executive Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), a biomedical research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), said, “The Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) has experienced a wonderful resurgence as a scientific organization directed towards two major goals: to foster the integration of genomic sciences in biology and medicine, and to enhance the genomic capabilities of emerging scientific nations. Our HGM 2008 conference in India focused on the second goal, and we return to Europe (Montpellier), to focus on the first goal.”

“We are delighted to join force with HUGO to organize the HGM2010, it is also a great platform for us to meet with colleagues from around the world and at the same time to showcase what we have in France,” added Prof Mireille Claustres, Chair of HGM2010. “We are living through an unprecedented era of progress in bioinformatics and biotechnology, and the ‘genomics revolution’ is transforming health research. The new tools it provides will generate an entirely different type of health care, one that is predictive, preventive, participative and personalised (‘P4 medicine’). We will see new ways of diagnosing diseases and new ways of thinking about disease prevention and health promotion. In terms of genomics-based medicine, knowing who we are will allow better targeting of cures.” Prof Claustres is the head of the Molecular Genetics Department, University Hospital of Montpellier, and the director of Inserm (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, or in English, National Institute of Health and Medical Research) unit 827.

Integral to HGM2010 is a commercial exhibition with over twenty exhibitors spanning the East and the West. As industry looks to develop targeted therapies based on a more complete understanding of various diseases – biobank formation and management are on the agenda of every major pharmaceutical and biotech company. These complex and massive datasets require new systems approaches to data analysis and data security.

HUGO is also hosting a companion symposium on Genomics and Bioeconomy (BIO2010) with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health (an academic centre at the University Health Network and University of Toronto) and the Mexican Health Foundation (FUNSALUD) to discuss the impact of genomics on the bioeconomy, with an outcome to producing a paper to inform policy makers on the unique opportunities in genomics for national development pertinent to economic advancement and health management.

Montpellier was chosen not only because of its establishment as a centre of excellence in genetics and genomics where it has a rich scientific environment, but also a modern ‘technopolis’ with over 200 laboratories and 70,000 students. Moreover, the dedication and support of the scientific community at Inserm contributed to Montpellier being considered a choice location.

About the Human Genome Organisation

www.hugo-international.org

The Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) is an international organisation formally established in 1988 to foster collaboration between genome scientists around the world. It is entering its 21st year of history by making an inflection in its direction. Now that the human genome has been sequenced, we are seeking the biological meaning of its information content. To this end, it is focusing on the medical implications of this genomic knowledge. Moving forward, HUGO is also working to enhance the genomic capabilities of the world’s emerging countries. The excitement and interest in genomic sciences in Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Africa are palpable and the hope is that these technologies will aid in national development and improved health.

Media Contacts:

Ms. Diana Hon, Human Genome Organisation, (Tel) 65-6808-8192 (Fax) 65-6808-8297, (Email) honyf@gis.a-star.edu.sg

Conference Websites:

HGM2010 – www.hgm2010.org

BIO2010 – www.bioeconomy2010.org

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