University of Chicago symposium focuses on technologies and clinical investigations of cancer genetics

University of Chicago symposium focuses on technologies and clinical investigations of cancer genetics

February 28, 2005

The American Cancer Society projects about 1,500 people will die from cancer each day in the United States in 2005. It also estimates that there will be more than 1.3 million new cancer cases. A two-day conference will explore the roles of genes and their functions when applied to cancer biology and the novel technologies used in investigating cancer at a genetic level.

The "Cancer Genetics in the Post-Genome Era: Emerging Technologies and Clinical Investigations" symposium will take place March 10 and March 11 at the University of Chicago. The event is presented by the new Institute for Molecular Pediatric Science at the University of Chicago in association with the Cancer Research Center and the Department of Pediatrics Section of Hematology and Oncology at the University.

Special guest speakers include Janet Rowley, MD, the Blum-Riese distinguished service professor of Medicine and of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at the University of Chicago Medical Center; James German, MD, professor of pediatrics at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and head of the Laboratory of Human Genetics; and Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, FACP, professor of medicine and director of the Cancer Risk Clinic at the University of Chicago.

Michelle Obama, vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, will be moderator of a panel discussion titled "Genetic Testing in the Community."

March 10

Promise of the Genome: 8 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. (P-117 Billings Auditorium)

  • Kenan Onel, MD, PhD: University of Chicago, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Committee on Cancer Biology, Member Cancer Research Center
  • Janet D. Rowley, MD: University of Chicago, Blum-Riese Distinguished Service Professor, Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine
  • James German, MD: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Head of the Laboratory of Human Genetics, Founder and Director of the Bloom's Syndrome Registry
  • T. Conrad Gilliam, PhD: University of Chicago, Professor and Chairman Department of Human Genetics, Marjorie I. and Bernard A. Mitchell Professor and Chair
  • Mike Wigler, PhD: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Professor

10:45 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Coffee Break

11:15 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

  • Sandy Markowitz, MD, PhD: Case Western Reserve University, Ingalls Professor of Cancer Genetics, Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Carlos Cordon-Cardo, M.D., Ph.D: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Professor in the Department of Pathology, Director or the Division of Molecular Pathology

Vendor Session: 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (Quadrangle Club)

Lunch

2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Quadrangle Club)

Vendor Sessions/Reception

March 11

The Reality of the Genome: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. (CLSC 101)

  • Kenneth Offit, MD, MPH: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Professor in the Department of Medicine, Chief of the Clinical Genetics Service, Chair of the Subcommittee on Cancer Genetics, American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • Larry E. Morrison, PhD: Senior Director, In Situ Hybridization Platform, Vysis/Abbott Laboratories

9:45 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

Coffee Break

10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

  • Olufunmilayo Olopade, MBBS: University of Chicago, Professor in the Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Director of the Clinical Cancer Genetics
  • Genetic testing in the Community: a panel discussion: Moderator, Michelle Obama

Where Do We Go from Here: 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (TBA)

Breakout Sessions