This proposal is a request for partial financial support for a conference on PHARMACOGENOMICS &PERSONALIZED THERAPY to be held November 17 - 21, 2010 at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. This represents the eighth in a series of joint Cold Spring Harbor/Wellcome Trust conferences on Pharmacogenomics held in Hinxton, UK and Cold Spring Harbor in alternate years. This conference will focus on the opportunities presented by the growing contribution of emerging genomic information and technologies to interdisciplinary approaches in the study of variable responses of humans to drugs and toxic agents, and how research may benefit the individual. The meeting will provide an in depth focus on diverse areas including: mechanisms in pharmacogenomics;contemporary advances in pharmacogenomics;basic genomics - DNA sequencing and copy number variation;whole-genome associations &translational bioinformatics;cardiovascular pharmacogenomics;cancer pharmacogenomics;clinical application of pharmacogenomics;&public-private partnerships. The conference will bring together senior and junior investigators, postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers, medical, regulatory and ethical experts in a range of disciplines to share existing research and experience, and to explore the potential of working together in new international and interdisciplinary research areas for the benefit of individual patients. Co-chairs and a limited number of invited speakers will provide critical focus for the conference, while the remainder of the talks will be selected from the abstracts on the basis of scientific merit and relevance. This balance of talks allows the conference to feature presentations by leading scientists, to be responsive to exciting new developments, to encourage diverse participation and to recognize new investigators. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the meeting organizers will make particular efforts to encourage attendance and participation by women and minority scientists. The subsequent meetings (2012 and 2014) will follow a similar format and will include topics highly relevant to the current research at the time of the meeting.
This proposed conference on Pharmacogenomics &Personalized Therapy is intended to have a strong multidisciplinary focus and to address diverse issues related to applying genomics to variable drug response in the human population. This conference is intended to provide a format for the exchange of ideas and information and to discuss the latest research findings and technical advances towards the study of pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics.
