Precision Medicine: A Virtual Conference
Channel: Research Square
Date: 2016-02-10

LabRoots is proud to launch an exciting new free virtual event – Precision Medicine 2016. A remarkable line-up of industry, government and academic experts, including architects of the Precision Medicine Initiative, will showcase the latest advances in diagnostics, therapeutics and individualized medicine that are transforming the future of personalized healthcare.

Imagine receiving a full diagnosis from a simple blood test, or the ability to tailor the perfect treatment to your individual genetic makeup, taking into account your specific susceptibilities to side effects. What if we could apply a patient’s genetic information to gain insights into the genetic variations of diseases and expedite drug development, to create more precise therapies? This is the goal of Precision Medicine.

Precision Medicine Initiative ® (PMI) is a Presidential initiative, calling for initial funding of $215 million to support the creation of a national research cohort of 1 million or more U.S. volunteers (the PMI Cohort Program; $130 million), new efforts in cancer drug development ($70 million), advances in FDA regulatory structures ($10 million), and development of interoperability standards and requirements that address privacy and enable secure exchange of data across systems through the ONC ($5 million). The PMI builds on stunning advances in next-generation sequencing, genome biology, cancer diagnostics, biomarkers, targeted drug development, adaptive clinical trials, and digital health.

Since the completion of the Human Genome Project, extraordinary progress has been made in understanding the reach and impacts of human genetic variation. Advances in sequencing, genomic analysis, biomarker detection, coupled with new insights into rational drug design and repurposing, have given doctors more powerful and selective tools to help treat disease by tailoring medicines to an individual's genetic profile.  Given that individuals’ health and disease are woven into a complex web of factors, the PMI Research Cohort will assemble not only genetic, but also environmental, behavioral, and clinical data so that researchers may  understand the full range of factors that inform health and disease as they search for precision approaches to health maintenance, disease prevention, and therapies.

Topics include:

    -Next-Gen Sequencing in the clinic
    -Therapies for Rare diseases
    -Biobanking
    -Personalized cancer therapeutics
    -Rational Drug Design
    -Cancer diagnostics and liquid biopsies
    -Biomarkers
    -Alternative drug therapies
    -Electronic Health Records
    -Data Storage and Analytics