April 2005

HGM2005 (HUGO's 10th International Human Genome Meeting) will be held in Kyoto

HGM2005 will focus on, 'from genome to health' and will consider the hopes for new approaches to medicine and the implications of new research for society

The Human Genome Organization (HUGO) will hold HGM2005 (HUGO's 10th International Genome Meeting) in Kyoto from April 18-21, 2005. HUGO's annual HGM meeting is the flagship international conference of HUGO and is held in various cities around the world. The Human Genome Organisation (HUGO), is an independent, international organization of scientists involved in human genetics. HGM2005 is an opportunity for academic and industrial researchers studying and developing in advanced areas of genetics to come together on an international level.

With genome research supported by the remarkable development of analysis techniques by industry, government, and academia on a global cooperative scale, the international effort to sequence the human genome was successfully achieved in 2003.

HGM2005 will focus on, 'From Genome to Health"and will consider the hopes for new approaches to medicine and the implications of new research for society. Leading researchers in the field will be presenting their most recent data and topics vary from an exploration of the differences and similarities in the ape and the human genome and human diversity and evolution.

The conference consists of a series of plenary, symposia and workshops "with the workshops giving the opportunity to many young researchers to present their work to a global audience.

While the human genome was being analyzed, especially in Europe and in the United States, many venture companies were established. These are now thriving and developing new businesses, which will exert industrial influence globally into the future. Many local and international companies will be attending and exhibiting their latest products and services at HGM.

In order to attend HGM2005, advance registration is mandatory. It is strongly recommended that you register early.

Overview of HGM

Date: April 18 (Monday) - 21 (Thursday), 2005

Location: Kyoto International Conference Hall (Takaragaike, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0001) http://www.kich.or.jp/jp/access/access.html

Organizer: HGM2005 (HUGO's 10th International Human Genome Meeting) Organizing Committee

President of HUGO: Dr. Yoshiyuki Sakaki (Director, Genomic Sciences Center, RIKEN)

Co-host: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Genome Technology Committee No. 164, HUGO's 6th International Human Genome Meeting

Sponsorship: Cabinet Office; Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Co-sponsorship: The Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers"Associations of Japan; The Biophysical Society of Japan; The Japanese Biochemical Society; The Genetics Society of Japan; The Molecular Biology Society of Japan; Japan Biological Information Consortium; Japan Bioindustry Association; Japan Health Sciences Foundation

In cooperation with: Japan National Tourist Organization

Theme: "From Genome to Health"

Topics:
The Human Genome
Disease-oriented Large-scale Population Studies
Genome Functions
Medical Genomics

Overview of Major Sessions

  • Dr. Sydney Brenner, 2002 Nobel Laureate, will attend and give closing remarks at HGM2005. Dr. Sydney Brenner, a 2002 Nobel Laureate and President of The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, will participate on April 20 (Wednesday) from 18:30.

  • Plenary I April 18 (Monday), 2005 18:15- 20:15 at the Main Hall "The Human Genome" Dr. Jane Rogers (UK) will summarize human genome sequencing in response to the completion of it. Dr. Richard Gibbs (USA) will discuss the large-scale HapMap project that defines haplot type structures of human SNP, and Dr. Yoshiyuki Sakaki (Japan) will discuss comparisons between the human and chimpanzee genomes.

  • Plenary II April 19 (Tuesday), 2005 09:00-11:00 at the Main Hall "Disease-oriented Large-scale Population Studies" This will be one of the most noteworthy sessions where Dr. Kari Stefansson (Iceland), Dr. Leena Peltonen (Finland), and Dr. Bill Ollier (UK) are all gathered together. Dr. Ruth Chadwick as moderator will address disease-oriented large-scale population projects in Europe, which have been conducted, and future projects planned from various perspectives.

  • Plenary III April 20 (Wednesday), 2005 09:00-11:00 at the Main Hall "Genome Functions" Dr. Anindya Dutta will discuss the ENCODE project in the U.S. with an emphasis on replication dynamics of human chromosomes. Dr. Yoshihide Hayashizaki will discuss the Genome Network Project in Japan. Dr. Allan Bradley from the U.K. will discuss extracting functions from the mouse genome.

  • Symposium I April 19 (Tuesday), 2005 13:30-15:30 at the Main Hall "Comparative Genomics" In addition to various disease-oriented population studies sessions, a session with Dr. Svante Paabo and Dr. Eddy Rubin will have them discuss the latest findings on "Comparative Genomics." Also, a "Human Diversity"session will be interesting when related to the history of human groups, and its ultimate connection to personal medical care.
    • With respect to future developments, "Stem Cell Genome"regenerative medicine and epigenetics will be covered with the latest findings about this newsworthy topic. With regards to the latest technologies, imaging and chemobio will be covered. Also, the IBM researcher who extracted the Earth Simulator from Blue Genes will present his application of Blue Genes to drug development.


    In addition to the sessions and symposium listed above, there will be 10 sessions with 36 guest speakers, and 15 workshops planned. Although the workshops focus mainly on the study of humans, disease-oriented studies and technologies related to proteome and structural genomics will cover other areas. Also, for HGM2005, an "Environmental Genomics"session will be held to support the new direction of microorganism genomes, and two workshops are planned on the field of ethics.

    Public Forum Organized by HGM2005

    HGM2005 Public Forum: "What is the Human Genome?"
    The day before HGM2005 a Public Forum will be held inviting high school students as panelists to think, exchange opinions, and listen about the human genome, and its research with many people. It is planned so that anybody can participate.
    *For participation details, please refer to http://www.life-bio.or.jp/

    "What is the Human Genome?"
    Organizer: HGM2005
    Operation and planning: Life & Bio plaza 21 (incorporated nonprofit organization)
    Date and time: April 17, 2005 from 14:00 - 16:30
    Location: Kyoto University Clock Tower Centennial Hall (Yoshida-Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501)
    Admission fee: Free

    Theme 1: "What is the human genome?"
    Genomic Sciences Center
    Dr. Yoshiyuki Sakaki, President of HUGO and Co-chair of HGM Local Organizing Committee

    Theme 2: "Genomic research in society"
    Institute of Research in Humanities, Kyoto University Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University
    Dr. Kazuto Kato, Member of HGM2005 Local Organizing Committee

    General discussion with high school student panelists
    Commentator: Mr. Goro Koide, NHK commentator

    Exhibition

    HGM2005 Exhibition will be held at the Event Hall of Kyoto International Conference Hall. Genomic Sciences Center and 60 companies will have total of 70 booths present onsite, and poster presentations will also be held in this hall. (Details of exhibitors will be updated on the HGM2005 website.)

    Dates and times: April 19 (Tuesday), 2005 09:00 - 19:00
    April 20 (Wednesday), 2005 09:00 - 19:30
    April 21 (Thursday), 2005 09:00 - 14:00

    Location: Kyoto International Conference Hall, Event Hall (Takaragaike, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0001)

    *Please refer to the HGM2005 website for details of the many exhibitors who will be organizing seminars and workshops.