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SUMMARY:Genetics\, genomes and cloning: \n      The biotechnology revoluti
 on.
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:19990722T143000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:19990722T144500Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20130523T152423Z
UID:indico-event-a032757@cern.ch
DESCRIPTION:As this century draws to a close\, spectacular advances in the
  fields of genomics and genetics are opening up dramatic new horizons for 
 medicine. For much of the 20th century\, genetic research has focused on r
 are diseases caused by mutations in a particular gene.\nHowever\, more rec
 ently it has been realised that common genetic variations (polymorphism)\,
  interacting with the environment\, can influence an individual's suscepti
 bility to diseases widely represented in our populations (e.g. mental illn
 ess and asthma)\, redefining the term 'genetic disease'. Officially starti
 ng in 1990\, the Human Genome Project was a $3-billion\, 15-year program t
 o find the estimated 80\,000 human genes and determine the sequence of the
  3 billion DNA building blocks that underlie all of human biology and its 
 diversity. The resulting boom in genetic information and technologies\, no
 t only from humans\, but from many other organisms\, means that we now hav
 e new tools to understand and treat normal and disease states. This inform
 ation is being used by academic researchers\, and increasingly by pharmace
 utical companies\, to identify genes for genetic diseases\, susceptibility
  to disease\, to understand the ways different individuals react to differ
 ent medications and create new drugs and therapies. Largely misunderstood\
 , 'cloning' is an attempt to use animals as 'bioreactors' to produce thera
 peutic biological molecules such as blood clotting factors or organs for t
 ransplants. As with all 'revolutions'\, the use of these technologies rais
 es unprecedented questions of an ethical and legal nature. However\, as we
  enter the new millennium\, we can expect this biotechnology revolution to
  exert fundamental changes in the practice of medicine\, affecting prevent
 ion\, diagnosis\, and therapy for important public health problems.Organis
 er(s): Luigi Di Lella/ EP Division Note: Tea & coffee will be served at 16
 .00 hrs \n\nhttp://indico.cern.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=a032757
LOCATION:CERN Main Auditorium
URL:http://indico.cern.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=a032757
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