THE SECRETS of life hidden within our genes will be revealed at a major public symposium taking place next Saturday, September 20th, in Dublin. It will include six leading experts in the field of genetics who will describe important advances in this key area of research.
The symposium, titled The Secret of Life: Genetics in the 21st Century, is open to the public and takes place in the D4 Hotel, Ballsbridge, the former Jurys Hotel in Dublin. It is the culmination of four days of events to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Department of Genetics at TCD.
The symposium is the public part of the celebrations and people are invited to listen to the lecturers and learn about the latest in genetic research. The 50th celebrations include a scientific dimension in three days of lectures and presentations which begin next Wednesday. These are also open to the public.
Part of the goal of the scientific presentations is to bring together as many current and former members of the department as possible in one place and at one time, stated Trinity's professor of genetics, David McConnell. It will give those with a connection to the department a chance to meet again and talk to old friends and colleagues.
The scientific lectures will cover areas such as microbial genetics, molecular genetics associated with human diseases, plant genetics, evolutionary genetics and neurogenetics, the study of our genome's influence on the brain and its functioning. While these are open to a lay audience, some may find them more technical than lectures planned for the symposium, which takes place from 11am to 6pm on Saturday.
This event will include presentations from leading scientists on a range of subjects central to trends in current studies in genetics, Prof McConnell explained.
The Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Jimmy Devins, will open the symposium. Prof Steve Jones will discuss human evolution and whether our species continues to evolve. Dr Brian Naughton, founder of the California-based company 23andMe, will look at the implications of having your genome sequenced. The use of DNA in forensic science will be examined by Rockne Harmon, of the San Francisco district attorney's office. He conducted the prosecution in the first OJ Simpson trial.
Prof Paul Sharp will describe the origins of HIV, the Aids virus, and Prof Patrick Cunningham, the Government's chief scientific adviser, will talk about how genetics can contribute to alleviating world hunger.
The symposium will close with a talk by Prof Stephen Minger, of King's College, London, who will talk about stem cells, the new frontier of medical science, and how these cells might contribute to the improvement of human health.
Tickets for the symposium on Saturday, September 20th, cost €5 and are available at the door or over the internet at www.genetics50.org. This site provides further information on the scientific programme and the public symposium.