Huntsville, Ala. —The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology invites adult adoptees and other interested parties to a free seminar Monday, April 4 at 2:00 pm to learn about its upcoming Genomic Medicine Conference.
The conference, which will be held in August, is an interdisciplinary program focused on advancing knowledge of genomic medicine. Unique to the conference are tracks aimed at non-scientists, including one that focuses on adult adoptees.
Because they often have limited or no documented family health history, some adult adoptees are exploring genetic testing to learn about their inherited risk of disease. The HudsonAlpha conference will offer information about whole genome sequencing (reading one’s entire DNA sequence) and what information it could potentially offer; additionally, attendees have the option of having their genome sequenced.
“Genomic sequencing can provide an avenue for adoptees to learn some information about their risks of certain heritable diseases. Additionally, the test can look at genes related to the way one’s body may respond to particular drugs, which may give physicians information about the best medications and/or doses to prescribe for certain conditions,” said Kimberly Strong, PhD, faculty investigator at HudsonAlpha and director of the Ethics and Genomics Program.
The seminar, April 4 will offer potential attendees a preview of the conference. Speakers will include:
- Kimberly Strong, PhD, faculty investigator and director of ethics and genomics
- Kelly East, MS, CGC, certified genetic counselor
- David Sims, MS, research scientist and adult adoptee
- Lee Marshall, adoption advocate and founder and CEO of Kids to Love.
The seminar will be held at the HudsonAlpha campus, 601 Genome Way NW, Huntsville. Registration and parking are free.
About HudsonAlpha: HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a nonprofit institute dedicated to innovating in the field of genomic technology and sciences across a spectrum of biological challenges. Founded in 2008, its mission is four-fold: sparking scientific discoveries that can impact human health and well-being; bringing genomic medicine into clinical care; fostering life sciences entrepreneurship and business growth; and encouraging the creation of a genomics-literate workforce and society. The HudsonAlpha biotechnology campus consists of 152 acres nestled within Cummings Research Park, the nation’s second largest research park. Designed to be a hothouse of biotech economic development, HudsonAlpha’s state-of-the-art facilities co-locate nonprofit scientific researchers with entrepreneurs and educators. The relationships formed on the HudsonAlpha campus encourage collaborations that produce advances in medicine and agriculture. Under the leadership of Dr. Richard M. Myers, a key collaborator on the Human Genome Project, HudsonAlpha has become a national and international leader in genetics and genomics research and biotech education, and includes 32 diverse biotech companies on campus. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit: www.hudsonalpha.org.
Media Contact:
Margetta Thomas
mthomas@hudsonalpha.org
256-327-0425
