Washington, DC, July 13, 2007—The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) is holding its 59th Annual Meeting and Clinical Lab Expo July 15-19, 2007 at the San Diego Convention Center. The meeting attracts more than 20,000 physicians, scientists, and others involved in laboratory science and medicine, and includes educational sessions where leading physicians and scientists present the latest information on a wide range of topics. Included in the program each day is a Plenary Session featuring a nationally recognized leader from clinical practice, research, business or public policy. AACC offers complimentary registration to qualified members of the press who would like to cover these Plenary Sessions:
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Sunday, July 15, 5:00pm–6:30pm
Pharmacogenomics: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia as a Cancer Paradigm
William Evans, PharmD, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
Personalized medicine is playing an increasing role in the treatment of many human diseases, including childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Childhood ALL represents one of the best developed examples of customized care, having now become the standard of care in optimizing the selection and dosing of antileukemic agents. Dr. Evans will explain why advances in childhood ALL can serve as a model for curing disseminated human cancers, and offer updates on recent progress in cancer treatment.
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Monday, July 16, 8:45am–10:15 am
Paracrine Mechanisms of Stem Cells in Tissue Repair and Regeneration: Novel Insights
Victor Dzau, MD, Duke University, Durham, NC
Dr. Dzau will address the role of adult stem cells and paracrine mediators in the protection and repair of tissues after an injury such as a heart attack. In this session you’ll hear how protein factors may be used therapeutically in place of cell transplantation and how applied genomics and gene transfer technologies are being used to develop novel therapeutics.
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Tuesday, July 17, 8:45am–10:15am
Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sport: From Strychnine to the BALCO Scandal
Larry Bowers, PhD, U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, Colorado Springs, CO
The use of performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids, EPO and growth hormones has transcended the sporting world to become a much wider public health issue. From the use of strychnine as a stimulant to the recent investigation of BALCO for distributing of steroids, never before has this issue come under so much scrutiny. In this session, Dr. Bowers will detail drug-testing strategies used by the United States Anti-Doping Agency and explain how medical professionals can act as knowledgeable resources and advisors to their communities to combat the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
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Wednesday, July 18, 8:45am–10:15am
Analysis of Constitutional and Somatic DNA Copy Variation Using Array Comparative Genome Hybridization
Daniel Pinkel, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
There is increasing interest in array comparative genome hybridization as an adjunct or eventual replacement for conventional cytogenetics. Companies and individual labs worldwide have produced in-house systems and are already offering such clinical services. Commercial efforts to produce FDA-approved systems are well underway. You’ll gain a better understanding of this technology along with expectations for the challenges involved in translating the technology to the clinic.
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Thursday, July 19, 12:30pm–2:00pm
"Show Me The Money": Understanding the Economics of Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine
Kathryn A. Phillips, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
Will personalized medicine using genomic information be a “revolution” or a “train wreck”? A key factor will be whether there is evidence of the value of these new technologies. The objective of this session is to examine the regulatory and economic challenges in the adoption of personalized medicine. Join us as Dr. Phillips shares her outlook on the implications of genetic testing for clinical practice and health policy.
Members of the press who are interested in attending any of the Plenary Sessions, should contact Brian Ruberry, at (619) 525-6227, or go to the press office in room AB-25 at the San Diego Convention Center during the meeting.
For more information about the 2007 Annual Meeting and the Clinical Lab Expo, check out the AACC website at www.aacc.org.