Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold to Keynote Institute for Systems Biology’s 2008 Annual Symposium

Home > Press > Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold to Keynote Institute for Systems Biology’s 2008 Annual Symposium

Abstract:
The Institute for Systems Biology announces that Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and chairman of Microsoft Corporation and Nathan Myhrvold, PhD, president and CEO of Intellectual Ventures, will serve as keynote speakers for the 7th Annual Institute for Systems Biology International Symposium.

Bill Gates and Nathan Myhrvold to Keynote Institute for Systems Biology’s 2008 Annual Symposium

Seattle, WA | Posted on November 5th, 2007

The Symposium, which is co-hosted by ISB and the University of Washington College of Engineering, will take place April 20-21 of 2008 and will focus on Systems Biology and Engineering. Leading researchers in the fields of synthetic biology, nanotechnology, biological imagining, single-cell and single-molecule experimentation, and more will attend and present at the Symposium.

"UW College of Engineering Dean Matthew O'Donnell and I are absolutely thrilled to have Bill and Nathan serve as our keynote speakers," said Lee Hood, MD, PhD, president and co-founder of the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB). "Bill is making seminal contributions to global health through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and his leadership in engineering and technology is self-evident. Nathan has spent his entire career at the leading edge of science and technology developing novel solutions to the most challenging problems."

"Their credentials as global leaders and visionaries will provide Symposium attendees with a rare opportunity to hear very influential views regarding the convergence of systems biology and technology innovation, and the impact of that convergence on healthcare throughout the world," Hood said.

Systems biology is the study of an organism, viewed as an integrated and interacting network of genes, proteins and biochemical reactions which give rise to life. Instead of analyzing individual components or aspects of the organism, such as sugar metabolism or a cell nucleus, systems biologists focus on all the components and the interactions among them, all as part of one system. These interactions are ultimately responsible for an organism's form and functions. For example, the immune system is not the result of a single mechanism or gene. Rather the interactions of numerous genes, proteins, mechanisms and the organism's external environment, produce immune responses to fight infections and disease.

Understanding the nature of biological networks requires conducting research at the molecular level, generating and analyzing billions of data points representing amazingly complex biological interactions and reactions. In order to make rapid progress in this area the tools and methodologies for gathering and analyzing this data must advance significantly. The 7th Annual Institute for Systems Biology International Symposium: Systems Biology and Engineering, will address the most advanced technologies and strategies in use today, as well as examine potential technologies of tomorrow.

Examples of 2008 Symposium presentations include:

Technologies for Engineering Biology by Drew Endy, Ph.D. of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Synthetic Biology in Pursuit of Low-Cost, Effective, Anti-Malarial Drugs by Jay Keasling, Ph.D., of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Using Optical Arrays to Study Single Enzyme Molecules and Single Cells in Large Populations by David Walt, Ph.D., of Tufts University

Register for the Symposium at http://www.systemsbiology.org/symposium/index.html .

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About Institute for Systems Biology
The Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) is an internationally renowned, non-profit research institute headquartered in Seattle and dedicated to the study and application of systems biology. Founded by Leroy Hood, Alan Aderem and Ruedi Aebersold, ISB seeks to unravel the mysteries of human biology and identify strategies for predicting and preventing diseases such as cancer, diabetes and AIDS. ISB’s systems approach integrates biology, computation and technological development, enabling scientists to analyze all elements in a biological system rather than one gene or protein at a time. Founded in 2000, the Institute has grown to 12 faculty and more than 200 staff members; an annual budget of more than $25 million; and an extensive network of academic and industrial partners.

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Contacts:
Institute for Systems Biology
Todd Langton
206-732-1333

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