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Linking Molecular Profile to Physiology

The symposium will bring together a panel of leading scientists to explore how molecular profiles (gene, RNA, protein, etc.) can be used to advance the understanding of physiology.

The last few years have seen a surge of scientific interest in generating genome-wide or near genome-wide molecular profiles, which has been made possible by the availability of high-throughput technologies and genome sequences. The major question is how these molecular profiles, such as large collections of genetic models, expression levels of thousands of mRNAs or proteins, protein interaction networks, and so on, can be used to help advance our understanding of physiology and medicine. Understandably, early efforts to profile molecular events had been focused on generating the molecular profiles per se. However, as the field evolves, more and more scientists have realized the critical importance of the question of how to link molecular profile to physiology.

The panel that we have assembled is ideally positioned to provide unique insights into how to meet this great challenge. Debbie Nickerson is Director of one of a very few NIH-funded programs of genomic applications, and has been at the forefront of high-throughput single nucleotide polymorphism analysis among other fields. Mark Knepper is a widely respected physiologist and has been leading the application of proteomics approaches to physiological research in recent years. Tim Aitman is the leader of several ground-breaking studies that applied molecular profiling and genetic approaches to study metabolic, cardiovascular, and renal disease (for example, see Nature 439: 851, 2006; Nat Genet. 37: 243, 2005; Science 298: 2345, 2002). Peter Uetz has studied large-scale protein interaction networks and linked them to human proteome (for example, see Science 311: 239, 2006; Nature 403: 623, 2000).

We believe the symposium will be of very broad interest to EB participants, and provide an excellent venue for highlighting one of the central themes of current biomedical research.