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| Media contacts: Holly Korschun, 404/727-3990, hkorsch@emory.edu Kathi Baker, 404/727-9371, kobaker@emory.edu Janet Christenbury, 404/727-8599, jmchris@emory.edu |
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When: May 7, 2003 Where: Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Rd. Time: 8:00 am-4:30 pm ATLANTA—Scientists attending a conference at Emory University in May will explore the latest research and the public health importance of how genetic differences may influence individuals’ susceptibility to two major categories of bacterial infections. The conference, entitled "Evaluating Genetic Susceptibility to Meningococcal and Pneumococcal Disease," will explore the current scientific understanding of the immune response to bacterial infections; specific genes that influence infectious diseases, how genetic susceptibility should be evaluated and investigated, and the ongoing revolution in genomic techniques to detect genetic variations associated with disease outcomes. The one-day conference is co-sponsored by Emory University School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases; the Meningitis and Special Pathogens and Respiratory Disease Branches in the National Center for Infectious Diseases (CDC); the Clinical Biochemistry Branch in the National Center for Environmental Health (CDC); and the Southeastern Center for Emerging Biologic Threats, a partnership of academic medical centers, state public health departments, and government institutions. The conference will be held in the Rita Ann Rollins Conference Room on the eight floor of the Rollins School of Public Health, 1518 Clifton Rd., on the Emory University campus. The international panel of conference participants represents the University of Oxford and the Sheffield University Medical School in the United Kingdom, the Scripps Research Institute, and the New York State Department of Health. "Scientists are continuing to find connections between individual genes and the likelihood that a person will become ill from an infectious disease," said conference coordinator David Stephens, MD, director of the Division of Infectious Diseases in Emory University School of Medicine. "This conference will help us evaluate the importance of genes in influencing the course of disease, how this knowledge might help us prevent and treat infections, and the public health implications of our findings." For more information, please see the following web page: http://www.secenterbiothreats.org/edu.html To register for this free conference, please call 404-712-2366 or email lorejud@emory.edu. |