International invited Speakers:

• Professor Alan Colman, ES-Cell International, Singapore
• Dr Andrew Fraser, Sanger Institute, Cambridge

Session Topics and Speakers included:

Session 1: Genetic origins of disease

• Steven Petrou, Bionomics
  Ion XTM drug discovery program: Opening a new window on ion channel function and drug discovery
• Nick Martin, QIMR
  Genetic Epidemiology
• Simon Easteal, ANU
  Genome Diversity and Disease

Session 2: Functional Genomics

• Andrew Fraser, Sanger Institute, Cambridge
  Genome-wide functional genomics using RNAi
• Geoff Symonds, Johnson & Johnson
  Ribozymes
• Chris Wraight, Antisense Therapeutics
  Antisense strategies

Session 3: Innovation - Commercialisation

• Craig Lawn, PricewaterhouseCoopers
  Commercialising innovation
• Matt McNamara, SciCapital
  Funding early stage projects
• Jonathan Izant, Garvan
  Innovative Business Strategies for Discovery Research

Session 4: Proteomics

• Robin Anders, La Trobe, CRC Vaccine Technology
  From protein structure to vaccine
• Ian Smith, Baker Institute
  Beyond the Spot: High Throughput Automated Proteomics
• Michael Foley, La Trobe
  Phage display in diagnostics and vaccine development
• Jenny Harry, Proteome Systems
  Using proteomics to drive discovery of new biomarkers, diagnostics and drug targets

Session 5: Advances in Genomics

• Deon Venter, MCRI,
  Arrays and expression profiling
• Rohan Teasdale, IMB
  Reverse Transfection
• Hamish Scott, WEHI
  A molecular atlas of developing, adult and diseased brains defined using serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE)
• Stephen Wilcox, AGRF
  Using DNA Microarrays for SNP detection 
• Robert Henke, Millennium
  NewArray-based tools for whole genome analysis

Session 6: SNPs in gene discovery and personalised medicine

• Jeff Thornton, Sequenom
  Genome-wide SNP Association for Complex Disease Gene Discovery and Molecular Diagnosis
• Jeremy Jowett, International Diabetes Institute
  Discovery and Validation of Disease Related Genes using Differential Expression and SNP Genotyping
• Karl Poetter, Genera Biosystems
  Sequence Identification Flow Test for genetic diagnosis
• Garry King, UNSW
  Some new tools for personalized medicine - electrotides, proofreading SBE, BVML and captamers

Session 7: Stem cell biotechnology

• Alan Colman,
  Prospects of stem cell therapy in diabetes
• Helen Cooper, University of Queensland
  Gene expression in adult neural stem cell development
• Rosanne Taylor, University of Sydney
  Neural repair with stem cells
• Alan Mackay-Sim, Griffith University
  Therapeutic use of olfactory stem cells