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First Announcement of the 9th ICEM |
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We convene this important international conference six decades since the first report that a chemical can be mutagenic; five decades since the double-helical structure of DNA was revealed; and four decades since the discovery of excision-repair, which removes pre-mutagenic lesions from DNA to prevent mutagenesis. The broad subject of the 9th ICEM transcends national boundaries and is timely for all peoples of the world. In recent years, we have learned a great deal about the threats to human health from genotoxic chemicals and radiations in our environment. We also have learned of many inherited and acquired genetic alterations that predispose individuals to cancer, premature aging, and other diseases. The sequencing of the entire human genome (as well as that of many other organisms), along with the development of powerful new technologies, promises to yield even more impressive advances in the coming decade. It should certainly become possible to identify and reduce most of the principal environmental hazards that threaten our health and that of the planet. These hazards include not only genotoxins but also infectious agents and chemicals that adversely effect important cellular processes. To highlight these issues and to explore solutions to these global threats to our collective health, the 9th ICEM will offer many symposia and plenary lectures from the world leaders in environmental mutagenesis and related fields. Broadly, speakers will address how environmental contaminants can damage the genome, how such damage may be repaired or else processed into mutations, and how the resulting mutations may lead to disease. Symposia at the cutting-edge of basic and applied research will present details of new technologies in molecular biology and biomedical research as they apply to the global problem of maintaining genomic integrity and human health. There will be opportunities for researchers from all countries to present their most recent research in poster and platform sessions. We will also include relevant workshops and special programs for students, who will be the scientists and leaders of the future. The venue for the conference will be the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Hotel at the Embarcadero waterfront in the heart of the lovely city of San Francisco, California. We enthusiastically look forward to welcoming you to the 9th ICEM in September 2005. Philip C. Hanawalt
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