Post-Minerva
School One-Day Symposium:
Genetics
and Pharmacogenetics Advances in Skeletal Disorders
Tel-Aviv
University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
June 25, 2009
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Organizers
Gregory Livshits,
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The skeletal system aging represents an integral part of the general process of
organism aging. In brief, it can be described as a loss of bone mass (including
both organic and non-organic components) with reactive changes in the inner and
outer architecture of the bones and changes in the joints. These changes in
turn lead to a development of two well-known major epidemic conditions related
to skeletal system: osteoporosis (OP) and osteoarthritis (OA). Previous family-
and twin-based studies consistently and unequivocally showed the primary
contribution of the genes into a development of these and other skeletal system
disorders. Huge effort has been made during the recent years to discover
specific genetic factors responsible for the early and severe progression of OP
and OA related features in various sites of human skeleton. These studies
include many dozens of candidate genes, whole genome linkage analyzes and
recently, genome wide association studies (GWAS). Identification of the
relevant genes and functional polymorphisms will pave a major role in new
pharmacogenetic tools of general significance being discovered, developed, and
“tailored” for personal use. The summary of major advances in this
area brought by world leading experts will be in a focus of the above
symposium.
Sackler Faculty
of Medicine,
Date
25 June, 2009
Registration is open till
May 25, 2009 by writing to the Minerva School secretariat, Gilad Silberberg.
Morning Session
09:00
– 09:20
Greetings
and opening comments – Gregory Livshits &
David Karasik
09:20
– 10:00
John Eisman, Garvan
Institute of Medical Research,
Pharmacogenetics
of osteoporosis and the prospect of individualized prognosis and individualized
therapy
10:00
– 10:40
Timothy
D Spector, Kings College London & St Thomas’ Hospital,
London, UK
Update on
the Genetics of osteoporosis
10:40
– 11:00 Coffee break
11:00
– 11:40
Andre
G. Uitterlinden, Erasmus Medical Centre,
The
Netherlands GWAS of osteoporosis
11:40
– 12:20
David Karasik, Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife,
Harvard University, Boston, USA.
Too many
GWAS, too many traits: How to deal with the information overflow?
12:20
–14:00 Lunch
Early afternoon session
14:00
– 14:40
Ana
Valdes, King's
College & St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK
Recent
development in the genetics of osteoarthritis research
14:40
– 15:20
Itai Bab, Bone Laboratory, The Hebrew
Cannabinoid
Regulation of Bone Metabolism
15:20
– 15:40 Coffee break
Late afternoon session
15:40
– 16:20
Uri Liberman, Sackler Faculty of Medicine,
Tel-Aviv University, Israel.
Inborn errors in vitamin D and mineral homeostasis-a lesson in human
bone physiology.
16:20
– 17:00
Dafna Benayahu, Sackler Faculty of Medicine,
Tel-Aviv University, Israel
Insights into stem cells' differentiation in skeletal tissues.
17:00
– 17:40
Gregory
Livshits, Sackler Faculty of Medicine,
Tel-Aviv University, Israel
Comparative
quantitative genetics of three main body composition components
17:40
– 18:10
Discussion
and wrap-up
Accommodation
Participants will be
accommodated at the Tel-Aviv Tal
Hotel.
The hotel offers the
Minerva School participants reduced rates for reservations made before May 15,
2009.
Single rooms will be
offered for invited speakers. Invited students will be accommodated two per
room and are encouraged to choose their roommates and report their choices to
the organizers.
The hotel offers free
Wi-Fi or line internet access which is available in all rooms.
Free Wi-Fi access is
also available at the Minerva School location.
Rooms include coffee and
tea facilities, a mini-fridge and safe. Free cable TV is also available and
includes a choice of international channels.
The hotel is located just
one minute walk from one of the most popular Tel-Aviv beaches. If you wish to
swim be careful to follow the instructions of the lifesaver. Swimming outside
the permitted areas and when there is no lifeguard on duty is a punishable
felony in Israel.
Free transportation to
Tel-Aviv University (about 15 min ride) will leave from the hotel lobby each
morning at 08:30 (9:00 on Sunday June 21). Free transportation back to the
hotel will be provided each afternoon following the sessions.
Free transportation
from the Ben-Gurion Tel-Aviv airport will be provided for invited speakers and
invited students.
A driver will be welcoming you at the airport arrivals hall with a sign saying
“MINERVA - Tel-Aviv University”. The ride to Tel-Aviv takes from 30
to 50 min depending on time of day.
Other participants may
arrange for a similar transportation to the hotel for a fee of US$55 which will
be paid directly to the driver. A taxi would typically cost about US$30 but
bear in mind that lines for taxis could sometimes be long.
The hotel is located near
the old Tel-Aviv Harbor which has a huge choice of restaurants and bars. The
Tal hotel has its own restaurant and bar.
Further information on
Tel-Aviv tourism is available from the Tel-Aviv Municipality Tourism.
Information
for invited speakers
Please prepare your talks
(in English) aiming at the graduate student audience.
The organizers will
greatly appreciate if you are kindly willing to contribute your teaching slides
to this website, which will remain active after the school and will feature
links to contributed slides files.
We thank the following for their kind
support: The Yoran Institute for Human Genome Research, Sackler Faculty of
Medicine, Tel-Aviv University,
Roche Diagnostics, and Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston,
Massachusetts, USA
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