[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Craig Venter edited.jpg” caption=”Dr. Craig Venter will be one of the keynote speakers at the Innovation from Cell to Society2 research conference. Photo courtesy of AllerGen NCE Inc.”]Leaders in the field of allergic and related immune disease will gather at the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel next month for the second annual Innovation from Cell to Society2, a research conference hosted by AllerGen NCE Inc., the Allergy, Genes and Environment Network, from Feb. 11 to Feb. 13.

The conference will examine the causes and progression of allergic disease while providing networking opportunities with leaders in this field. Engaging scientific presentations by leading Network researchers, clinicians and trainees will highlight AllerGen's wide-ranging program of research.

The first of three internationally renowned keynote speakers will kick off the first full day of the conference.

Dr. Craig Venter, a visionary in the field of genomic research, will speak about Our Genomic Future on Feb. 12. A leading scientist of the 21st century, Venter is recognized by the White House as one of the most important players in the worldwide effort to spell out the three billion “letters” of the human genome,the biochemical recipe encoded in our DNA, for manufacturing and operating a complete human being.

In 1998, Venter became the first president of Celera Genomics where he sequenced the human genome using the whole genome shotgun technique, new mathematical algorithms and new automated DNA sequencing machines.

On Feb. 13, AllerGen welcomes Dr. John Frank, the inaugural Scientific Director of the Institute of Population and Public Health at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. An expert in population health, social policy and work-related disability, Frank will speak about the Challenges and Opportunities in Planning Birth Cohorts.

Dr. Michael Meaney, an expert on maternal care and its role in stress development, will also take to the podium on Feb. 13. Director of the Maternal Adversity, Vulnerability and Neurodevelopment Project at McGill University, Meaney will speak on Epigenetics: The Next Frontier.

The conference will also feature expert panel discussions with leading researchers, industry and government representatives; networking opportunities, trainee presentations and awards; and a gala dinner at the newly renovated Art Gallery of Hamilton.

Participants can register for the full conference or one day only. To download a preliminary program, get more information about the conference or to register, visit www.allergen-nce.ca.

AllerGen NCE Inc. is made possible through funding from the Networks of Centres of Excellence Canada, a joint initiative of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and Industry Canada.

McMaster University is the host institution for AllerGen NCE Inc.