Lilly and Wellpoint top execs to participate in conference on 'personalized medicine'
Anyone who has gone to a doctor is familiar with the process of providing a medical history. However, until recently it has been difficult for physicians to share with each other their personal observations and intuitions that allow others to provide the same individualized care.
Genomics and bioinformatics contribute to the many developments and potential for "personalized medicine."
With the advent of information technology, the term "personalized medicine" has taken on new dimensions. While it seems it's always been with us, the potential for a clearer pathway to more effective and efficient personalized or tailored medicine is now before us.
The final event in the 2009-10 Indiana Life Sciences Collaboration Conferences Series poses the question, "Personalized Medicine -- Are We There Yet?," as its theme. It will take place at Fairbanks Hall at the IU/Clarian Education and Resource Center, 340 W. 10th St., in Indianapolis, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., on Friday, May 14. Registration and networking begin at 8 a.m.
Speakers will include Dr. Samuel R. Nussbaum, chief medical officer of Wellpoint Inc.; John C. Lechleiter, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly & Co.; and Dr. Leroy Hood, president of the Institute for Systems Biology Networking.
"With the introduction of many technologies in recent years, health informatics and technology are paving the way to more effectively utilize diagnostic devices and biomarkers to better equip health care professionals to treat patients' individualized needs. The question now is, where do we go from here?," said George Telthorst, director of the Center for the Business of Life Sciences at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business.
"We are thrilled to have such a well-rounded group of experts representing the many components of the personalized medicine value chain giving their perspective on where we are headed and how patients, physicians, government, taxpayers and companies benefit," Telthorst added.
Following welcoming remarks from Daniel F. Evans, president and CEO of Clarian Health, Nussbaum will present "An Overview of Personalized Medicine." He will be followed by a "big picture" presentation from keynote speaker Lechleiter, who will be introduced by Harry L. Gonso, a partner in Ice Miller LLP, at 9:30 a.m.
At 10:45 a.m., a panel moderated by Dr. Jane Barlow, vice president of medical strategy and clinical quality for Personalized Medicine Solutions, Medco Inc., will discuss "The Science Behind the Business of Personalized Medicine." Panelists will include Dr. George W. Sledge Jr., the Ballve-Lantero professor in the IU School of Medicine and a team member at the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center; Mark A. Suckow, director of the Freimann Life Science Center and a research associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame; and Philip S. Low, the Ralph S. Corley Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry at Purdue University.
Hood will speak at lunch on the topic, "The Emergence of Personalized Medicine (P4) and How it Will Advance the Medicine of the Future."
At 1:30 p.m., a second panel will focus on "Personalized Medicine Business Start-ups: Lessons from the Field," moderated by R. Matthew Neff, president of Clarian Health Ventures. Panelists will be Tiffany Olson, vice president of diagnostics of Eli Lilly and Co.; P. Ron Ellis, president of Endocyte Inc.; Richard H. Selinfreund, president of Companion Diagnostics Inc.; and Linda H. Malkas, founder of CS-Keys Inc. and Syntherix Inc.
David L. Johnson, president and CEO of BioCrossroads, will provide closing comments.
Registration for the conference is available online at https://kelley.iu.edu/CBLS/conferences/registration/page16551.html or by contacting Roxie Glaze at the Kelley School at 812-855-9210 or rglaze@indiana.edu. The registration fee is $70. Indiana college students may qualify to attend at no charge (see registration site for details).
This conference is sponsored by Beckman Coulter, Clarian Health Ventures Inc., Ice Miller LLP, the IU School of Medicine, IU Clinical Translational Sciences Institute, the University of Notre Dame and Purdue University.
