Successful 1st symposium on Systems Genetics

12 Oct 2009

Academic Building - Symposium Venue

With almost 200 participants, presentations by international experts and young researchers and an open, interactive atmosphere, the first symposium on Systems Genetics, hosted by the University of Groningen on October 1-2 and co-organised by Ritsert Jansen, professor of bioinformatics, was a successful event.

Entitled 'Systems Genetics: from man to microbe, from genotype to phenotype', the symposium offered a diverse programme that matched the variety of topics covered by the field itself. Epigenetics, stress responses, the circadian clock, type 2 diabetes, the 1000 dollar genome, systems biology in the mouse – too name just a few of the topics discussed.

The plenary programme consisted of presentations by renowned experts in the field mixed with short introductions by young scientists, mostly PhD students. Parallel sessions were organised in the form of master classes, in which an invited speaker and young scientists discussed their research. "That approach worked out really well", says Ritsert Jansen, professor of bioinformatics and NBIC project leader. "I was discussion leader at one of the sessions and usually you have to actively engage the audience, but here I had a very easy job. There was an interactive atmosphere and the discussions really took off." It was explicitly named the first symposium on Systems Genetics, will there be others? "We have not yet made definite plans, but it is certainly worth repeating."

NBIC was one of the sponsors of the Systems Genetics symposium. More information on programme and speakers is available at http://www.systemsgenetics.nl/