Join us and some of the brightest minds within Prader-willi Research for our Research Symposium, on Monday July 24th, in Melbourne.

LOCATION: Woodward Conference Centre, Melbourne University

ADDRESS: 10th floor, Melbourne Law (building 106), 185 Pelham st, Carlton VIC 3053.

TIME: 9am-5pm.

The PWS Research Symposium is an official satellite meeting of the International Congress of Genetics

PROGRAM INFORMATION

To download a full copy of the program includong abstarcts and speaker bio’s click this link

Keynote speaker:  Prof Robert Nicholls

Robert D. Nicholls, D.Phil.

Professor, Division of Genetic and Genomic Medicine, Department of Pediatrics

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, and University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Rob Nicholls obtained his B.Sc. (Hons) undergraduate degree at the University of Melbourne (Australia), his doctorate (D.Phil.) at the University of Oxford (UK), and did his postdoctoral work at Boston Children’s Hospital/Harvard University where in 1987 he began his research on Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). In 1989, his work first identified a role for genomic imprinting in human disease with the discovery of uniparental disomy in PWS. Dr. Nicholls’ career stops include the University of Florida (1990-1993), Case Western Reserve University (1993-2000), the University of Pennsylvania (2000-2005), and since 2005 to Pittsburgh. Career achievements include a PWSA (USA) lifetime achievement award in 2013 for his work on PWS, and in late 2013 he cycled from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean (across the sourthern USA) in 28 days to raise awareness and funds for PWS research. His publications have 20,720 citations with a h-index = 71 (Google Scholar). Additional major scientific discoveries in PWS include genetic subclasses, imprinted genes, DNA methylation, imprinting mechanisms, and establishment of cellular and animal models. The latter include β-cell and other in vitro models to dissect molecular and cellular mechanisms, in vivo mouse and swine models of PWS, and current assessment of novel approaches to potential gene therapy. Dr. Nicholls’ lab also identified the OCA2 and SPG6 disease genes and mechanisms of DNA deletions in α-thalassemia and in PWS/Angelman syndrome.