April 26-28, 2016

San Francisco, USA

Speakers

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Zoltan Dezso
Principal Scientist, Human Biology & Data Sciences Engine
Eisai

Zoltan Dezso is a Principal Scientist in the Human Biology and Data Science Engine at Eisai,a pharmaceutical company. He completed his Ph.D in Physics at the University of Notre Dame in 2005. Following that, he worked on developing computational tools for pathway and network analysis of omics data at Genego, a biotech company specializing in pathway analysis. At Eisai, he has worked on the analysis of pre-clinical and clinical data for biomarker research supporting different disease areas. In his current position, he analyzes and applies human data to discover and evaluate therapeutic targets and biomarkers for cancer and dementia.

Day Two

April 28, 2016

15:10 | Utilizing RNA-Seq Data for Biomarker Research in Cancer Immunotherapy

Xiang (Sean) Yao
Principal Scientist, CS - Computational and System Biology
Janssen

Xiang (Sean) Yao, Ph.D., is a principal scientist in Computational Biology at the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.  He received a M.S. degree in Computer Engineering and a Ph.D. degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Southern California. He worked in Janssen’s Drug Discovery, R&D IT and Discovery Sciences organizations, on a wide range of informatics solutions and analytics supporting to drug discovery projects in therapeutic areas such as metabolics, neuroscience, immunology and regenerative medicine.  He currently leads efforts to build NGS and Omics infrastructure on data management, computing and integration, and to provide analytics support to Janssen’s La Jolla campus.

Day One

April 27, 2016

13:30 | Systematic Integration of RNA-Seq Data & Application to Drug Discovery Research

Dr. Jamie Hill
Senior Bioinformatics Scientist
QIAGEN

Jamie Hill received a Master’s degree in Physics and a PhD in membrane protein structure prediction under the supervision of Professor CM Deane in the Statistics department of the University of Oxford. In 2014 he was awarded a Marie Curie postdoctoral fellowship at QIAGEN Aarhus. Today he is the Product Owner of QIAGEN’s CLC Genomics Workbench.

Pre Conference Workshop A

April 26, 2016

09:00 | Transcriptome analysis of pancreatic cancer exosomes reveal pathways and biological processes involved in metastatic progression.

Dr. Jean-Noel Billaud
Principal Scientist
QIAGEN

Jean-Noel Billaud, Ph.D. is Principal Scientist at Qiagen Bioinformatics. He joined Ingenuity Systems (now QIAGEN) in 2008 as staff scientist for in silico research program in oncology and infectious diseases. Jean-Noel Billaud holds a Ph.D. in Blood Cell Biology from Paris VII, and has done his post-doctoral work at the Scripps Research Institute (San Diego, CA).

Pre Conference Workshop A

April 26, 2016

09:00 | Transcriptome analysis of pancreatic cancer exosomes reveal pathways and biological processes involved in metastatic progression.

Alex Shalek
Assistant Professor of Health Sciences & Technology
MIT

Alex K. Shalek is currently the HLF von Helmholtz Career Development Assistant Professor of Health Sciences and Technology at MIT, as well as a Core Member of the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) and an Assistant Professor of Chemistry.  He is also an Associate Member of the Ragon and Broad Institutes, and an Assistant in Immunology at MGH.  His research is directed towards the development and application of new technologies that facilitate understanding of how cells collectively perform systems-level functions in healthy and diseased states. Alex received his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Columbia University, his Ph.D. from Harvard University in chemical physics under the guidance of Hongkun Park, and performed his postdoctoral training under Hongkun Park and Aviv Regev (Broad/MIT).  To date, his interdisciplinary research has focused on realizing and utilizing nanoscale manipulation and measurement technologies to examine how small components (molecules, cells) drive systems of vast complexity (cellular responses, population behaviors).

Day One

April 27, 2016

16:30 | Panel Discussion: The Significance of Transcriptome Complexity

10:00 | Successfully Deconvolving Heterogeneous Systems Using Single- Cell RNA-Seq to Increase Disease Understanding

Paul Rejto
Head of Precision Medicine, Oncology Research Unit
Pfizer

As Executive Director and Head of Translational Research at Pfizer’s Oncology Research Unit, Dr. Rejto leads a team of more than thirty scientists whose mission is to develop the right drugs for the right targets and right patients. The Translational Research group seeks to advance a diverse portfolio of differentiated and targeted cancer therapies based on a comprehensive understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms and the patient populations most likely to benefit. Dr. Rejto earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford, and completed a postdoc at UC Berkeley prior to joining Pfizer.

Day One

April 27, 2016

14:00 | Overview of RNA-Seq Applications in Cancer Drug Discovery

Day Two

April 28, 2016

15:40 | Panel Discussion: Creating Efficient Collaborations Between Bioinformaticians & Biologists to Harmonize RNA-Seq Procedures

Ganesh Sathe
Head of DNA Sequencing
GSK

Dr. Ganesh Sathe received his Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry from the University of New Brunswick, Canada in 1976.  He did his postdoctoral work in Molecular Biology at the same university and then joined ENS Biologicals in Ottawa, Ontario to head the section of oligonucleotide synthesis. Dr. Sathe developed   and modified the technique of making synthetic oligomers using solid support and automated synthesizer.  He joined SmithKline in 1982 and was instrumental in forming various technology groups including DNA synthesis, mouse-genotyping, DNA/ protein sequencing, microarray, gene synthesis etc. In addition to various technologies, he also worked in the area of 7-transmembrane receptors. Dr. Sathe continues to work as a manager of DNA sequencing and Transcriptomics technologies at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and contributes to drug discovery and development.

Day Two

April 28, 2016

11:10 | Harnessing the Application of RNA-Seq in the Pharmaceutical Industry

09:00 | Panel Discussion: Debating the Clinical Applications of RNA-Seq

Yasuhiro Funahashi
Senior Director, Biomarkers & Personalized Medicine Core Function Unit
Eisai

Day Two

April 28, 2016

09:30 | Utilizing RNA-Seq for Translational Research to Identify Biomarker for Anticancer Agents Targeting Tumor Microenvironment

Chris Mason
Principal Investigator & Assistant Professor
Weill Cornell Medical College

Day One

April 27, 2016

09:30 | Addressing Cancer Heterogeneity at the Single-Cell Level

Jin Jen
Co-Director Genome Analysis Core, Medical Genome Facility
Mayo Clinic

Dr. Jen is a consultant and associate professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology Clinic. She is also the co-Director of the Genome Analysis Core at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Jen is an expert in genetic analyses of solid tumors and in gene expression profiling in a variety of bio specimens. She has been responsible for whole transcriptome based technology development and implementation at the Mayo Clinic. Her research focuses on using the next generation sequencing and single cell based technologies to understand cancer initiation and progression. Dr. Jen is an author to over 120 peer reviewed publications and an inventor to five patents. She is an Associate Editor for Clinical Cancer Research and has served on study sessions for NIH and the American Cancer Society. Dr. Jen is a recipient of grants from the National Cancer Institute, National Foundation for Cancer Research, and the Mayo Clinic – University of Minnesota Partnership.

Day Two

April 28, 2016

11:40 | Overcoming RNA Quality Issues to Enable High Quality Whole Transcriptome Sequencing

Jeff Brockman
Principal Scientist
Hill’s Pet Nutrition

Dr. Jeff Brockman is a Principal Scientist at Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a division of the Colgate/Palmolive Company.  He has led the integration of next generation sequencing technologies and bioinformatic workflows for whole genome, transcriptome, and microbiome analysis into the research program at Hill’s.  He has developed multiple cat genome resources and continues to lead internal and external genomic and genetic projects for understanding metabolism and disease in companion animals.  Dr. Brockman received his Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Kentucky followed by postdoctoral fellowships in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Gastroenterology Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University.

Day One

April 27, 2016

16:30 | Panel Discussion: The Significance of Transcriptome Complexity

15:00 | Using RNA-Seq to Study the Gastrointestinal Tract of the Dog

Tim Mercer
Lab Head, Transcriptomic Research
Garvan Institute of Medical Research

The Mercer laboratory at the Garvan Institute for Medical Research, Sydney, studies human genome informatics, with a particular interest in gene organisation, expression and splicing. This research is enabled by the development of new tools within the lab, including targeted RNA sequencing, synthetic spike-in controls for next-generation sequencing, and supporting bioinformatic analysis.

Day One

April 27, 2016

16:30 | Panel Discussion: The Significance of Transcriptome Complexity

14:30 | Defining RNA Quality Control Metrics to Improve the Study of Full Transcriptional Complexity

Alex Mackenzie
Principal Investigator
Apoptosis Research Centre Institute

Day Two

April 28, 2016

12:10 | Utilizing Targeted RNA-Seq for Drug Screening and Repurposing of Clinically Ready Small Molecules

Zoltan Dezso
Principal Scientist, Human Biology & Data Sciences Engine
Eisai

Magnolia Bostick
Scientist III
Takara Clontech

Day Two

April 28, 2016

10:30 | New Applications Leveraging RNA Sequencing using SMART Technology

Karsten Zengler
Associate Professor
Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics University of California, San Diego

Karsten Zengler is Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Host-Microbe Systems & Therapeutics at the University of California, San Diego and member of the leadership team of the Center for Microbiome Innovation. Prof. Zengler has more than 15 years of experience in the fields of microbiology and systems biology. He worked for seven years in the biotechnology industry were he led a team of scientists to pioneer the high-throughput cultivation for the isolation and recovery of previously unculturable microorganisms. His work has focused on microbial ecology and the mechanistic understanding of interactions microorganisms engage in with each other, their environment or their hosts. He spearheaded the field of community systems biology were he combined his knowledge in microbial physiology and molecular biology with computational biology to discover new physiological capabilities, regulatory effects, and novel mechanisms of interaction. Dr. Zengler is author and co-author of more than 50 research articles and reviews as well as editor of the book “Accessing Uncultivated Microorganisms”. He founded several companies and is on the advisory board of different companies and institutions.

Pre Conference Workshop B

April 26, 2016

14:00 | Successfully Utilizing Metatranscriptomics to Advance Progression in Microbiome Disease Research

Rahul Satija
Core Member & Assistant Professor
NYU Center for Genomics & Systems Biology

Rahul Satija joined the New York Genome Center in December 2014 as an Assistant Investigator and Core Member, with a joint appointment as an Assistant Professor at the NYU Center for Genomics and Systems Biology. Rahul’s group focuses on developing computational and experimental methods to sequence and interpret the molecular contents of a single cell. His group applies single cell genomics to understand the causes and consequences of cell-to-cell variation, with a particular focus on immune regulation and early development.

Rahul holds a BS in Biology and Music from Duke University, and obtained his PhD in Statistics from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Prior to joining the New York Genome Center, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, where he developed new methods for single cell analysis.

Day One

April 27, 2016

12:00 | Developing Accurate Bioinformatics for Single-Cell RNA-Seq Analysis

Stuart Tungendreich
Scientific Director, IPA
QIAGEN

Pre Conference Workshop A

April 26, 2016

09:00 | Transcriptome analysis of pancreatic cancer exosomes reveal pathways and biological processes involved in metastatic progression.

Jadwiga Bienkowska
Director, Computational Biology
Pfizer

Day One

April 27, 2016

16:00 | Addressing the Bigger Picture: Harnessing and Integrating RNASeq with the Omics

Kejie Li
Computational Biologist
Biogen

Day Two

April 28, 2016

14:10 | Application of Single Cell RNA-Seq on Clinical Biopsy Material at Biogen

Garry Nolan
Professor, Microbiology & Immunology
Stanford University

Day One

April 27, 2016

12:30 | The Billion Cell Barcode Revolution

Ryma Benayed
Technical Director, Clinical Next Generation Sequencing Laboratory
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Day Two

April 28, 2016

10:00 | Harnessing the Potential of RNA-Seq as a Clinical Diagnostic Tool

Zhaoshi Jiang
Associate Director Bioinformatics
Gilead Sciences

Day Two

April 28, 2016

15:40 | Panel Discussion: Creating Efficient Collaborations Between Bioinformaticians & Biologists to Harmonize RNA-Seq Procedures

13:40 | Functional Interpretation of Genomics Changes in Human Cancer Based on RNA-sequencing

Saumya Pant
Head of Sequencing Technologies
Bristol-Myers Squibb

Day One

April 27, 2016

10:30 | Utilizing Single-Cell RNA-Seq for Fluid Biopsies Analysis

Stefan McDonough
Executive Director, Research in the Department of Neuroscience
Amgen

Stefan McDonough is Executive Director, Research in the Department of Neuroscience at Amgen Inc. and past head of Amgen's Genome Analysis Unit, which focuses on using genetics to drive the drug discovery pipeline across therapeutic areas.  His areas of expertise include pain, schizophrenia, and ion channel pharmacology.  He has been at Amgen for 12 years, following an assistant professorship at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard and the University of Maryland medical schools, and a PhD from Caltech.  He is adjunct professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology at Brown University.  

Day Two

April 28, 2016

09:00 | Panel Discussion: Debating the Clinical Applications of RNA-Seq