The Philippines, through the University of the Philippines Manila (UP Manila), successfully hosted this year’s Asia-Pacific Conference on Human Genetics (APCHG) at the Makati Shangri-la Manila on November 7-9, 2019. This is the second time the country has hosted the event; the first was in 2008.
Led by the Institute of Human Genetics (IHG) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the conference carried the theme “Advancing Translational Medicine and Collaborations in Genomics” and provided an excellent venue for a community of faculty, scientists, researchers, and students from the Asia-Pacific region and different parts of the world to discuss the use of new knowledge in genomics into clinical practice and the generation of further research in the field of genetics and genomics.
Plenary sessions included the following topics: Two Tales of Translational Genomics: Pediatric Genetics and Inherited Breast and Ovarian Cancer; Precision Medicine: Making Sense of DNA Variants; Oncogenomics: Closing the Cancer Gap; A Paradigm for Precision Public Health: Right Intervention at the Right Time; Organs on Chip: Microphysiological Systems to Advance Therapies for Rare Diseases and for Precision Medicine; Rare Are Common: How Rare Diseases Reveal Molecular Pathways for Common Disorders; Craniofacial Phenotyping in Diverse Populations: Insights from the Asian Populace; and Gearing Up for the Phenomics Era.
Scientists and experts also shared knowledge and insights on these areas: Genetic Risk Assessment and Counseling in the Era of Genomics; Revolutionizing Newborn Screening: New Developments and New Dilemmas; Prenatal Genetics: How Genetic Technologies are Shaping Reproductive Decision-Making; Hemoglobinopathies: Advances in Diagnosis and Innovative Therapeutics; Advances in the Diagnosis and Therapy of Inherited Metabolic Diseases; Discerning the Phenotypes of Genetic Disorders Through Next Generation Sequencing; Population Genetics: Genetic migration in Asia: From Patterns to Predictions; Elucidating the Genetics of Complex Diseases: Where Are We Now; Understanding Future Trends of Metagenomics, Proteomics and Metabolomics; Solving the Brain Enigma: The Value of Genomics in Neuropsychiatric Disorders; Lysosomal Storage Diseases: Towards an End to Diagnostic Odyssey and Improvement in Care; and Disorders of Sexual Development: Integrating Clinical and Genetic Approaches.
Pre-conferences providing learning opportunities were also conducted on November 4-7, 2020:
• Hemoglobinopathies for NBS Program Implementers – aimed at addressing the needs of the newborn screening program in light with the drastic increase in the number of patients who confirmed positive for Hemoglobinopathies
• Wellcome Genome Campus: NGS Analysis for Genetic Diseases – aimed at equipping beginners with a working toolset to analyze and interpret data generated from NGS for identifying candidate causal variants.
• 3rd Genetic Counseling Pre-conference Workshop – promoted ongoing collaboration for genetic counselor professional development and enhanced genetic counseling training, as well as an opportunity to increase awareness and effectiveness on the provision of clinical genetic counseling services in Asia.
• 4th ASEAN Congress on Medical Biotechnology and Molecular Biosciences: Emerging Issues on
Hemoglobinopathies in the Asia Pacific Region – discussed a relevant group of hemoglobin disorders that affect millions of people worldwide.
Philippine cultural dances, including “pandanggo sa ilaw,” “tinikling,” and other regional dances, organized by the Tourism Promotions Board of the Philippines, were showcased during the closing ceremony.
A post conference featuring the Fourth Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health-Philippines National Leadership Congress was held on November 10-11.
The APCHG is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 and comprised of persons involved or interested in the study of human genetics in Asia Pacific. The membership, which includes scientists, clinical geneticists, genetic counselors, and students, has steadily increased over the past years. It welcomes members from all the countries in the Asia-Pacific region.#
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Article originally published in the November-December 2019 issue of Newborn Screening, the official newsletter of the Newborn Screening Reference Center
