Keynote Speakers

Updated Feb. 02, 2011

	Appolinaire Djikeng Bioscience eastern and central Africa (BecA) Hub @ International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, MD, USA Title: Genomics and metagenomics approaches for infectious diseases surveillance and pathogen discovery. Biography: Dr. Appolinaire Djikeng is Scientist and the Technology Manager of the BecA Hub at the International Livestock Research Institute (Nairobi, Kenya), adjunct scientist (Genomics medicine) at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI, Rockville, Maryland, USA) and Consultant (Advanced Molecular Biology and Genomics) at the Centre International de Reference Chantal Biya (CIRCB, Yaoundé, Cameroon). At the BecA Hub, Dr. Djikeng leads various teams focusing on 1) genomics and metagenomics research and capacity building activities with an emphasis on improving the control of zonootic infectious diseases and pathogen discovery, 2) the acquisition and management of the BecA Hub research technologies platforms and 3) the provision of research related services and the overall laboratory management. In addition to his responsibilities at the BecA Hub, JCVI and CIRCB, Dr. Djikeng also teaches various courses at selected Universities in Sub-Saharan Africa (Ethiopia and Cameroon). Prior to joining the BecA-ILRI Hub, Dr. Djikeng was a full-time faculty at the J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI, Rockville, MD, USA). Dr. Djikeng graduated BSC (Hons) and MSC from the University of Yaoundé I (Yaoundé, Cameroon), PhD from Brunel University (London, UK), and conducted postdoctoral research work at Yale University School of Medicine (New Haven, CT, USA).
	Vanessa Hayes J Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) San Diego, CA, USA Title: Mapping genomes from South Africa, what have we learnt? Biography: Vanessa Hayes joined the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) in San Diego as Professor of Genomic Medicine in August 2010. South African born, she was previously head of the Cancer Genetics Group affiliated with the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Her major research focus is to determine how genetic variation impacts disease at the level of population-wide susceptibility, initiation and development, disease cause and outcome. She uses next generation sequencing and high-throughput genotyping technologies to develop extensive genetic databases of human populations to explore the links between diversity and disease. She sequenced the genomes of the first Southern Africans, namely the Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a Kalahari Bushmen to facilitate her research in defining the extent of human diversity. She has also made significant contributions to understanding genetic causes of HIV/AIDS susceptibility in Southern Africa, and genetic susceptibility to prostate cancer in Australian men.
	Winston Hide Harvard School of Public Health Boston, Massachusetts, USA Title: Discovery by data integration: The collaboration meets computational biology. Biography: Winston Hide graduated in Zoology at the University of Wales in 1981, gained a PhD at Temple University in Philadelphia in 1992, and was a post-doctoral fellow in molecular evolution under Wen-Hsuing Li at the the University of Texas in Houston. In addition he performed post doctoral study at Baylor College of Medicine at the Human Genome Centre with Richard Gibbs and also at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. His first paper, published in Nature, was a controversial analysis of rodent evolution - using molecular phylogenetics he questioned the membership of guinea-pigs in the rodentia (Graur, Hide et al. 1991). His first position was as director of genomics at MasPar high performance computer corporation in California. He returned to South Africa to found and direct the South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) at the University of Western Cape in 1996. He established the first PhD programme in Bioinformatics in Africa and is a founder of the African Society of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and was the first African on the board of the International Society of Computational Biology. At SANBI he founded the Medical Research Council Unit for Bioinformatics Capacity Development and established the WHO regional Training Center for bioinformatics in Africa. He was an author of the National BIotechnology Strategy for South Africa and founded the Government supported South African National Bioinformatics Network. Hide is now Associate Professor of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology in the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard School of Public Health  (HSPH) where he leads development of public health bioinformatics addressing the genomic approaches to public health in the developed and developing worlds. Hide leads the HSPH Bioinformatics Core as scientific director. His current research addresses integration of ‘omics data to deliver clinical translation. He uses standardized approaches to discovery in stem cells and cancer stem cells, host response to pathogens, and complex diseases. An associate of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Hide has recently been appointed to direct the bioinformatics strategy for the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. Hide is a keen contributor to the development of Africa’s peoples and is a member of the steering committee of the NIH-Wellcome Trust funded H3 Africa Initiative. Hide has published widely used tools for organisation of gene expression (Burke, Davison et al. 1999),(Kelso, Visagie et al. 2003) and developed novel approaches to in silico complex disease gene discovery (Tiffin, Kelso et al. 2005). His most recent work has determined a role for the microRNA miR-24 in cell cycle regulation (Lal, Navarro et al. 2009) and created an atlas for understanding combinatorial transcription regulation (Ravasi et al 2010).

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Exhibition Opportunity

Please, find the Exhibitor Sign-up Form HERE.

The Organizing Committee invites you to showcase your tools, products and services to the ISCB Africa ASBCB 2011 delegates.  Conference attendance is anticipated to exceed 150 delegates from academic institutions throughout Africa and around the world. In addition, this conference overlaps by one day and will include a shared session with the Joint International Conference of the African and Southern African Societies of Human Genetics, thus providing exhibitors the added opportunity to target an additional audience of up to 250 participants on the first day.

The Conference Thanks our Confirmed Exhibitors!

inqaba biotec/CLC - http://www.inqababiotec.co.za

EMBnet - http://www.embnet.org/

CPGR - http://www.cpgr.org.za/

CHPC - http://www.chpc.ac.za/

FASEB - http://www.faseb.org/

ISCB - http://www.iscb.org

ASBCB - http://www.asbcb.org

Exhibitor Package

ZAR 8,000 if committed by 25th Jan 2011, or ZAR 10,000 if committed after this date

Package includes:

• One display table (1.8 x 900) with two chairs in the tea/lunch/poster venue
• Two (2) exhibit hall passes for booth staff*
• One conference pack (includes printed materials)
• Organization name listed on conference website and in conference program book
• Organization name on exhibition signage
• Opportunity to register one exhibit booth staff member for the full conference at a special discounted rate

* Please note that exhibit booth staff are not registered to attend scientific sessions or evening activities. In order for exhibit booth staff to participate in these conference activities they must register as a conference attendee.

General Guidelines:

• Kindly be advised that no equipment is included in the exhibition price for the stands other than one table and two chairs.
• One electrical point may be requested at no additional charge (must be requested in advance).
• Exhibitors are prohibited from afixing/hanging anything to the venue walls.
  
• Additional equipment/set up needs must be requested in advance, and a quotation will be prepared for your acceptance.
• Parking vouchers can be collected at the registration desk (free of charge) and will be in a secured area.

Please find the Exhibitor Sign-up Form HERE.

We look foward to your participation!

Young Researchers' Forum

The Young Researchers Forum (YRF) is an exclusive day in which students from several parts of Africa will be granted the opportunity to share and corroborate their work with fellow students/peers in Africa. The YRF day will be held on Saturday the 5th March 2011 in conjunction with two International Conferences, i.e. ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics and the Joint International Conference of the African & Southern African Societies of Human Genetics. See: http://www.humangenetics2011.org/young.htm for details.

The YRF day will be comprised of a full day of activities for students in the fields of human genetics and bioinformatics from all over Africa, with a programme that includes both plenary speakers and student presentations. The forum will seek to encourage socializing and networking among students on the continent. As African scientists, we recognize the important role that capacity development plays in our country and continent, and this forum is aimed to serve as a platform through which we can encourage support and introduce mentors to students who are pursuing this field of study.

We would like to encourage sponsorship of this non-profit scientific event, and emphasize that this is the first of its kind for both bioinformatics and human genetics in South Africa. This event serves an especially important role in developing and forming the young scientific careers of graduate and post-graduate students in these fields. In line with the themes of the two international conferences that follow, we also encourage South African science/biotech-related industries and role-players to participate in this event as far as possible.

For more info, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference Registration

Registration Options:

• Online and email registration for the conference is now closed, but onsite registration will be possible

On this page:

Special Offers

Early Registration Prices

Late Registration Prices

Workshops

Young Researchers Forum

SPECIAL OFFERS:

--> Institutions registering 10 paid participants together earn one additional student registration for free.

--> Individuals also registering for the Human Genetics Conference are entitled to a 10% discount off registration fees to both the ISCB Africa ASBCB and the Human Genetics conferences.

--> Registration fee for students on travel fellowships will be covered by the fellowship (registration required - use faxable pdf registration form and follow instructions for indicating 0 registration fee due).

--> If you are not yet a member or ISCB (international participants) or ASBCB (African participants), you must first enroll for membership with the respective Society to earn the members-only conference registration discounts (or you can sign up for membership when using the faxable PDF registration form)

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EARLY REGISTRATION PRICES THROUGH 25th JANUARY 2011

Please note: All registration fees will be charged in South African Rand (R) currency, except online credit card payments, which will be charged in US Dollars (USD). A $10 processing fee will be added for online credit card payments to cover the costs of bank transfer fees to move the funds to South Africa.

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LATE REGISTRATION PRICES AFTER 25th JANUARY 2011

Please note: The USD rates shown below are subject to change due to exchange rate fluctuations. A firm USD rate will be set no later than 25th January 2011.

* An Advisor letter for Postdocs and Student ID for Students will be required upon check-in at the conference venue to verify eligibility for these registration categories.

Registration fees includes attendance at all scientific sessions from 9-11 march, the conference program booklet, as well as teas/coffees and lunches. Fees do not include accommodation, travel, or local transportation.

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WORKSHOPS - MONDAY 7th & TUESDAY 8th MARCH

Workshops will be held at the University of the Western Cape in Belville, South Africa (see www.uwc.ac.za/.) Some worskhops are 1/2 day, with the EMBNet and Population genetics workshops being 2 full days each. Registration does not allow for making 1/2 day selections if choosing one of the 2 day options.

Workshop Fees are ZAR 160 per day (the full-day fee applies even if registering only one 1/2 day workshop on any day, so all workshop participants are encouraged to participate in two 1/2 day workshops on the same date if not attending one of the 2-day options).

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YOUNG RESEARCHERS FORUM - SATURDAY, 5th MARCH

For Students and Postdocs only, a Young Researchers Forum is provided at no additional fee. Participants must register at www.humangenetics2011.org/young.htm


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News

• Program booklet now available
• Online and email registration for the conference is now closed, but onsite registration will be possible

Keynote Speakers

*  Confirmed speakers are Winston Hide (Harvard, USA), Appolinaire Djikeng (Biosciences central and eastern Africa (BecA) and International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya),  Vanessa Hayes (J. Craig Venter Institute, USA), and David Bentley (illumina, UK)

ISCB Award for Outstanding Achievement:  Dr. Winston Hide

Dr. Winston Hide of the Harvard School of Public Health was presented with the ISCB Award for Outstanding Achievement, and, as part of this award, delivered the ISCB Keynote lecture at the ISCB Africa ASBCB 2011 conference in Cape Town, South Africa.

A unique award from the International Society for Computational Biology, the ISCB Award for Outstanding Achievement was presented as a means of recognizing Dr. Hide’s significant achievements in an underdeveloped region of the world. The award was proposed by ISCB President Burkhard Rost, and the Society’s highest-ranking leaders - the member-elected Officers of ISCB that serve on the Executive Committee - unanimously approved.

The motivation behind this first ever ISCB Award for Outstanding Achievement at the meeting in Cape Town was driven by Dr. Hide’s profound impact on bioinformatics in Africa. As founder of the South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) at the University of Western Cape in 1996, and Director for many of the years that followed, he was able to establish the first PhD program in Bioinformatics on the African continent. This accomplishment earned him a great deal of respect among the members of the ISCB Board of Directors, and in 2001 he was nominated and elected to serve as an ISCB Director. Upon joining the Board he also accepted the invitation to chair the ISCB Education Committee, a core committee dedicated to advancing the mission of ISCB. Dr. Hide filled both of those important positions until the expiration of his term in 2005.

As other African countries followed suit in establishing advanced degrees in bioinformatics, Dr. Hide then founded the African Society of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ASBCB) in order to bring the bioinformatics communities throughout Africa together as a cohesive and collaborative region. The ASBCB was accepted into the ISCB Affiliated Regional Groups program, and remains an active and important affiliate of ISCB.

Other significant accomplishments of Dr. Hide’s time in South Africa were also considered in choosing him as the recipient of this unique award: Particularly, he founded the Medical Research Council Unit for Bioinformatics Capacity Development, and established the WHO regional Training Center for bioinformatics in Africa. These were both seen as essential contributions to the lasting development of bioinformatics within the African region.

ISCB congratulates Dr. Winston Hide on being selected for this award. His impact on bioinformatics in Africa is unparalleled, and we hope it serves to inspire many others.

• Program booklet now available

Keynotes were presented by:

• David Bentley (Illumina, UK)
• Appolinaire Djikeng (BecA and ILRI, Kenya)
• Vanessa Hayes (J. Craig Venter Institute, USA)
• Winston Hide (Harvard, USA)
• John Quackenbush (Harvard, USA)

FAQs

Where will the 2011 ISCB Africa ASBCB meeting be held?

Cape Town, South Africa, at the Cape Town International Convention Center

The address is: Convention Square, 1 Lower Long Street, Cape Town, 8001 South Africa. Directions and maps can be found HERE.

What hotel accommodation options are there?

See the Travel Information page HERE for hotel and all other travel information.

Who is organizing this meeting?

This meeting constitutes the second joint meeting of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) and the African Society of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (ASBCB). The Medical Research Council of South Africa (MRC) has been hired as the local professional conference organizer to implement all logistics and handle the financial management of the conference.

What is the purpose of this meeting?

ISCB Africa ASBCB Conference on Bioinformatics provides a forum for the sharing of research efforts and results, encourages discussion among attendees, and fosters an environment to create new collaborations in this interdisciplinary field. Scientists whose research focuses on all areas in Bioinformatics are invited to participate. The meeting also facilitates links between young and emerging scientists from Africa and their colleagues from the international community whose research may be highly relevant to their work.

How long is the meeting?

The meeting consists of a 3-day conference preceeded by 2 workshop days offered as an added option to African students. Workshops are presented by highly accomplished researchers. The meeting includes keynote talks given by invited speakers from Africa and around the world.