CHERTSEY, England, January 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
i-Genes: What the DNA and Data Revolutions mean for our Health
Chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby
Royal Institution of Great Britain, Thursday 29th January 2015, 6:30pm
To be webcast live: http://www.innovationdebate.com
View an interview with Mr Freeman ahead of the Debate at http://youtu.be/2EjHCE0PuW4
George Freeman MP, the Minister for Life Sciences, will give the keynote address at the 3rdAstellas Innovation Debate:i-Genes-What the DNA and Data Revolutions mean for our Health, taking placeonThursday 29th January 2015 at theRoyal Institution of Great Britain.
To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7423951-george-freeman-astellas-debate/
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140522/689211 )
Organised and funded by Astellas, a progressive pharmaceutical company that explores the frontiers of scientific discovery to translate new knowledge into innovative, reliable medicines, the Astellas Innovation Debates are a series of annual events that bring together some of the world's most progressive thinkers to discuss the role of innovation in solving some of the greatest challenges of our time.
George Freeman's keynote address will outline the Government's aim to develop, assess and adopt new drugs, devices and diagnostics as we move towards 21st century, personalised healthcare.
Life Sciences Minister George Freeman said: "We are at the dawn of an exciting new age of precision medicine. DNA and clinical informatics are changing the landscape of life sciences in the 21stcentury. The Government is committed to embracing these transformational technologies which is why we have recently launched 11 new NHS genomic medicine centres to support the 100,000 genomes project. By working together, the Government, the NHS, companies, charities, clinicians and patient groups can ensure that this country leads in the fast-emerging field of precision and personalised medicine."
Ken Jones, President and CEO of, Astellas Pharma EMEA, commented: "The Astellas Innovation Debate series reflects our commitment to innovation as well as enabling Astellas to contribute more generally to science and discovery by providing a collaborative platform where everyone can come together to discuss and debate the new developments and innovations that are shaping our future."
"This year's debate will explore the impact on healthcare of two seismic shifts currently underway in science and technology - the revolution in genetic data and understanding, and the explosion of smart technologies and devices in consumer and medical settings. Together our international experts and the invited audience will discuss the implications of these advances on medical care. Only by having public debates such as these can we tackle the challenges to make personalised medicine a reality."
This year's Debate will be chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby who will ask a panel of world leading experts what the recent breakthroughs in genetic medicine and smart technology mean for our health. They include American biologist Dr Leroy Hood, whose leadership led to the automated DNA sequencing, human rights activist BaronessHelena Kennedy, QC,Professor Lionel Tarassenko, CBE, Head of Engineering at Oxford University and Professor Rolf A. Stahel, President of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
Together they will discuss:
- The possibilities these new genetic insights offer for our health
- Whether we can afford the full range of medicines personalised healthcare would demand
- The implication for health professionals - will a mass of data from new technologies create a new army of the worried well and swamp doctors?
- With more of our health data digitised, how long before it falls into the wrong hands?
- At what point does smart care become intrusive surveillance?
- Whether the effort put into these frontiers of medicine divert resources from the real crises of modern healthcare - such as obesity, antibiotic resistance and neurodegenerative disease?
For further information, visit http://www.innovationdebate.com , or join the debate on Twitter (@Astellasinnov8iGenes)
About The Astellas Innovation Debate
The Astellas Innovation Debate, organised and funded by Astellas Pharma EMEA, explores the role of innovation in modern society.
This year's event, i-Genes: What the DNA and Data revolutions mean for our health, at the Royal Institution of Great Britain on 29th January 2015, is bringing together influential and respected figures from the worlds of science, medicine, law and politics to tackle the major issues surrounding scientific innovation today and tomorrow. The aim of the Astellas Innovation Debate is to air crucial issues, draw positive conclusions and to move the agenda forward.
Everyone - professionals in science, medicine and industry, and the general public - will have the opportunity to engage with the Astellas Innovation Debate through online media which will take discussions far beyond the walls of the Royal Institution of Great Britain.
Previous debates have focused on innovation in a time of austerity, nurturing the innovators of the future and the issues of our ageing population. Panellists, such as Nobel Laureates Professor Sir Andre Geim and Dr Elizabeth Blackburn, Professor Brian Cox, Lord Robert Winston, Professor John Appleby and Professor Mariana Mazzucato have tackled some of the real and important challenges affecting science and scientific discovery, dealing with concrete issues and drawing clear conclusions.
About Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd.
Astellas Pharma Europe Ltd. operates in 40 countries acrossEurope, theMiddle EastandAfrica, and is the EMEA regional business ofTokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceuticals. The organisation's focus is to deliver outstanding R&D and marketing to continue growing in the world pharmaceutical market. Astellas' presence inEuropealso includes an R&D site and three manufacturing plants. The company employs over 4,500 people across the EMEA region. In 2013 Astellas was awardedSCRIPPharmaceutical Company of the Year in recognition of its commercial success and pipeline development.
Video:
http://www.multivu.com/players/English/7423951-george-freeman-astellas-debate/
