Pebbles Along the 'Path' to Personalized Medicine

Panel discussion with Georgetown experts to address biotechnology, science, policy and ethical issues

WASHINGTON, June 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Earlier this week, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration outlined a "path" to accelerate and help ensure the safety of personalized medicine -- treatments tailored to match a person's genetic make-up.  Significant progress in this rapidly developing field will hinge on biotechnology and will be impacted by the law, healthcare policy and ethical issues.

On Wednesday, June 23rd, Georgetown University Medical Center will explore the many issues of personalized medicine with a special panel featuring experts from healthcare, bioethics, policy and law.

Panelists for the event include:

• Howard J. Federoff, MD, PhD, executive vice president for health sciences; executive dean of Georgetown University School of Medicine
• Kevin T. Fitzgerald, SJ, PhD, research associate professor in the Department of Oncology; Dr. David P. Lauler Chair in Catholic Health Care Ethics
• Lawrence O. Gostin, faculty director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law; Linda D. and Timothy J. O'Neill Professor of Global Health Law
• Patrick Maguire, MD, PhD, president and CEO of Cyberheart, Inc.
• Stephen R. Seiler, founder and CEO of AesRx LLC

*The event will be moderated by Maggie Little, PhD,  associate professor in the Department of Philosophy; director and senior research scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics

Background of scientific experts:

Howard J. Federoff

Kevin T. Fitzgerald

Lawrence O. Gostin

Patrick Maguire

Stephen R. Seiler

Maggie Little

The presentation will take place at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center (5701 Marinelli Road, Bethesda, MD, 20852) at 7:00 PM ET on June 23rd, 2010. Media interested in attending, please contact Tressa Iris Kirby, GUMC Communications Officer, by calling 202-687-8865 or emailing [email protected]. A podcast of the discussion can be made available by request (24 hours prior to the event).

About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing and Health Studies, both nationally ranked, the world-renowned Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization (BGRO), home to 60 percent of the university's sponsored research funding.

SOURCE Georgetown University Medical Center