2006 Bioanalytical Sensors Gordon Conference

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The 7th Gordon Research Conference on Bio-analytical Sensors will be held on February 26th - March 3rd, 2006 in Ventura, California. The conference will continue the important role that it has played over the past 15 years of maintaining the cohesiveness and growth of the highly interdisciplinary bio-analytical sensors research community, which includes academic, government, and industrial investigators distributed across the globe working in the diverse fields of analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, electrical engineering, and bioengineering. The conference will serve as a forum for high quality presentations and in depth discussions at the forefront of the fundamental, technical, and practical aspects of the bio-analytical sensors field. The program is heavily influenced by developments in single molecule microscopy and spectroscopy, DNA analysis, and bio-nanotechnology. The program will address the following major themes; 1) Single molecule-based probes, 2) DNA molecule-based probes, 3) nanoparticle-based probes, 4) Bio-sensing arrays on a chip, 5) Newly introduced bio-sensing principles, 6) Application of bio-analytical sensors in cancer diagnostics and biological threats detection, 7) The future of Bio-analytical sensors with the expected move from bio-chips to bio-computers. Following the traditional and highly successful format of previous Gordon Research Conferences, this meeting will have 9 sessions with a total of 25 lectures. Each session will be chaired by a well known expert in the corresponding research area who will describe the state of the art in the session topic prior to the lectures and initiate and moderate in depth discussions following the lectures in their session. The program is carefully balanced between the discussion of new molecular and nanomaterial-based building blocks of future biosensors and the recent development of bio-analytical sensors to address current needs. We have created a diversified program that contains presentations by leading, experienced investigators and starting investigators with fresh new ideas. In addition to the lecture sessions we have planned two poster sessions in which about 100 posters will be presented by the conference attendees. This will provide a valuable opportunity for the conference attendees to present their recent data and engage in non-formal and helpful discussions with their peers. The final list of 150 conferees (session chairs, speakers and attendees) will assure a balanced representation of researchers from all sectors. We will promote the participation of junior investigators, post-doctoral trainees and new investigators in all aspects of the meeting. This year we are planning a focused effort to increase the participation of graduate students in the conference. To this end, we will organize with the assistance of the Gordon Research Conference organization a weekend-long mini-GRC student seminar, which will precede the regular conference. The seminar will be run by a student committee that will be selected by the conference co-chairs. We envision the participation of 30-50 graduate students in the seminar and expect that they will remain for the regular conference. In keeping with the tradition of the conference we will foster the involvement of women, diverse group of minorities and handicapped individuals who are planning to enter into bio-analytical sensors research.