A Sneak Peek Into 2024 Science Matters Seminars

We’re thrilled to announce the following speakers for the PNRI 2024 Science Matters Seminars.

  • January: Dr. Ghayda Mirzaa of Seattle Children’s Hospital will kick off the year on January 24, discussing genomics’ role in advancing our understanding of epilepsy disorders and its implications for clinical care and targeted therapies. 
  • February: Join us on February 28 for a special Science Matters seminar on rare disease research in honor of Rare Disease Day.  Jill Hawkins, founder and president of FAM177A1 Research Fund, will share her rare disease advocacy efforts and her family’s diagnostic journey. Following Jill, Dr. Jennifer Posey from Baylor College of Medicine will present exciting research findings and discoveries from the GREGoR Consortium (Genomics Research to Elucidate the Genetics of Rare Diseases). 
  • March: Dr. John Ray of Benaroya Research Institute in Seattle 
  • April: Dr. Alysson Muotri of the University of California San Diego
  • May: Dr. Anna Lindstrand of the Karolinksa Institutet in Solna, Sweden
  • June:  Dr. Fowzan Alkuraya of Alfaisal University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 

Science Matters Seminars delve into exciting genetics, genomics, and evolutionary biology research with important societal impact, always free of charge. Additional details can be found on the Science Matters web page.

“PNRI Science Matters seminars bring together renowned scientists across the globe with different perspectives, different technology, and different creative approaches in genetics and genomics. It provides scientific, educational, and collaborative opportunities to research aiming to improve human health.”

Claudia Carvalho, PhD
PNRI Assistant Investigator

You can find the most recent Science Matters 2023 seminars on YouTube. We would like to thank the 2023 Science Matters speakers from around the world for inspiring seminars that engaged hundreds of attendees.

  • January: Dr. Pedro Galante of Hospital Sírio-Libanês in São Paulo, Brazil, kicked off the year with insights into mRNA retro transposition.
  • FebruaryDr. Evan Eichler of the University of Washington discussed the revolutionary impact of long-read sequencing on understanding human genetic variation.
  • March: Dr. Elizabeth Atkinson of Baylor College of Medicine emphasized the need for diverse populations in large-scale gene discovery. Dr. Joris Vermeesch of KU Leuven in Belgium discussed genomic and chromosomal instability.
  • April: Dr. Andrew Stergachis from the University of Washington explored how gene regulatory elements are mapped and change during human evolution and disease.
  • May: Dr. Anthony Zoghbi of Baylor College of Medicine uncovered the genomic basis of extremely severe forms of schizophrenia.
  • June:  Dr. Eduardo Tarazona Santos of the University of Mina Gerais in São Paulo, Brazil, explored genetics, ancestry, and health in Latin American populations.
  • September: Dr. Han Brunner of Radboud University in the Netherlands offered insights into mutation and sexual selection that shape our genetic landscape today.
  • October: Dr. Scott Younger of Children’s Mercy in Kansas City discussed scalable approaches for modeling rare disease in organoid systems.
  • November: Dr. Danny Miller of Seattle Children’s Hospital reviewed long-read sequencing applications to streamline clinical and research genetic testing.
  • December: Dr. Eduardo Amorim of California State University Northridge explored using genetics to study the evolution of human immunity.

Immerse yourself in the forefront of genetics with PNRI’s Science Matters seminars. Explore breakthroughs, dive into discoveries, and secure your spot for the exciting journey in 2024. Check out the full lineup on PNRI’s Science Matters page – you won’t want to miss this!