Emerging Field of Imaging Genetics is Explored at Upcoming UCI Presentation; World's Highest-Resolution Display for Visualizing Genetic Data Will Be Demonstrated

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2005--OCTANe@UCI and Calit2 will present "Genetic Medical Imaging -- Converging Technologies Personalize Medicine & Treatment" as part of its "Innovation Series" Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., at the Calit2 Building at UC Irvine. Through facilitated presentations, demonstrations and discussion by UCI's medical and visualization experts, participants will discover the emerging field of genetic medical imaging and explore the development of new disruptive technologies which will potentially affect millions of people who suffer from diseases such as Alzheimer's, schizophrenia, ADHD, autism, depression, alcoholism and more.

Imaging Genetics integrates medical images with individual genetic information, providing a unique opportunity for doctors to personalize medicine and increase survival rates. Considerable computational power is required to integrate the vast amount of genetic data with the imaging data. This creates unprecedented relationships between the medical, imaging and computing communities, and holds new opportunities for medical science.

"Imaging Genetics provides a unique opportunity for collaboration and will pave the way for the development of more effective and targeted treatments," said Albert Yee, Irvine division director of Calit2. "Some of the more exciting treatment options include minimally invasive medical procedures, acceleration of drug development and reduction in clinical trial life cycles."

In addition to the panel discussion, attendees will participate in a demonstration of Calit2's HIPerWall, the world's highest-resolution display for visualizing and manipulating massive data sets. HIPerWall's resolution enables medical researchers to see complete genetic data sets that previously could only be viewed one slice at a time.

Panelists at the Aug. 18 event include:

-- James Fallon, Ph.D. - Director, UC Irvine Human Brain Imaging Center; professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

-- Falko Kuester, Ph.D. - Director, Calit2 Center of GRAVITY (Graphics, Visualization and Imaging Technology); assistant professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

-- Bruce Tromberg, Ph.D. - Director, Beckman Laser Institute; professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering

The Aug. 18 event will be facilitated by James Hill, M.D., J.D., clinical assistant professor of radiology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, and a partner with Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear. Collaborative sponsors for the event include OCTANe, Tech Coast Angels and the Orange Coast Venture Group (OCVG).