Hutch Director Dr. Lee Hartwell To Share His Vision Of Biotechnology In The 21st Century At BIO '99 Meeting

Conference also to feature talks by three other Hutch scientists:

• Dr. Mark Roth on new methods for diagnosing lupus
• Dr. Jerald Radich on detecting the 'genetic fingerprints' of leukemia
• Dr. Dusty Miller on 'interrogating the human genome'

Dr. Lee Hartwell, president and director of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, will join four other biotechnology leaders in addressing such questions during a symposium entitled "Visions of Biotechnology Pioneers" from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 17. The symposium is part of BIO '99, an international biotechnology meeting and exhibition to be held May 16 to 20 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle.

Hartwell is a recipient of the prestigious Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award and is internationally known for his work in yeast genetics.

Joining Hartwell in addressing the future of biotechnology will be the University of Washington's Dr. Edwin Krebs, 1992 recipient of the Nobel Prize for Physiology in Medicine; Dr. George Rathmann, founder and former president and CEO of Amgen; the University of British Columbia's Michael Smith, 1993 Nobel Prize recipient in chemistry; and Dr. Kathryn Zoon, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The symposium will be moderated by KCTS-TV business analyst Barry Mitzman.

From 9:30 to 11:15 a.m. the same day, three Hutchinson Center scientists will participate in a technology-transfer forum that will present leading candidate technologies from 20 top research institutions.

Presenting from the Hutch will be:

• Dr. Mark Roth of the Basic Sciences Division, who will speak about a new, antigen-based method for diagnosing systemic lupus erythematosis, an autoimmune disease more commonly known as SLE, or lupus.

• Dr. Jerald Radich of the Clinical Research Division, who will talk about new molecular methods of detecting the genetic "fingerprints" of leukemia among patients in remission. The goal: to determine which patients are indeed free of disease and which still have minimal, barely traceable amounts of disease in their bodies and therefore are more likely to experience leukemia relapse. Once identified, such patients could undergo additional or alternative therapy to increase their chances of long-term survival.

• Dr. Dusty Miller of the Human Biology and Basic Sciences divisions, on a new system for genetic cloning that uses phenotypic localization to "interrogate the human genome."

More than 500 experts will speak in 125 scientific, business and governmental policy workshops and seminars.

For registration information, check the Biotechnology Industry Organization Web site: www.bio.org.

To schedule an interview with participating Hutch scientists, contact Kristen Woodward at 206-667-5095.