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Alltech Symposium to Explore Major Human Health Challenges, Medical Advances of Next Seven Years

[LEXINGTON, Ky.] – Advances in medical science have extended life yet present humanity with a new set of challenges - diseases of old age. In addition, increasingly sedentary lifestyles add another layer of “modern” ailments to the mix, such as metabolic syndrome and Type 2 diabetes. The Life Sciences session at GLIMPSE 2020, the 29^th Annual Alltech International Symposium in Lexington, Ky., USA, from May 19-22, will explore how lifestyle changes, genomics, diagnostics and nutrition can be merged to better manage and prevent the diseases of the modern era.

“We will have to take radical steps in the next decade if we hope to avoid twin pandemics: Alzheimer’s disease and Type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Ronan Power, vice president of Life Sciences at Alltech and chairperson of the Life Sciences session at the 2013 Alltech Symposium. “A great deal of prevention can be achieved by convincing at-risk individuals to alter their behavior, for example, through diet and exercise. However, it’s likely that this approach will, at best, be only moderately effective so we have to look at the other tools we have at our disposal - early diagnosis and warning as well as direct biological intervention to counter the effects of poor lifestyle habits. Alltech’s 2013 Symposium will provide a forum for discussing these challenges with colleagues and leading experts.”

New in 2013, Alltech International Symposium delegates will have the opportunity to select breakout session tracks. These tracks, as opposed to traditional species or subject breakouts, will offer attendees a more holistic experience in which they take part in discussions ranging from algae and agriculture’s carbon footprint to nutrition and marketing.

The Life Sciences track includes the following topics:

• A Glimpse of the Game Changers: In the first decade of the 21st century, science fiction continued to become science fact. From technological advances in growing replacement organs in the lab, through synthesis of the first artificial life-form, DNA neural networks, face transplantation, the $1,000 genome and the discovery of the Higgs Boson, we can be assured that our path to the year 2020 will be our most exciting journey yet.
• A New World: 23andMe: We all have 23 chromosomes that harbor the answers to many of our innermost questions—who were my ancestors? Am I related to any famous people? From what disease will I die? Will I pass any harmful traits on to my children?
• Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease: Longer lifespans, coupled with our increasingly sedentary lifestyle, earmark these killer diseases as definite future pandemics. Modern science is giving us the tools to delay and even thwart the onset of these illnesses. Hear some of the latest developments in this burgeoning field of research.
• Nutrition for a New Era of Human Challenges: The number of inhabitants on our planet continues to rise apace with concerns about global food shortages; yet, in the western world, 30 percent of our food goes in the garbage and a further 20-30 percent of the food we consume ends up as cellular garbage and undesirable byproducts, such as health-threatening fat deposits. Join a discussion on how we can make our cells practice smart metabolism, helping us eat away the food production gap.
• The Magic of MicroRNA: Long regarded as tiny pieces of “junk genetic material,” these non-coding RNA molecules have recently been identified as potent gene switches.

Registration for Alltech’s 29^th Annual International Symposium is open now and available for an early discount price of $599 until April 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Standard registration after April 15 will be $850. Two paid registrations from a single company or organization will receive a third registration free of charge. Delegates who are members of ARPAS and AAVSB can also earn CEUs.

Attendees are encouraged to register early as space is limited. Of the nearly 3,000 international delegates who attended the 2012 Alltech International Symposium, 97 percent indicated that they plan to attend again.

For more information, or to request an invitation, contact a local Alltech representative, visit www.alltech.com/symposium or email symposium@alltech.com.