ROCKVILLE, Md. --A child born in 2010 should benefit from better health and disease diagnosis, improved foods, more efficient clean up of toxin spills, and a more "realistic" view of evolution, thanks to the current revolution in applying biotechnology to the flood of new gene sequencing data. Leading experts will discuss what's in store for the 2010 genomic generation at a special symposium, "Advancing the Frontiers of Biotechnology" at the University System of Maryland's Shady Grove Campus (directions below), 8:30 a.m., November 9.

The free symposium will be held in honor of the inauguration of Jennie Hunter-Cevera, Ph.D., as the second president of the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI) on November 10, also at USM, Shady Grove.

"It is indeed an honor for UMBI to host such a distinguished group of speakers (list below) in the heart of Maryland's "Genomic Junction" who will discuss the future of biotechnology," says Hunter-Cevera. She was most recently head of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology and director of the Department of Environmental Biology and Biochemistry for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California.

At the inaugural symposium, experts will discuss likely changes for the post-2010 "genomics" generation, including:

• Preventing Infections: Analysis of all the genes of both humans and human disease-causing microorganisms will give drug designers pinpoint accuracy to treat infectious diseases from influenza to AIDS on a patient-to-patient basis.
• Monitoring Cancer Treatments: Tissue microarray technology, so far replacing microscope slide tests in 100 laboratories in the world, will help clinicians get 9,000 different analyses of 1,000 tissue samples at once for a rapid diagnosis of cancer type, progression, and patient risk factors.
• Green Manufacturing: Computer analysis of microbial enzyme genes will help manufacturers, e.g. paper mills, to limit use of sulfur and other p
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