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Across the globe, regulatory landscapes are notoriously complex and difficult to navigate, yet laws regarding human health can literally be a matter of life and death. Diagnosis and treatment remain challenging for the more than 7,000 rare diseases impacting 350 million people worldwide. Policy makers set research funding agendas and make laws, such as the Orphan Drug Act, that can tip the balance on whether drug makers will pursue treatments for rare disease and make them accessible. Advocates play a critical role, getting the attention of lawmakers and making the case that regulations shape healthcare outcomes for people with rare disease.

In this webinar, policy experts, advocates, and political insiders will discuss:

• How to unravel the complexities of regulatory processes surrounding rare disease
• Strategies for getting access to lawmakers and what to say to make an impact
• Success stories about advocates who influenced policy, research funding, and access to treatments.

The immune system is the body’s premier line of defense against microbial pathogens, yet some microbes are treated as friends instead of foes. The colonization of the human body with microbes is critical to a newborn’s developing immune system and metabolic health, and this dynamic process may impact long-term health as well. Researchers are exploring how the body’s earliest interactions with the microbiome can misfire, leading to childhood disease. Others are probing the molecular details of how immune cells recognize and target dangerous microbes, while ignoring those that benefit the human host. Sometimes the immune system mistakenly attacks a friendly microbe, which can lead to inflammatory and other diseases. Together, scientists are working toward interventions that target the microbiome to prevent and treat diseases ranging from irritable bowel disease to pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome.
In this webinar, participants will:

• Learn how the immune system differentiates pathogenic and commensal bacteria
• Hear what can go wrong in the interaction between the immune system and microbiome
• Discover how scientists are developing strategies for the prevention and treatment of diseases that stem from a dysfunctional relationship between the microbiome and immune system.

This webinar will last for approximately 60 minutes.

Advances in our understanding of biology—in particular how living cells function—have enabled us to recruit different types of cells for production of new medicines, new materials, new food ingredients, and even biofuels. This field is referred to as synthetic biology.

The roots of synthetic biology were laid in the mid-seventies, with the first molecular cloning and amplification of DNA in a plasmid, known as recombinant DNA. In 2010 researchers at the J. Craig Venter Institute created the first synthetic cell, and in 2012 the introduction of CRISPR-Cas technology enabled faster engineering of biology. Microorganisms mimic “factories” capable of transforming sugars into bio-products useful for construction, wearable garments, fuels, and medicines.

Synthetic biology is already being used in manufacturing, such as the creation of synthetic fragrances to replace the use of rare plants in the perfume industry. Engineered gut E. coli generate useful chemicals and antibiotics, while blue-green algae convert captured carbon into biofuels or bioplastics. Scientists are working on similar innovations, such as diagnosing and treating diseases internally with a living system such as pluripotent stem cells.

In this webinar, the panelists will discuss the promises and pitfalls of synthetic biology and how it can be used to improve human health.

During the webinar, the speakers will:

• Describe the evolution of synthetic biology in medicine and where the field is headed
• Offer insights into how clinical and basic researchers can incorporate synthetic biology into their own studies
• Answer your questions during the live broadcast.

This webinar will last for approximately 60 minutes.