COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT
www.fbbva.es
PRESS RELEASE
BBVA Foundation-CIC bioGUNE lecture series
Gilbert Omenn talks in the BBVA
Foundation about using bioinformatics to
determine the molecular bases of
disease
 Omenn, Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, and Public Health
at the University of Michigan will deliver a lecture this Thursday, May 16
(starting 19:30) on "The Importance of Proteins in the Development of
Predictive and Personalized Medicine”
 Proteins are responsible for most of the biochemical processes unfolding in
our cells and are therapeutic targets for the majority of today’s drugs
Bilbao, May 16, 2013.- American scientist Gilbert S. Omenn, Professor of Internal Medicine,
Human Genetics, and Public Health at the University of Michigan (United States) will
deliver a talk on "The Importance of Proteins in the Development of Predictive and
Personalized Medicine” on May 16 at 19:30 in the BBVA Foundation, Bilbao (Plaza San
Nicolás, 4).
Prof. Omenn’s talk ends the 8th lecture series organized by the BBVA Foundation and CIC
bioGUNE, with support from the Biophysics Unit (CSIC-University of the Basque Country)
and the British Council, under the generic title “Can Medicine Be Predictive?”
Proteomics is the branch of science that studies proteins. Proteins are the molecules that
perform most of the biochemical processes taking place within the cell, and their study
can provide invaluable clues to the origin of pathological processes. Most of today’s
clinically important drugs act directly on proteins.
Further, proteomics is a useful tool for identifying biomarkers that facilitate the early
diagnosis of disease. Logically, the sooner a condition is diagnosed, the better the chance
that its treatment will succeed.
Certain diseases, like breast or prostate cancer, for instance, form a heterogeneous group
at molecular level despite carrying the same name. This means that the optimal treatment
may differ depending on the disease subtype the patient is suffering. Proteomics can help
to define the subtype present, enabling the clinician to select the best therapeutic
strategy.
Omenn’s proteomic studies are aimed at finding new therapeutic targets for diseases like
type 1 diabetes and prostate cancer through a combination of novel genomic,
metabolomic and proteomic approaches. These methodologies generate massive
amounts of data describing the different molecular aspects of a given study object.
Integrating the information obtained through these disciplines is a vital step to gain a
better understanding of the causes of disease. And Gil Omenn has specialized, precisely,
in the use of bioinformatic tools to integrate diverse types of biomedical data. It is hoped
by this means to map the molecular bases of a series of disorders as a stepping stone to
their detection, treatment and cure.
His experiences in the front-line of this kind of research will form the backbone of his
forthcoming talk in the BBVA Foundation.
The lecture will have free entry subject to availability, and will be followed by a discussion
session moderated by CIC bioGUNE researcher Félix Elortza, during which questions will be
taken from the floor.
Gilbert Omenn bio notes
Gilbert Omenn is Professor of Internal Medicine, Human Genetics, and Public Health at the
University of Michigan and director of the University-wide Center for Computational
Medicine and Bioinformatics. F rom 1997 to 2002, he was Chief Executive Officer of the
University of Michigan Health System, before which he served as Dean of the School of
Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle.
His scientific interests include cancer proteomics and alternative splicing, bioinformatics,
public health genetics, risk analysis and health policy. He led the beta-Carotene and
Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) of preventive agents against lung cancer and heart disease,
was director of the Center for Health Promotion in Older Adults, and creator of a
university-wide initiative on Public Health Genetics while at the University of Washington
and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
He served as associate director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and
director of the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President
during the Carter Administration. From 2005-2006, he was president of the American
Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific society
and publisher of Science. He is currently chairman of Amgen Inc. as well as sitting on the
council of the Human Proteome Organization (HUPO).
Prof. Omenn’s recent research focuses on the possible relevance for diseases like cancer
of protein variants coded for by the same gene (it was discovered in the 1970s that a
single gene can code for multiple proteins). Proteomic analyses can detect and quantify
these protein variants in diseases, opening up a new avenue for the identification of
biomarkers of medical importance.
For further information, contact the BBVA Foundation Communication Department (+34 91 374
5210/+34 91 537 3769 or comunicacion@fbbva.es) or visit www.fbbva.es