The Penn Science Cafe Lecture Series Presents:

"Gene Warfare: Genomics in the Fight Against Emerging Disease"   

WHAT:  The Penn Science Cafe, a new lecture series, open to the public and free, that takes science out of the laboratory and treats it to a night on the town.

WHO: David Roos, professor of biology and director of Penn Genomics Institute, hosts an evening of science and conversation.

WHERE:  The MarBar   

40th and Walnut streets, Philadelphia

WHEN:   6 p.m., Monday, Jan. 31

David Roos will discuss the science of genomics, including what's hype and what the genomes of other organisms might mean to human health.

In the four years since the completion of the human genome project was announced, many other genome projects have been completed, from animals to plants to pathogenic microorganisms.  In contrast to research in human genomics, where the goal is to understand and address complex issues of human health, the goal of pathogen genomics is much simpler: to kill the offending organism.

Dr. Roos is an expert on global infectious diseases, including opportunistic pathogens associated with AIDS, and the parasites that cause malaria , a scourge afflicting 300-500 million people each year.  The emergence and spread of drug-resistant microbes is one of the most worrisome trends affecting human health.