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The papers in this volume represent a subset of presentations from the Third Asan-Harvard Medical International Symposium, “Genomics and Proteomics: Impact on Medicine and Health,” jointly sponsored by Asan Medical Center/University of Ulsan College of Medicine and Harvard Medical International/Harvard Medical School. The meeting was held in Seoul, South Korea, July 3–4, 2001.

The organizers of the symposium consisted of representatives of Asan Medical Center (AMC), University of Ulsan College of Medicine (UUCM), Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Harvard Medical International (HMI), and Harvard Medical School (HMS):

Organizing Committee

Co-Chairpersons: Wong Dong Kim, MD, PhD, Dean and Professor of Internal Medical, UUCM/AMC; Mitchell W. Spellman, MD, PhD, Director of Academic Alliances and International Exchange Programs, HMI, Dean for International Projects and Medical Services, Professor of Surgery, Emeritus, HMS. Secretary General: Chul Lee, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President, AMC, Professor of Psychiatry, UUCM/AMC. Members: Kyoung-Sik Cho, MD, PhD, Executive Director, Office for Medical Education and Research, AMC Professor and Chairman, Department of Radiology, UUCM/AMC; Choon-Sung Lee, MD, PhD, Executive Director, Office for Planning and Program Development, AMC, Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, UUCM/AMC; Hee-Bom Moon, MD, PhD, Director Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Professor of Internal Medicine, UUCM/AMC; Ju-Hyun Nam, MD, PhD, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, UUCM, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UUCM/AMC.

Scientific Program Committee

Co-Chairpersons: Joshua LaBaer, MD, PhD, Director, Institute for Proteomics, HMS; Han-Wook Yoo, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, UUCM/AMC. Members: Inchul Lee, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology, UUCM/AMC; Jae-Dam Lee, MD, PhD, Associate Dean for Research Affairs and Professor of Biochemistry, UUCM; Kyuyoung Song, PhD, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, UUCM.

Supporting Organization

The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.

All manuscripts submitted to Genetics in Medicine from the symposium held at Asan Medical Center in Seoul were reviewed by the editors and select peer-reviewers and published in this volume. The editors are grateful to Ms. Gloria Parkinson of The Parkinson Group and Ms. Kristine Christopherson of Genetics in Medicine for their editorial assistance and to Dr. Mitchell Spellman of Harvard Medical International for his support and guidance in organizing the symposium and this volume. Dr. Chul Lee, Executive Vice President, AMC, served as Secretary General of the Organizing Committee; Dr. Han Wook Yoo, Professor of Pediatrics, AMC, was Co-Chairperson of the Scientific Program Committee of the symposium.

The effort to map and sequence the human genome was an international one, and the ongoing challenge of integration of this volume of information into medical practice will be even more so. Although the genome is shared in common among all people around the world, there are differences in alleles and allele frequencies, as well as differences in the environment, and customs for provision of medical care, that will impact the way in which the new knowledge of the genome and proteome are used in medicine.

The papers in this volume cover a broad terrain of topics that relate to the promise of genomics and proteomics in medical practice. These include discussions of the technologies used to identify genetic variants and the structure and interactions of proteins, as well as the research implications of the use of these technologies. Applications of genomics and proteomics to clinical practice and public health are also discussed, along with the ethical and educational challenges entailed in the introduction of these new approaches.

The Asan Medical Center/University of Ulsan College of Medicine-Harvard Medical International/Harvard Medical School symposium on “Genomics and Proteomics: Impact on Medicine and Health” provided a forum for an open and spirited exchange of ideas at the dawn of a new era in medical science. It is our hope that some of this good will and hope for the future will be conveyed in this volume.