This ASI consists of 3 days of intensive lectures and technical workshops sponsored by the Croucher Foundation. It is designed to educate and update researchers in Hong Kong and surrounding regions on the tremendous progress in our understanding of skeletal disorders, the new challenges and potentials of using whole genome sequencing in the identification of disease genes, and functional analyses to address the molecular and cellular consequences, leading the to formulation of potential therapeutic treatments. Through this ASI, basic scientists and clinicians can learn the latest in the identification and classification of patients, tips for the analysis of genetic data and functional approaches to study the genetic/developmental defects. This ASI is designed to encourage a forum for continued discussion, which will impact on how the field will grow through educating the next generation of clinicians and scientists in the field. Applications are now invited for attendance of this course.

Course Description: Lectures/workshops for enrolled course participants, and open lectures covering the recent advances in our understanding of rare and common skeletal disorders, and the potentials for therapeutic treatment.

Course Director:  Danny Chan (HKU)

Organising Committee:  Kathryn Cheah (HKU), King Chow (HKUST), Brian Chung (HKU), Stephen Lam (Department of Health, HK), Yun Wah Lam (CityU), Pak Sham (HKU), Michael To (HKU)

Guest lecturers:

• Benjamin Alman (Duke University Medical Center, USA)
• Roberto Civitelli (Washington University in St. Louis, USA)
• Henry Kronenberg (Harvard Medical School, USA)
• Joan Marini (National Institute of Health, USA)
• Bjorn Olsen (Harvard Medical School, USA)
• Noriyuki Tsumaki (Kyoto University, Japan)
• Matthew Warman (Children’s Hospital Boston USA)
• Frances Williams (King's College London, UK)
• Yingzi Yang (Harvard University, USA)
• Elazar Zelzer (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)

Program: please click to download the program

Public lectures: please click to download list of public lectures

Application: Applicants from universities or institutes who hold academic positions or are experienced researchers (i.e. Postdoctoral level or PhD student in their 3rd year of study) are invited to apply. The course enrolment is limited to 35. Applicants should submit an abstract (300 words or less) and enclose a one page CV, with a summary of current research and reasons for wishing to attend this course by November 30, 2015. (Postdoc Fellows and PhD Students should provide a letter of support from their supervisor).  Abstracts will be chosen for oral presentation and/or poster presentation during the course.

Course Fee:  Sponsored by the Croucher Foundation.  No course fee required.

Applications/enquiries: 
Ms. Irene Poon, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, 3/F Laboratory Block, Faculty of Medicine Building, 21 Sassoon Road, Hong Kong.    
Tel: (852)-3917-9240
Fax: (852)-2855-1254
Email: wohipoon@hku.hk

Application forms: Online application form. (Closed)

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