National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bldg. 101, Room A430, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

A -- ATP PUBLIC MEETING: TOOLS FOR DNA DIAGNOSTICS SOL Q- DUE 082696 POC Tammie Grice (301) 975-3883, Fax (301) 948-2067, email tammie.grice@nist.gov ATP Public Meeting: Tools for DNA Diagnostics, September 9-10, 1996, NIST, Gaithersburg, MD. About the Advanced Technology Program: The NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) provides competitive, cost-shared awards for industry to develop high-risk, enabling technologies with broad-based economic benefit. It seeks to help industry fill the gap between basic research and product development, and to invest in technology that wouldn't be developed in a competitive time-frame without government cost-sharing. Along with general competitions which are open to proposals from all technical areas, ATP is also funding a series of ''focused programs'' with specific business and technical goals. Public Meeting: Since 1994, ATP has supported a focused initiative in Tools for DNA Diagnostics. The goal of this program is to develop cost-effective methods to determine, analyze, and store DNA sequences for a wide variety of diagnostic applications. The developed methodology will be automated and miniaturized whenever possible, have high-throughput and accuracy, and be low-cost and user-friendly to support substantial U.S. commercial business by creating new opportunities in many markets, including health care, agriculture, veterinary medicine, environmental monitoring, and personal identification. Currently, this program includes 22 industry-proposed and -executed projects with estimated ATP funds of $106 million, and $99 million of matching industry funds committed over five years. This meeting will bring together all ATP awardees in the NIST-ATP Tools for DNA Diagnostics Program to present an overview of the non-proprietary aspects of their research and development activities. Francis Collins, Director of the National Center for Human Genome Research, National Institutes of Health, will deliver a keynote address. The goals of the meeting are to: inform the DNA diagnostics community about activities at this stage of the focused program, promote cross-fertilization of concepts and efforts, promote strategic partnering across companies and other organizations in the DNA diagnostics community, accelerate commercialization of technologies emerging from this research, promote networking between ATP awardees and the diagnostics community. Agenda: The agenda for this meeting will consist of each ATP awardee presenting the non-proprietary aspects of their research. There will be opportunities for networking during the meeting and at the banquet on September 9. Overviews of NIST research in support of DNA technologies will also be presented. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and the meeting will adjourn at 5 p.m. on both days. Location: The National Institute of Standards and Technology, located in Gaithersburg, MD, is approximately 25 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Washington National Airport, Dulles International Airport, and Baltimore-Washington International Airports are easily accessible to the area. The meeting will be held in the Green Auditorium of the Administration Building (101). Registration: The registration fee of $125 per person includes conference materials, coffee breaks, lunches, and a banquet. In order for your name to appear on the preliminary participants list, the registration card must be received by August 26, 1996. Requests for cancellation and refund must also be received, in writing, by this date. Accommodations: A block of rooms has been reserved for participants at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, 9751 Washingtonian Blvd., Gaithersburg, Md. 20878, (301) 590-0044. The rate is $90, single or double, plus 12% tax. To reserve a room, please call the hotel directly no later than August 19, 1996. After that date, the rooms will be released for general sale at the prevailing hotel rate. Social Event: In order to provide an opportunity for informal interaction, a banquet will be held on September 9, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center. Transportation: BWI Super Shuttle, (301) 369-0009, offers commercial van service from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to the Gaithersburg area. Crystal Airport Shuttle, 1-800-872-2797, is available from Dulles International and Washington National Airports to Gaithersburg. Call for reservations. The Washington Metro has subway service to Gaithersburg. The Metro System can be boarded at Washington National Airport. Take the Yellow Line train marked ''Mount Vernon Square'' to Gallery Place and transfer to a Red Line train marked ''Shady Grove'' to the Shady Grove station in Gaithersburg. Travel time from National to Shady Grove is approximately 50 minutes. Taxis are available to area hotels. A NIST shuttle operates for official visitors from the Shady Grove station to NIST. The van leaves the Shady Grove station on the quarter and three-quarter hour (e.g. 8:15, 8:45, . . .4:45, 5:15) from the east side parking lot. Transportation will be provided between the Marriott and NIST each day. Attendees are encouraged to use this service as parking at NIST is limited. To reach NIST: Northbound I-270: take Exit 10, Route 117 West, Clopper Road. At the first traffic light on Clopper, turn left onto the NIST grounds. Southbound I-270: take Exit 11B, Rt. 124 West, Quince Orchard Rd. At the second light, turn left onto Clopper Rd. At the next light turn right onto the NIST grounds. Registration Information: Tammie Grice, Telephone: (301) 975-3883 Fax: (301) 948-2067, email: tammie.grice@nist.gov. For general ATP information, or to add your name to the ATP mailing list, contact the ATP Office, (800) ATP-FUND or (800) 287-3863; e-mail: atp@micf.nist.gov; or fax: (301) 926-9524. Technical Information: Stanley Abramowitz, Telephone: (310) 975-2587, Fax: (301) 540-1087, email: stanley.abramowitz@nist.gov (0180)

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