ATP PUBIC MEETING: TOOLS FOR DNA DIAGNOSTICS ATP Public Meeting: Tools for DNA Diagnostics March 30-April 1, 1998 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 benefits. The ATP seeks to help U.S. industry fill the gap between basic research and product development, and to invest in technology that would not be developed in a competitive time frame without government cost sharing. Along with general competitions which are open to proposals from all technical areas, the ATP has also funded focused programs, each 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 variety of diagnostic purposes. 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, bioprocessing, environmental monitoring, drug discovery, and personal identification. Currently, this program includes 25 industry-proposed and executed projects with estimated ATP funds of $96 million, and $89 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 their research and development activities. Carol Dahl and Robert Strausberg of the National Cancer Institute, NIH, will deliver the keynote address "The Cancer Genome Anatomy Project: A New Foundation for Cancer Research." The work that is projected under this initiative is in part an application of many of the technologies being supported under the Tools for DNA Diagnostics program. Meeting Goals and Agenda: 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 diagnostic community Discuss possible future directions for focused programs. 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 March 30. 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. each day. Location: The National Institute of Standards and Technology, Administration Building (101), Green Auditorium, Gaithersburg, Maryland. Gaithersburg is approximately 25 miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Registration: The registration fee is $150 per person and includes coffee breaks and lunches each day, a banquet on March 30 at the Quality Suites Hotel at 6:00 p.m., and meeting materials. For your name to appear on the preliminary participants' list, registration must be received no later than Monday, March 16, 1998. Requests for refund or cancellation must also be received, in writing, by March 16. Accommodations: A block of rooms has been reserved at the Quality Suites Hotel, (301) 840-0200. The special rate is $79.95, single or double, plus 12% tax. To register for a room, please call the hotel directly no later than March 15, 1998. After that date, the rooms will be released for general sale at the prevailing rates of the hotel. Transportation: Super Shuttle, (301) 369-0009 or 1-800-258-3826, offers commercial van service from Baltimore-Washington International, Dulls International, and Washington National airports to the Gaithersburg area. Call for reservations. Transportation will be provided between the Quality Suites Hotel 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, Rt. 117 West, Clopper Road. At the first light on Clopper Road, turn left onto the NIST grounds. Southbound I-270: take Exit 11B, Rt.. 124 West, Quince Orchard Road. At the second light turn left onto Clopper Road. At the next light, turn right onto the NIST grounds. To reach the Administration Building, turn left after passing the guard office. Signs will direct you to visitor parking. Registration Information: Tammie Grice NIST Telephone: (301) 975-3883 Fax: (301) 948-2067 e-mail: tammie.grice@nist.gov Technical Information: Stanley Abramowitz NIST Telephone: (301) 975-2587 Fax: (301) 540-1087 e-mail: stanley.abramowitz@nist.gov For general ATP information, or to add your name to the ATP mailing list, contact the ATP Office: Telephone: (800) ATP-FUND or (800) 287-3863; Fax: (301) 926-9524; e-mail: atp@nist.gov WEB: Advanced Technology Program, atp.nist.gov. E-MAIL: atp@nist.gov, atp@nist.gov.

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