The 2 day International symposium on “Current practice in Genetics and Genomic medicine” was a stimulating experience for all of us. The conference was organised by the Apollo Centre for Fetal Medicine and Genetics unit, Dept of Paediatrics,AIIMS under the aegis of the Genetics chapter of IAP Delhi on 26th and 27th March at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
We were fortunate to have stalwarts in Clinical and molecular Genetics from India and abroad who updated the delegates on the recent advances in this very challenging field. The eminent international faculty (Dr. Dhavendra Kumar, Dr. Rob Elles from the UK) and national experts (Dr.I.C.Verma, Dr. Madhulika Kabra, Dr.Neerja Gupta, Dr. N.K.Mehra, Dr. Ratna Puri, Dr. Shubha Phadke, Dr.Seema Kapoor,Dr.Ashish Fauzdar, Dr.Jyoti Shanker Roy Choudhury and Dr.Anita Kaul) spoke on all aspects of genetics and genomic medicine ranging from the basics to the most recent advances applicable to clinical practice.
There were lectures on clinical history taking in genetic disorders and lively case discussions in which the audience, which comprised of over a hundred obstetricians/gynaecologists, paediatricians and geneticists actively interacted with the speakers. The speakers also threw light on the latest technologies in genomics like microarrays, stem cell transplants and upcoming molecular techniques.
The conference ended with parents representing support groups for various genetic disorders like Down Syndrome, Rett Syndrome, Thalessemias and Lysosomal storage disorders, sharing their personal experiences. It was truly a cherishable moment when parents met with others afflicted by similar disorders and found a common platform to take forth their cause.
The academic content and the fact that the conference provided a platform for the parents support groups, made this conference a true success.