Lynne Cobiac – Protective Foods Stream Leader for the Preventative Health Flagship

CSIRO’s research efforts in nutritional genomics will receive international attention at a conference in Singapore this year.

CSIRO is part of a group of organisations involved with the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Southeast Asia Region in planning ILSI’s first international conference on Nutrigenomics – Opportunities in Asia, from December 7 – 9, 2005.

Five speakers will represent CSIRO and its partners at the conference, including key Preventative Health Flagship collaborator Professor Graeme Young from Flinders University of South Australia, CSIRO Livestock Industries Chief Shaun Coffey and Dr Michael Fenech, CSIRO Health Sciences and Nutrition, Adelaide.

Preventative Health Flagship Director Dr Richard Head, who is on the panel of conference advisers, and Flagship Business Manager Dr Lynne Cobiac, a member of the Scientific and Organising Committee, will also present to delegates.

CSIRO presentations will focus on the effect of food on genes, how to optimise health through nutrigenomics and the impact of nutrigenomics on the food supply.

Dr Cobiac says nutrigenomics, analysing the interplay between an individual’s diet and genetic make up and their combined impact on health, is taking nutrition into the 21st century by looking at personalised nutrition.

“If we can understand what impact nutrients have at a molecular level, that is at the level of DNA and protein then we can understand the role of nutrition and how we can improve our health through food,” she says.

“If we are looking to understand the role of a particular component in food, scientists need to understand food and nutrition at this level to ensure proper processing and incorporation into the food supply.

“The conference will focus on the opportunities in Asia. CSIRO’s involvement will provide an important opportunity for us to network with key researchers in our region and beyond.

“CSIRO has a whole range of powerful new life science technologies that can be brought to bear in this area; DNA microarrays and proteomics that will produce huge masses of data, advanced bioinformatics to make sense of it and an ability to apply these for major impact in areas like animal nutrition, plant breeding and human health.”

Several CSIRO Divisions and Flagships will be involved in showcasing our capabilities to the world, including through an information booth at the conference.

For more information click on the link below:
http://www.nutritionsociety.org/!Docs/18march2005/1stAnnouncementAsia
Conf.pdf

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