School of Biomedical Science The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

Officiated by Prof. Chan Wai-Yee, Director of the School of Biomedical Sciences and Prof. Ng Pak-Cheung, Professor, Department of Paediatrics, a joint symposium on Clinical Genetics and Prenatal Diagnosis was successfully held on 15 September 2012 at Kai Chong Tong, Postgraduate Education Centre, Prince of Wales Hospital. The symposium was co-organized by School of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Department of Paediatrics and was well attended by around 120 participants.

The talks given at the symposium included:

- "Development of Clinical Genetics in Hong Kong: Past, Present and Future" by Dr. Stephen Lam Department of Health, HKSAR Government
- "Mind the Gap between the Clinic and Laboratory Genetics. Array CGH in Clinical Practice" by Dr. Carlos Bacino, Baylor College of Medicine, U.S.A.
- "Prenatal Diagnosis with Array CGH: Advantages and Challenges" by Prof. Leung Tak-Yeung, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, CUHK
- "The Role of Exon Sequencing in Genetic Diagnosis" by Prof. Arthur L. Beaudet, Baylor College of Medicine, U.S.A.

The symposium marked the opening of the first outpatient genetics clinic in Hong Kong which provides one-stop diagnosis and consultation services. Prior to the joint symposium, the Chinese University of Hong Kong signed with the Baylor College of Medicine, U.S.A. on 14 September 2012 a collaborative agreement on training clinical geneticists whose expertise has been much sought after in the territory. The corresponding coverage on the signing ceremony can be viewed here.