Biomedical Computation at Stanford (BCATS)

BCATS 2009 News

Abstract submissions are due on October 2, 2009

This year's symposium will take place on November 7, 2009.

 

Keynote Addresses

Coming Soon!

BCATS Symposium

On behalf of the organizers, I am proud to announce the 10th year anniversary of the symposium Biomedical Computation at Stanford (BCATS). This year BCATS will be held on November 7th on the campus of Stanford University. BCATS is a one-day scientific conference organized entirely by students highlighting current research by students and post-docs in the San Francisco bay area including Stanford, UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, UC Santa Cruz and UC Davis. Last year, BCATS presented work of over 60 different research projects to over 250 attendees from the scientific community.

Over the years, BCATS has consistently offered the biomedical computation community a place to connect and learn about state-of-the-art science. This open exchange is critical for the growth of biomedical computation research. Attendees of previous BCATS have gone on to become leading faculty in prestigious institutions and drivers of biotechnological innovation in the private sector.

Volunteer for BCATS

BCATS is looking for volunteers to help on the day of the conference (Nov 7) or the day before (Nov 6). Registration is free for BCATS volunteers.

Topics

BCATS welcomes presentations from all domains of computerized and computer-aided biology and medicine, broadly conceived. Topics will include:

  • Bioinformatics, Biostatistics and Computational Biology
  • Computational Genomics and Systems Biology
  • Biomechanical Simulation, Modeling and Robotics
  • Medical Informatics
  • Structural Biology and Chemistry
  • Biomedical Imaging

Keynote Address Abstracts

Coming soon!

Keynote Address Abstracts

Rowan Chapman, Ph.D

Mohr Davidow Ventures

Investing in Personalized Medicine

The molecular diagnostics industry is being driven by the availability of sensitive, high-throughput detection methodologies for genome-wide analysis of DNA, RNA, protein and metabolites. This presentation will focus on how investment firms such as MDV make investments in tools and molecular diagnostics that drive personalized medicine. Examples from portfolio companies such as Pacific Biosciences and Raindance Technologies will be discussed.


Prof. Andy McCammon, Ph.D.

Joseph E. Mayer Professor of Theoretical Chemistry Distinguished Professor of Pharmacology

UCSD

Nasty Beasties: Computer-aided Drug Discovery for Infectious Diseases

The selective character of the binding and reactivity of key biological molecules is essential for life. Properly understood, such selectivity can be exploited in the design of drugs, novel antibodies or enzymes, sensors, or a host of other materials or devices. This talk will provide a brief overview of how computer simulations are now enabling the discovery of new drugs for the treatment of infectious diseases. Particular emphasis will be placed on proper accounting of the flexibility of the receptor in the design of such drugs. The potential of new generations of computing hardware and methodology to dramatically transform this area of work will be emphasized. Images and animations related to this work can be found here.


Ron Kikinis, MD

Founding Director of the Surgical Planning Laboratory, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital

Harvard Medical School

Medical Image Computing: From Data to Understanding

The development of new technologies that acquire large amounts of complex data is accelerating throughout medicine. Corresponding breakthroughs in accessible computation and algorithm development have made image analysis an indispensable tool for medical research and clinical practice. For example, image analysis enables the data acquired using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) to reveal subject-specific structure and function of the brain. The emerging field of medical image computing requires strong, interdisciplinary teams of researchers, physicians, and engineers. Building such teams is a challenging but ultimately rewarding process. The Surgical Planning Lab at Brigham and Women's Hospital was founded in 1990 to enable research in image computation within the hospital context. Today, the SPL is the hub of the National Alliance for Medical Image Computing, a national effort with international impact across biomedicine and, increasingly, other fields of science. NAMIC drives scientific and engineering innovation through interdisciplinary collaboration, application-driven development, a well-designed hardware and software infrastructure, and an open-source approach to dissemination and community-building. This presentation will describe how research ideas evolve into useful medical and scientific tools within the SPL and NAMIC environments.