HGM 2010 Chairperson:
Mireille Claustres (Montpellier, France)
Head of Medical Molecular Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine,
University Montpellier I and Inserm u827

Jean-Marie Blanchard (Montpellier, France)
Jacques Demaille (Montpellier, France)
Joel Bockaert (Montpellier, France)
Alain Bucheton (Montpellier, France)
Philippe Jeanteur (Montpellier, France)
Nathalie Cartier (France)
Marie-Paule Lefranc (Montpellier, France)
John de Vos (Montpellier, France)

IURC team : Sylvie Tuffery-Giraud, Christophe Beroud, Gwenaelle Collod-Beroud,
Albertina de Sario (Montpellier, France)

Arnold Munnich (Paris, France)
Marc Delpech (Paris, France)
Philippe Amouyel (Lille, France)

Human Genome Meeting (HGM) is a series of annual conferences organised by the Human
Genome Organisation (HUGO). It started as a meeting dedicated for Human Genome
Mapping. Over the years, with the completion of the Human Genome Project, HGM has
evolved from a small targeted meeting into a mega scientific conference for all genetic and
genomic researchers; an excellent platform for industry partners and bio-technology
companies as well as pharmaceutical giants; and a fantastic reunion for fellow scientists
and networking opportunity for established and young investigators.

Created in 1964, Inserm is a public institution with a scientific and technical vocation, under
the dual auspices of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Inserm is the only French public research body entirely dedicated to human health. Its
researchers are committed to studying all diseases, whether common or rare, through
their research in the fields of biology, medicine and public health.

Inserm's principal mission is to facilitate exchange between :

• Basic research, designed to shed light on the unknown, without any specific objective;
• Clinical research, conducted in patients;
• Therapeutic or diagnostic research, the purpose of which is to study diseases;
• Public health research, aimed at gaining a better understanding of health mechanisms, notably through the study of particular population groups.

In order to fulfill this mission, the Institute has worked in close partnership with other public
or private research institutions and care centers such as. hospitals from the outset. Today, 80% of Inserm's 316 research laboratories are housed within university hospital or cancer treatment centers, the others being located on research campuses of the CNRS (French scientific research institute) or of the Pasteur and Curie Institutes.

Human Genome Organisation (HUGO) is the international organisation of scientists involved in human genetics. HUGO was conceived in 1988, at the first meeting on genome mapping and sequencing at Cold Spring Harbor. From a 42 scientists of 17 countries membership association, HUGO has increased its membership base to over 1,200 members, both established and aspiring of 69 countries after two decades. HUGO has, over the years, played an essential role behind the
scenes of the human genome project. With its mission to promote international collaborative effort to study the human genome and the myriad issues raised by knowledge of the genome, HUGO has had noteworthy successes in some of the less glamorous, but nonetheless vital, aspects of the human genome project.

As a truly international organisation, HUGO is entering its 20th year of its history by making an inflection in its direction – seeking the biological meaning of its information content. To this end, HUGO is focusing on the medical implications of genomic knowledge. Moving forward, HUGO is also working to enhance the genomic capabilities in the emerging countries of the world. The excitement and interest in genomic sciences in Asia, Middle East, South America and Africa are palpable and the hope is that these technologies will help in national development and health.