Name
Keynote speaker - Genomic medicine without borders
Date & Time
Friday, April 24, 2026, 11:00 AM - 11:35 AM
Ryan Taft
Description

Genomic medicine has reached an inflection point. Advances in sequencing and targeted molecular therapeutics now make it possible to not only diagnose rare genetic diseases with unprecedented precision, but to act on those findings in ways that were unimaginable only a decade ago. The central challenge is no longer scientific feasibility but implementation - creating models that deliver precision diagnoses and therapies to patients everywhere, regardless of geography or local resources. This presentation describes catalytic, philanthropic efforts to address both ends of the rare-disease journey—bringing the diagnostic and therapeutic odysseys to an end. iHope is a distributed international initiative that has delivered clinical genome sequencing to children with suspected rare genetic conditions for more than ten years. Today, the network spans more than five clinical laboratories, 25 clinics, and 14 countries, supporting over 1,000 patients annually. Experience across diverse settings has shown that even in resource-constrained environments, a definitive genetic diagnosis can drive durable and transformative changes in clinical care. In parallel, a partnership between the San Diego– and Geneva–based nonprofits n-Lorem and EspeRare is working to deliver individualized antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies to children worldwide. ASOs represent a powerful new class of molecular medicines, enabling precise modulation of gene expression at the transcript level. This approach is especially well suited to ultra-rare and n-of-1 diseases, where conventional drug development is impractical and where recent regulatory evolution and AI-enabled design have shifted what’s possible. Rare diseases do not respect borders, and genomic medicine cannot afford to either. Equitable genomic medicine is not an aspiration; it’s a tractable problem with a solution on the horizon.

Location Name
Pacific Ballroom C + D (2nd floor)
Full Address
InterContinental San Diego
901 Bayfront Court
San Diego, CA 92101
United States