Systematic advances in biomedical research enabled by genomics are expected to revolutionize medicine in the near future. Differences in individual genomes cause responses to drugs to vary considerably - "one size fits all" drug is not possible. The best strategy to discover the genetic basis for variation in health among human beings is through analysis of sequence variation in DNA.

Estonia is about to do just that. The Estonian Genome Project (www.geenivaramu.ee) will be launched shortly in a clearly defined ethical and legal environment. The project aims to phenotype and genotype approximately 1 million individuals in Estonia. The genotype-phenotype database to be completed will serve as a valuable tool in population based post-genomic database driven drug discovery.

Gene Technology Forum 2002 will focus on:

• Genetics, genomics and diseases
• Genetic information and new economy
• Genetics and bioethics
• Estonian Genome Project

We encourage any company with services or products related to target validation, chemical genomics, animal models, structural genomics, proteomics, disease research to consider exhibiting at this event. For more information on exhibition or to reserve a booth, please contact Maris Väli at +372 7375030 or mvali@ebc.ee