Abstract
Measured by the sheer quantity of reproducible new "risk factors" for diseases, the several thousand new inherited genetic variants robustly associated with a wide variety of diseases and traits in the last 5 years is a remarkable increase in epidemiological output. The speed and robustness of these findings stands in sharp contrast with usual epidemiologic practice in which it can take decades for new risk factors to be finally accepted after a long process of study-specific publication and debate followed by meta-analysis. These new genetic variants have opened up new avenues for research into the etiology of a wide range of diseases, and begin to offer the prospect of identifying persons at high risk of diseases that can be prevented or mitigated by screening and early treatment. Pharmacogenetic variants are also being found that indicate persons for whom specific medications may be dangerous or ineffective. These variants may also help establish the initial doses of medications potentially speeding up therapeutic response. Once sequencing and analysis of a human genome is <$1,000, large numbers of people may choose to have their genome sequenced, mainly for utility in tailoring drug choice and dosages. In oncology, the tumor genome can be sequenced, in addition to the inherited genome. Somatic mutations that occur during the life of the tumor may determine prognosis and therapeutic response. Many examples now exist of drugs that can counteract "driver" mutations in tumors, and delay tumor progression or even promote tumor regression. Although most tumors eventually become resistant to these drugs, the analysis of tumor genomes may provide a more rational basis for choosing which drugs to use, and which combinations of drugs may slow drug resistance. While there have been some spectacular successes using this approach, in most tumors determining the best drugs to use still involves educated guesswork, and establishing robust algorithms to match drugs and tumors will take much larger datasets with much longer clinical experience than is currently available. All of this complex work has to be done without misleading patients about the degree of confidence we have in genome-informed clinical decisions. A strong streak of genetic determinism present among many patients, and physicians, may cause us to overestimate the utility of these approaches prior to robust demonstration of effects and strength of effects.

Abstract
The field of genomics has seen some exciting advances in the recent past. The Human Genome Project and International HapMap projects have uncovered a wealth of information for researchers. Improvements in sequencing technology empower a greater breadth and depth of investigation into the genome of patients. This has lead to greater efforts in genomic discovery, with over 2000 genome-wide association studies published in the past three years. This has generated clinically predictive germline genotypes, germline haplotypes and somatic mutations. With pharmacogenetics comes the promise of individualized therapy selection for many common diseases where multiple treatment options are available. The introduction of FDA approved pharmacogenetic tests and the initiation of genotype-guided clinical trials have provided the first steps towards the integration of pharmacogenomics into clinical practice. However, it is also clear that more effort is needed to drive the scientific discovery to clinical application. These include the need for discovery strategies for finding predictors of toxicity or efficacy for most commonly used medicines, validation of predictive markers in relevant populations, and integration of new tests into health systems. However, many countries will not have access to pharmacogenetics resources to individualize patient therapy for decades to come. The PharmacoGenetics for Every Nation Initiative (PGENI) is a first step to making pharmacogenetics applicable on a global level. Generation of genotype profiles for 'common' population groups within a country will provide a useful, but not perfect resource for incorporating pharmacogenetics into national drug formularies in the form of prioritization or tailored surveillance recommendations for a countries population. Targeted educational efforts will also prepare the Ministry of Health staff from participating countries to better integrate genetic information into many areas of health care, including disease management and therapeutic development. Academic medicine must not be content with participation in early detection of the genes involved in drug effect, but must work to realize the potential for patients. This includes non-scientific barriers, such as changing old habits to allow application of new data, and the reality that the cost of both testing and the therapeutic options are a key driver in health care. As the scientific evidence matures, a team research approach must be more aggressively applied in order to overcome the many obstacles to delivering more careful selection of drug therapy.

Abstract
LS9 is committed to providing sustainable fuels and chemicals to meet current and future world demands. LS9's industrial biotechnology platform converts diverse renewable feedstocks to drop-in fuel and chemical products. LS9's proprietary catalysts enable simple one-step conversions and recovery processes that minimize both capital and operating costs while maximizing product flexibility.
The LS9 technology platform is based on harnessing the efficiency of microbial fatty acid biosynthesis and employing a bioengineering strategy that places all chemical unit operations within a single whole cell catalyst. LS9 has enabled efficient biosynthetic routes and processes to a diversity of sustainable fuels and chemicals, including esters, alcohols, alkenes, and alkanes. These products can be used as drop-in compatible fuels or can serve as tailored feedstocks for a variety of specialty chemicals and fuels. The rapid design, construction, evaluation, and improvement of engineered microbes for these processes are greatly enhanced by the use of state-of-the-art synthetic biology techniques.
This presentation will give an overview of the LS9 technology platform, introduce novel metabolic pathways towards sustainable fuels and chemicals and will elaborate how synthetic biology is integrated into these processes.