Looking Forward to TEDxSoCal

I remember my first recollection of the TED (Technology Entertainment Design) conferences, which have been held annually for almost two decades. Drawing together innovators in a broad spectrum of disciplines, these programs have become an institution unto themselves. With invited speakers ranging from Harvard’s Edward O. Wilson to business leaders, like Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the lectures cover a panoply of interesting topics.

It was with a sense of delight that I received an invitation to speak at the TEDxSoCal conference on July 16 at the Long Beach Terrace Theater. As the date approaches, I am looking forward to the event with great anticipation. Since the event is sold out, I understand I’ll have 800 attendees in the audience.

What an interesting opportunity to engage this group in a discussion of cancer biology with our focus on biochemistry and metabolism. This is timely in the context of Gina Kolata’s recent article in the New York Times on the failures of genomics platforms in the field of functional profiling for cancer treatment.

I will report next week on this experience.