Santiago de Compostela hosts the World Congress on Forensic Genetics led by the USC
- Led by USC professors Ángel Carracedo and María Victoria Lareu, the event will bring together more than a thousand specialists from 62 countries around the world.
- It will take place in the Auditorio de Galicia, from 9 to 13 September. The inauguration is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, at 19:00.
- The latest advances in DNA profiling techniques and ethical considerations will be the focus of the congress, among many other topics.
Compostela will host the 30th edition of the World Congress of Forensic Genetics from Monday to Friday 13 September, which will bring together more than 1,000 specialists from 62 countries around the world. The inauguration, scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday 10 September, at 19: 00 hours, in the Auditorio Galicia, will be attended, in addition to the presidents of the Congress, by Ángel Carracedo, principal investigator of the CiMUS of the USC and ex-director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences of the USC, and María Victoria Lareu, ex-director of the Institute of Forensic Sciences and director of the Forensic Genetics Unit, and the president of the International Society for Forensic Genetics (ISFG), John Butler, the Regional Ministers of Education, Science, Universities and Vocational Training and Health of the Xunta de Galicia, Román Rodríguez and Antonio Gómez respectively, and the mayoress of the city, Goretti Sanmartín.
A prestigious venue in this field
This is the second time that Santiago has hosted this benchmark event in forensic genetics, the first of which dates back to 1995, given the biennial nature of this meeting.
Over the five days of the congress, a wide range of topics will be covered, from the latest advances in DNA profiling techniques, to discussions on the ethical considerations that underpin work in this field, with the participation of leading figures in the field such as: Manel Esteller (Spain), Carla Marshall (USA), Maria Martinón (Spain), Peter Gill (Norway), Bas Kokshoorn (Paisex Baixos), Duncan Taylor (Australia), Andreas Tillmar (Sweden) and Mariya Goray (Australia).
Today, Monday, 12 workshops will be given by the world's leading experts on top-notch scientific aspects of forensic genetics.
The president of the Congress, Ángel Carracedo, who is currently president of the International Academy of Forensic Medicine (IALM), and was president of the ISFG from 2004 to 2008 and a member of its management team for 20 years, highlights the deep-rooted history of Santiago de Compostela in the field of Forensic Genetics as home to one of the most active groups in this field: ‘the Institute of Forensic Sciences of the USC, currently directed by Professor María Victoria Lareu is a world reference centre that for many years led the scientific production worldwide in this field. In fact, many of the experts who will be attending this meeting were trained here, and many high-profile cases from many countries around the world have been analysed here. The level of this Congress does nothing but raise Santiago's prestige in forensic medicine even higher’.
Congress website: https://isfg2024.com/