Silverstein Lecture Series

The Silverstein Lecture Series was established by the Herman M. and Bea L. Silverstein Medical Research Fund for Genetic Medicine to bring advances in genetics research and medicine to the general public.

Twice a year, the series features a renowned expert who discusses his or her research in a community forum. The events are always free and open to the public.

Videos of past lectures can be found here. Details about our most recent lecture are below. A video of this event will be available soon.

Fall 2009 Silverstein Lecture Series

From Reading to Writing Life Code: A Conversation with Juan Enriquez

November 4th and 5th, 2009

Juan Enriquez, Managing Director, Excel Venture Management

Just as the digital revolution upended industries and changed which countries were rich or poor, the life sciences revolution will create waves across food, feed, textiles, pharma, biotech, energy, IT, and other fields. A powerful driver of this trend is our growing ability not just to read genomes– an organism’s complete set of genetic information– but to write out stretches of this “life code” and use it to reprogram cells to perform new and valuable functions. Could these reprogrammed cells be used to produce clean energy? Or even medicine?

Join us as Juan Enriquez, managing director of Excel Venture Management and accomplished writer, businessman, and academic, explores what is possible using this new technology, and how it stands to revolutionize our lives.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. NO TICKETS REQUIRED.

Call 312-503-5600 for more information. Funding provided by the Herman M. and Bea L. Silverstein Medical Research Fund for Genetic Medicine. Co-sponsored with funding from the NIGMS Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity and the CLIMB Program.

Juan Enriquez is an experienced business leader, author, and academic who is recognized as a leading authority on the economic and political impacts of life sciences. He is a Managing Director in Excel Venture Management, a venture capital firm that invests in life science companies.

He was the founding director of Harvard Business School’s Life Sciences Project. He then founded Biotechonomy LLC, a life sciences research and investment firm. In 2005, he co-founded Synthetic Genomics, Inc., a synthetic biology company. He is the author of the best-selling As the Future Catches You, an analysis of the impact of genomics on business and society. His latest book Untied States explores why, as technology advances, some countries are successful while others disappear. Mr. Enriquez serves on a number of boards including Cabot Corp., The Chairman’s International Council of the America’s Society, and the Visiting Committee of Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center.

He earned a BA and MBA from Harvard, with Honors.