LabRoots, a leading social networking site for scientists, engineers and technical professionals, has announced the next phase of its ongoing series of BioConference Live virtual events. The virtually hosted Genetics and Genomics conference will be held August 21-22, 2013, and takes places entirely online. The program encompasses a range of genetics and genomics topics such as next-generation sequencing, cancer research, sequencing, genome-wide association studies GWAS, epigenetics, molecular diagnostics and much more. Attendees are eligible to receive free CME and CE credits and will have many opportunities to participate from their remote locations.

Virtual conferences and events have gained popularity as affordable and efficient ways to unite groups of people from across the globe, allowing them to interact in an open format. Participants are invited to attend interactive live streaming video sessions, have questions answered in real-time by industry experts, chat live with peers and speakers and browse a virtual exhibit floor for solution providers. The benefits and functionality of traditional, in-person conferences are now largely accessible online through dedicated forums.

The Genetics and Genomics conference is particularly unique in that it is available to interested parties at no cost. Those in attendance will access experts and peer researchers from the comfort of home, with no travel costs or complicated logistics. Keynote speakers include:

• George Church, PhD, Professor of Genetics, Director of the Center for Computational Genetics, Harvard Medical School
• Michael Snyder, PhD, Professor and Chair, Genetics, Director, Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine
• David Baker, PhD, Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Professor of Biochemistry, Adjunct Professor of Genome Sciences, Physics, Computer Science, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, University of Washington
• A complete list of speakers is available at www.bioconferencelive.com

This year's conference will be sponsored by Beckman, Thermo, LICOR, Qiagen, and Artel, among others. The conference creates an opportunity for companies and associations to exhibit new products and findings in the virtual Exhibit Hall. Participants can visit and live chat with individuals in virtual booths, watch videos provided by the companies and associations involved, and download white papers and other documents of interest.