Session Information
Session 1: Introduction
This session will provide an overview of the new strategic programmes of research at EI - Cellular Genomics and Decoding Biodiversity, and two National Bioscience Research Infrastructures (NBRIs) - Transformative Genomics and the Earlham Biofoundry.
It will also present a vision for how these programmes and infrastructures will be generating wide ranging impacts, and highlighting opportunities for the attendees and stakeholders to engage with EI’s research.
Session 2: High-quality genomes and pangenomes for plant and animal breeders
Exploring the ways in which EI’s end-to-end capability to build high-quality genomes and pangenomes will improve plant and animal breeding.
Panel Discussion: Discussing researcher perspectives on the potential reach of, and barriers to accessing, high-quality genomes and pangenomes, and how EI’s capabilities help to overcome them.
Future-gazing at the next steps in this field, and how the outcomes from pangenomes will influence plant and animal breeding.
Session 3: Single-cell and spatial genomics, and their applications in health and breeding
This session will showcase examples of using different techniques and methodologies for single-cell and spatial genomics, i.e. cell sorting, isolation and automation platforms, cell lineages tracing, long-read DNA sequencing, and their applications in different biological systems.
For example, understanding mechanisms underlying plant breeding such as meiosis and recombination, studying how somatic variation affects gene regulation and phenotype in healthy state or disease, and how isolation of bacteria from complex microbial communities can support microbiological research and development of new products and treatments.
Panel Discussion: Exploring the existing bottlenecks, challenges and opportunities arising from single-cell and spatial genomics platforms.
Discussing how these techniques can enable access to the genomes, transcriptomes and epigenomes of individual cells at high resolution and help better understand cell diversity between tissues or within the same tissues, highlighting distinct roles that, together, underpin overall health and development.
Session 4: Impact from software and tools
Showcasing examples of software tools and workflows developed at EI and their applications and collaborations in specific sectors, i.e. plant breeding and crop improvement, microbiome research.
Panel Discussion: Discussing the importance of good quality data and FAIR standards.
Exploring how to balance the impacts originating from open access and commercial exploitation, and how impact could be further amplified through working with partners and collaborators, and tailoring research tools to address specific needs.
