Roundtable Discussions


Roundtable Discussions at The Festival of Genomics & Biodata provide the perfect setting to discuss your own challenges, gather new information and share experiences with and learn from others in the field.

How to sign up: In mid-November all ticket holders will be sent an email announcing how to sign up for roundtable sessions.


The Festival of Genomics & Biodata
Harnessing Innovation for Enhanced Precision Medicine

Date & Time: 14:10 - 15:50 on Day 1, Wednesday 29th January 2025
Location: Genome Dome

In the dynamic field of precision medicine, success hinges on strategically evaluating, implementing, and adopting innovative technologies. As our understanding of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle variations deepens, integrating cutting-edge tools becomes essential for delivering tailored healthcare solutions. This session underscores the importance of strategic foresight and agility in harnessing diagnostic tests and technologies, demonstrating how precision medicine can revolutionize global healthcare through optimized technologies, implementation and adoption to elevate patient care.


Mark Kristiansen

Head of Genomics Facility

University College London

Shreerang Bhide

Consultant Clinical Oncologist, The Royal Marsden

NHS Foundation Trust

Elif Dagdan

Director of the Center for Medical Genetics

Augusta Hospital Bochum

Bogdan Chiva Giurca

Honorary Lecturer

University College London

James Kinross

Reader in Colorectal Surgery and a Consultant Surgeon

Imperial College London


The Festival of Genomics & Biodata
Reaping the Rewards of AI-Powered Digital Pathology in the Clinical Setting

Date & Time: 14:10 - 15:40 on Day 1, Wednesday 29th January  2025
Location: Single-Cell & Spatial Dome

This interactive roundtable will give attendees the opportunity to discuss directly with the experts how digital pathology algorithms are revolutionizing pathology practice. In just 1.5 hours, attendees will learn about the different ways in which AI-based imaging tools are being clinically applied to advance diagnosis, and precision medicine strategies and ultimately improve patient outcomes.


Oscar Maiques

Group Leader

Barts Cancer Institute

Daljeet Bansal

NPIC Operations Director

NHS

Charlotte Jennings

Scientific Lead (Multimodal program)

Genomics England


The Festival of Genomics & Biodata
Choosing the Right Single-Cell and Spatial Technology for Your Research Question

Date & Time: 16:10 - 17:50 on Day 1, Wednesday 29th January 2025
Location: Genome Dome

The roundtable session aims to provide researchers, from early-career scientists to professionals, with the guidance and knowledge necessary to choose the most appropriate technologies for their research questions. This session will focus on the rapidly evolving fields of single-cell and spatial biology, which are revolutionizing our understanding of cellular heterogeneity and tissue architecture.

Maria Greco

Single Cell Facility Manager, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine

University of Oxford

Owen Rackham

Associate Professor in Systems Biology

University of Southampton

Gordon Beattie

Research Fellow

University College London


The Festival of Genomics & Biodata
Combatting AMR: The Role of Genomics

Date & Time: 16:10 - 17:50 on Day 1, Wednesday 29th January 2025
Location: Genome Dome

The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant threat to global health, and genomics has emerged as a powerful tool in this battle. Genomic technologies monitor the mobilization, persistence, and abundance of AMR genes and mutations within and between microbial populations. These technologies can trace AMR pathogen sources and the modelling of AMR evolution and transmission.

This roundtable will explore recent advancements in genomic AMR surveillance. It will evaluate the strengths of various genomic technologies for AMR research and monitoring to enhance understanding of AMR dynamics, early detection and monitoring of AMR genes.

Tim Rawson

Honorary Clinical Lecturer

Imperial College London

Susanna Dunachie

Director of the NDM Centre for Global Health Research

University of Oxford

Ronan Mccarthy

Professor in Biomedical Sciences

University Brunel London

Julian Parkhill

Professor

University of Cambridge


The Festival of Genomics & Biodata
Navigating the Sequencing Landscape in 2025

Date & Time: 11:15 - 13:00 on Day 2, Thursday 30th January 2025
Location: Genome Dome

The recent advances in novel sequencing technologies hitting the market, coupled with a lowering cost of sequencing and patents running out that affect the monopoly of market share – keeping up to date with the advances in sequencing has been challenging. In this roundtable discussion, we bring together leading experts who brings hands-on experience with different sequencing technologies to share their lessons learned from utilising the methods on the market, what they’re interested in investing in next, and what they think works for certain applications (and what doesn’t!).

Michael Quail

Principal Scientific Manager Sequencing R&D

Wellcome Sanger Institute

Miten Jain

Assistant Professor

Northeastern University

Aaron Jeffries

Head of Exeter Sequencing Facility

University of Exeter

Sally James

Head of Genomics

University of York