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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-January, all ticket holders will be emailed with details about how to sign up for the roundtable sessions.
Harnessing Innovation for Enhanced Precision Medicine
Date & Time: 14:35 - 16:05 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.
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
Teodora Popa
Lecturer in Reproductive and Molecular Genetics
University College London
Mark Kristiansen
Head of Genomics Facility
University College London
Reaping the Rewards of AI-Powered Digital Pathology in the Clinical Setting
Date & Time: 14:35 - 16:05 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
Emma Robinson
Head of Bioinformatic Computing
King's College London
Anita Grigioradis
Professor of Molecular and Digital Pathology
King's College London
What is Preventing The Deployment of AI in the Era of Genomics?
Date & Time: 16:35 - 18:05 on Day 1, Wednesday 29th January 2025
Location: Pyramid Stage
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 bring 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!).
Demetra Georgiou
Chair
The British Society of Genetic Medicine
Kate Downes
Chair of the Emerging Technologies Committee
The British Society of Genetic Medicine
Peter Wijeratne
Lecturer / Assistant Professor in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence
Sussex AI Centre, University of Sussex
James Dickinson
Director
NHS Genomic AI Network
Combatting AMR: The Role of Genomics
Date & Time: 16:35 - 18:05 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
Choosing the Right Single-Cell and Spatial Technology for Your Research Question
Date & Time: 16:35 - 18:05 on Day 1, Wednesday 29th January 2025
Location: Single-Cell and Spatial 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
Navigating the Sequencing Landscape in 2025
Date & Time: 11:20 - 12:50 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 bring 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
Navigating the Ethical Issues Genomics Raises for Patients, Families and Professionals
Date & Time: 16:05 - 17:05 on Day 2, Thursday 29th January 2025
Location: Genome Dome
This interactive panel discussion with audience participation will provide an opportunity to find out more about the ethical issues which genomics raises for patients, families, healthcare professionals, scientists, and researchers, to learn from real-life situations and to share good practices. Engaging in discussions about ethical issues will enable participants to draw on their existing skills, knowledge, and experience and to explore different perspectives and approaches. Learning from real-life situations and sharing good practices will help participants develop the confidence to identify and manage ethical issues related to genomics in their own practice.
Andrew Pestaille
Principal Genetic Counsellor
St George’s University Hospital Foundation Trust
Roberta Rizzo
Principal Genetic Counsellor and Chair
AGNC Committee
Tara Clancy
Consultant Genetic Counsellor
Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine
Kelly Kohut
Consultant Genetic Counsellor
St George’s University Hospital
Sarah Wynn
CEO
Unique
Dagmar Tapon
Lead Genetic Counsellor
Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust