It started with genomics. It became something much bigger.

The Festival of Genomics & Biodata began with a simple ambition: to bring people together, break down barriers between communities, and help turn scientific progress into better outcomes for patients.

Genomics was the starting point. But the Festival has evolved alongside the science.

Today, it is Europe’s largest life sciences event, bringing together people working across genomics, drug discovery and development, precision medicine, AI and biodata, single-cell and spatial analysis, liquid biopsy, proteomics, multi-omics and much more.

The scope has changed significantly. The purpose behind it has not.

Rich Lumb FOG FounderA message from Richard Lumb, CEO of Front Line Genomics and Founder of The Festival

When I first had the idea of organising a genomics event in 2013, I could never have imagined what it would become.

My main motivation was deeply personal. I lost my dad to mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer, in 2009. At the time there was enormous excitement about the potential of genomics, but that potential was not yet translating into meaningful benefits for patients like my dad - or for others in my family.

Perhaps naively, and driven by a quiet rage, I wanted to help change that.

That became a simple mission: to deliver the benefits of genomics to patients faster.

It also led to the creation of Front Line Genomics, the company that organises the Festival today.

The original idea was built around three principles

Make the event accessible

We wanted the Festival to be free for most people to attend, so that cost would not prevent scientists, clinicians, researchers and others from accessing new ideas, technologies and people. The more people we could involve, the greater the potential impact.

Break down silos


We wanted to bring together people from healthcare, pharma, research, technology and other parts of the ecosystem, creating opportunities for ideas to move more quickly from ground-breaking research to real patient impact.

Build excitement & understanding

Genomics was still unfamiliar territory for many people. We wanted to help people become engaged, informed and excited about its potential, and give them practical ways to put that potential to work.

The Festival Today

A great deal has changed since the first Festival in 2015.

I am particularly proud that we continue to provide free access to so many attendees, maintain a strong focus on translational science and patient impact, and create a place where people from across life sciences can meet, learn and work across traditional boundaries.

What has also become increasingly clear is that genomics cannot always be beneficial in isolation.

Understanding biology and improving patient outcomes increasingly means combining genomic information with other forms of biodata, transcriptomics, proteomics and multi-omics; developing new diagnostic approaches such as liquid biopsy; applying techniques including single-cell and spatial analysis; and using AI to transform research, drug discovery, development and healthcare.

That's why the Festival has expanded.

It is no longer simply a genomics meeting, even though we have more to offer the core genomics community than ever. It has become a gathering for the wider life sciences community - built around the belief that the biggest advances happen when different disciplines, technologies and people come together.

The science has broadened. The Festival has grown. But the ambition remains similar to where we started: bring the right people together, accelerate meaningful progress, and ultimately help improve outcomes for patients.

FOG London Audience in headphones

About Front Line Genomics

 

Front Line Genomics organises the Festival of Genomics & Biodata, and was set up in 2014, following the death of the founder’s father to a rare form of cancer. We are a dedicated team of genomics and science enthusiasts, many of us with our own personal stories of how genomics has influenced our lives.

We work towards our goal of delivering the benefits of genomics to patients faster by creating interesting content and practical resources via our website, and producing webinars, events and reports. We typically support people in healthcare, research, pharma, investment, technology, policy and government, charitable and patient organizations, as well as, from time-to-time, patients themselves.

At Front Line Genomics, our main focus is on creating meaningful change in the lives of patients, not profit. Where possible, everything we produce is free-to-access so that we have more impact.

Our History

 

When the Festival began, Front Line Genomics originally partnered with a large organisation in the events sector, organizing Festivals in the UK, California and Boston, and launching www.frontlinegenomics.com.

Since then, we’ve supported more than 1 million people via the Festival, conferences, meet-ups, our website, reports and webinars. In 2018 we became an independent, privately owned business – free to prioritise our social mission – and we haven’t looked back.

We have successfully grown the UK Festival of Genomics to become the UK’s largest annual life sciences event.

We have since expanded to cover topics downstream of the genomics workflow, launching multiple digital events and webinars, and publishing several reports designed to support the genomics and biodata community.

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