After taking things digital for the past 2 years, the UK’s largest genomics event is back – and back to being in-person!
That’s right – the Festival of Genomics and Biodata 2023 is making a triumphant return to the Business Design Centre in London on Wednesday 25th– Thursday 26th January, and this time it’s bigger than ever! More stages, more speakers and more chances to network – what more could you want?
It’s been a long three years since our last face-to-face meeting, and a lot has changed – not least in the genomics and biodata fields. We can’t wait to reunite the community and we’ve gone to extra lengths to ensure this year’s Festival is jam-packed with additional features and activities!
Here’s a sneak peak of what’s in store:
- We’ve got more than 180 speakers lined up for you this year – more than ever before at an in-person Festival!
- This year’s agenda will cover the full spectrum of related topics you know and love, including clinical genomics, cancer genomics, single cell & spatial, liquid biopsy, biodata, multi-omics, and advanced sequencing approaches.
- Back by popular demand – Talkaoke (AKA “the flying saucer of chat”) will grace us with its themed discussions and engaging free-flowing discussions. Come along to this hosted pop-up show and talk (or debate) about any topic you choose – or take part in one of our themed discussions!
- A vibrant exhibition floor packed full with more than 90 booths showcasing the companies driving innovation in the genomics and biodata sectors.
- And don’t forget to head to our Tree of Life Café to re-fuel between sessions!
- A chance to catch up with or make new connections at one of our many networking spots – from the Speed Networking sessions to the Meetings Zone, there’s a space for whatever style of catch-up you need.
- Exclusive content from our Round Table Discussions and the Interview Lounge – head on over to hear some exclusive insights from thought-leaders on selected topics.
- The Poster Zone lets you share your latest research with fellow attendees – and you might even be able to find a new job (or employee) in the Career Zone.
- Entertainment – because we all need some downtime too! Once your brain is filled to the brim with insights from the day, head to the Qiagen drinks reception at the Tree of Life Café.
If all this hasn’t convinced you, maybe our incredible speaker line-up will:
- DRUM ROLL please! We are pleased to reveal that this year’s mystery speaker is Professor Brian Cox CBE, who will be joining us for a fireside chat on science engagement, science policy and more!
- We’re thrilled to have Vivienne Parry (Head of Engagement, Genomics England) returning to the Festival to chair our keynote sessions!
- Hear from our fantastic keynote speakers, including Paul Workman (Harrap Professor of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research), Mark Effingham (Deputy CEO, UK Biobank), Dame Sue Hill (CSO, NHS England) and Matt Brown (CSO, Genomics England).
- Listen in as our Keynote Panel, consisting of Andrew Morris (Director, HDRUK) Nicola Perrin (CEO, AMRC) and Rolf Apweiler (Director, EMBL-EBI), explore the use of big data in 2023 and beyond…
- Mike Hubank (Scientific Director of the NHS North Thames NHS Genomic Laboratory Hub and Head of Clinical Genomics (Research), The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust) will be joining us on the Main Stage to talk about how genomic testing is revolutionising cancer care.
- Clare Turnbull (Professor of Translational Cancer Genomics, Institute of Cancer Research) will be sharing work on the germline-focused analysis of tumour-detected variants in 49,264 cancer patients and discussing the ESMO Precision Medicine Working Group recommendations.
- For anyone interested in liquid biopsies – Andrew Beggs (Professor of Cancer Genetics and Surgery, University of Birmingham), David Crosby (Head of Prevention and Early Detection Research, CRUK) and Janet Shipley (Head of Molecular Pathology, Institute of Cancer Research) will be joining us to discuss the value of using liquid biopsies in early cancer detection, screening, and treatment.
- Derk-Jan Dijk (Professor of Sleep and Physiology, Director, Surrey Sleep Research Centre) will be speaking to us about sleep deprivation & genomic regulation.
- We’ll hear about genome-edited therapeutic T-cells from Waseem Qasim (Professor of Cell and Gene Therapy, UCL and Consultant in Paediatric Immunology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust)
- Sian Morgan (Consultant Clinical Scientist / Laboratory Director, All Wales Medical Genomics Service) will be joining us to speak about the opportunities andcChallenges of rWGS for diagnosis and screening.
- You’ll get an insight into how Live-Seq works for transcriptomics of living single cells from Orane Guillaume-Gentil (Researcher, ETH Zurich)
- Claire Bloomfield (Deputy Director, Data For R&D, Centre for Improving Data Collaboration, NHS England) will be speaking about “Investing in the Future of NHS Data for Research at a National Scale.”
- Come hear Dame Lyn Chitty (Professor of Genetics and Fetal Medicine, University College London; Deputy Director, NIHR Great Ormond Street Hospital BRC) discuss the changing face of prenatal diagnosis in the NHS Genomic Medicine Service.
- Adam Phillipy (Head of Genome Informatics Section, National Human Genome Research Institute) is going to be discussing how we can finally finish the human genome.
- Davide Gianni (Senior Director, AstraZeneca) will explore using CRISPR screening for target discovery.
- We’ve also got some great panels for you drug hunters: Harnessing the Power of Real-World Evidence in Drug Discovery and Development, featuring Sajan Khosla (Executive Director, Global Head of Real World Evidence, AstraZeneca), Michael Wallington (Director and Global Oncology Real World Evidence Scientist Team Lead, Pfizer) and Alireza Moayyeri (Senior Real World Evidence Expert, UCB).
- Human genetics and genomics for target discovery and drug discovery with Robert Scott (Senior Director, GSK), Nikolina Nakic (Head, V2G2F, Computational Biology, GSK), Joanna Howson (VP of Human Genetics, Novo Nordisk) and Claudia Langenberg (Director of Precision Healthcare University Research Institute, QMUL).
- Wilfried Haerty (Group Leader, Earlham Institute) will explore Multi-Omics Approaches for Drug Target Discovery.
- And you can hear about Omics, Big Data & Drug Discovery with Gitte Neubauer (VP, Omics Technologies & Head of CellZome, GSK), Justin Johnson (Executive Director, AstraZeneca), Tony Ng (Head of School, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, and VP Digital Biological Twin Unit, GSK) and Patrick Schwab (Director, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, GSK).
We’ve got such a breadth of topics for you to explore it would be difficult to list them all, but here’s an idea: advanced sequencing technologies, clinical genomics, multi-omics & integrative analysis, neurodegenerative disease, big data & drug discovery, patient engagement, CRISPR & genome editing, the microbiome & metagenomics… and plenty more! New for this year, we will also have talks on women’s health, reproductive health, rapid WGS and newborn screening.
The truth is, we haven’t even scratched the surface of what’s on offer yet. Get your ticket now to avoid missing out on what promises to be an incredible event! For more information and to see if you’re eligible for a free ticket, visit the Festival website.
