7th Annual Genetics and Genomics Virtual Event

Knowledge in the fields of genetics and genomics has increased exponentially in the past 50 years with rapid technological advances in our understanding of the human genome and genetic diseases. Advancements in drug discovery have provided therapies for rare diseases that previously were untreatable.

            “Thank you everyone! This was a wonderful experience! –Sushmita G.

LabRoots presented their 7th Annual Genetics and Genomics Virtual Event on May 8-9, 2019, with highlights of the most current research and technologies available to date.

The event opened with the keynote presentation, Interpreting the Zero $ Genome via Base Editing, Organoids & in Situ Omics, delivered by George Church, PhD. Dr. Church, who is Professor of Genetics and the Director of the Center for Computational Genetics at Harvard Medical School, is well-known as a pioneer in personal genomics and synthetic biology. In his presentation, Dr. Church gives an overview of new technologies and tools available for base editing, in situ ‘omics,’ and organoids as well as recent cost reductions in DNA sequencing techniques.

Michael Snyder, PhD, who is Professor and Chair of Genetics and Director of the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, led off the second day with his keynote presentation on Big Data and Health. Dr. Snyder is one of the major participants of the ENCODE project, a consortium with the goal to “build a comprehensive parts list of functional elements in the human genome, including elements that act at the protein and RNA levels, and regulatory elements that control cells and circumstances in which a gene is active.” He touches on the use of deep longitudinal profiling in precision health and medicine to improve and develop better strategies in the treatment of disease.

“This is a really cool way to go to a conference! Thank you! I love that we can go back and review.” –David O.

Advancements in Genome Editing

Michelle Ding, M.S. and Yanfang Jiang, PhD, both R&D scientists at MilliporeSigma, describe advances made in CRISPR editing technologies in their webinar, Upgrading the CRISPR Toolbox - New Strategies Sharpen the CRISPR-Cas9 Scissors Utilizing Visualization and Chromatic Accessibility. They have developed CRISPR-Chrom, a new method that fuses chromatin-modulating peptides (CMPs) to Cas9, which has proven to be effective on the Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) as well as new Cas9 analogs. These advances have the potential for greater precision and new approaches in genome editing.

Two computational tools developed by QIAGEN, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) software and the OmicSoft OncoLand database, are described in the webinar, Discovering Cellular Mechanisms and Biomarkers in Anti-PD1 Non-Responders Using Pathway Analysis Software and OmicSoft OncoLand Datasets from QIAGEN.  Devendra Mistry, PhD, Senior Field Application Scientist at QIAGEN Advanced Genomics, discusses a case study whose datasets were reprocessed by the OmicSoft OncoLand platform. Through this analysis, scientists were able to identify new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets for advanced renal cell carcinoma.

Interpreting Genome Sequences

A variety of notable topics concerning understanding genome sequencing were discussed by experts in their fields. John Quackenbush, PhD, points out that the human genome consists of more than 25,000 genes with over 6 million genetic variants. In his presentation, Using Networks to Understand Cancer Risk, Dr. Quackenbush explores complex gene regulatory networks and their roles as drivers of disease and health. Erle Robertson, PhD, also examines the role of genetics in cancer through the identification of all pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) present in human cancer tissues.

“Thank you to the organizers, presenters, poster participants, & sponsors for a fantastic event! My favorite part was the presentations, especially Completing the Human Genome: The Progress and Challenge of Satellite DNA Assembly & Somatic Gene Recombination in the Brain.” –Keeron G.

Additional areas covered include:

• The Undiagnosed Rare Disease Network created by the NIH in 2014 (Liz Worthey PhD
• The first complete, telomere-to-telomere assembly of a human X chromosome (Karen Miga, PhD).
• Next-generation whole human genome gene knockout libraries (Kevin Holden, PhD)
• Increased sensitivity of literature curation using Mastermind, which is the most comprehensive literature-based genomic search engine (Mark Kiel, MD, PhD).
• “Genetic mosaicism” in brain cells and neurons (Jerold Chun, MD, PhD).
• Epigenetics and the modification of gene expression (Tao Wu, PhD).
• Principles of polygenic risk scores and their clinical applications (Guillaume Paré, MD, MSc, FRCPC).

"LabRoots is a sophisticated, yet simple medium for live e-participation in high-quality presentations on topics relevant and up to date. It offers research scientists, clinicians, and other Health Professionals across disciplines a unique opportunity to participate in timely topics at conferences from any corner of the world. It is the next wave of Medicine sans Frontier for Scientific Conferences." -- Peter Blume-Jensen, MD, PhD, Metamark Genetics, Chief Scientific Officer

In addition to the webinars, there are numerous poster presentations that are available to be viewed and/or downloaded in the poster hall. Topics this year include the prediction of metabolic disorders of aging and the association of FGB, MTHFR, and eNOS3 gene polymorphisms in intracranial hemorrhage, as well as many more.

Please note that the posters presented here are not peer-reviewed; however, participants in this virtual event can review the most up-to-date research in genetics and genomics being performed at this time.

LabRoots strives to offer scientists and students the most current research available through totally virtual events that can be viewed at any time in the comfort of your home or office.

Networking, one of the most important aspects of a conference, is made available through our networking lounge. Meet and collaborate with experts in their fields from all over the world.

            “Thank you so much! Another excellent event!” – Sergio R.