The Festival of Genomics and Biodata 2023

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 25^th– Thursday 26^th 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.
• Hear about the Beyond 1 Million Genomes Project & Genomics Data Infrastructure from Serena Scollen (Head of Human Genomics & Translational Data, ELIXIR).
• Claire Bloomfield (Deputy Director, Data For R&D, Centre for Improving Data Collaboration, NHS England) will present on Investing in the Future of NHS Data for Research at a National Scale.
• Chief Information Officer for the UK Biobank, Mahesh Pancholi will share details on its research analysis platform.
• Henning Hermjakob (Head of Molecular Systems, EMBL-EBI) will present “A FAIR Biodata Analysis Resource in Practice: The Reactome Database of Curated Biomolecular Pathways.”
• 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).
• 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).
• Trevor Howe (Head of Translational Genomics, Johnson&Johnson) will discuss the synthesis of genomic data for drug discovery and development.
• Joerg Degen (Global Head, Early Development Informatics, Roche) will tell us about the application of AI/ML to gain insights from imaging data and clinical outcomes
• Wilfried Haerty (Group Leader, Earlham Institute) will explore Long Read RNA-seq Applications for Target Identification
• Ulrike Naumann (Global Lead, Next Generation Sequencing, Novartis) will be joining us to discuss single-cell and spatial transcriptomics in drug discovery
• Hear Willian Abraham da Silveira (Lecturer, Molecular Genetics and Genomics, Staffordshire University) at his talk: “Space Omics – The Next Platform for Drug Discovery & Target Ageing”
• And join us for a “Fireside Chat” on the topic of genomics and the future of drug discovery and development with John Lepore (Senior Vice President, Head of Research, GSK), Andrew Roddam (Chief Executive Officer, Our Future Health) and Athena Matakidou (Senior Director, Oncology Applied Genetics, GSK)

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.