Decoding the Human Genome Using Big Data and AI

The rise of the digital era over the last half century has coincided with incredible breakthroughs in the field of genomic research. As we enter the 2020s, the convergence of these two worlds is coming to the fore, with increased computing power and storage capabilities, and impressive advancements in sequencing technologies facilitating the generation of exabytes of complex genomic data. For context, five exabytes is enough to store all the words ever spoken by human beings, and a billion copies of the film GATTACA! The field of genomics is therefore now regarded as a “big data” field. Access to this amount of genomic information is predicted to eventually enable the development of tools for vastly improved diagnostic and prognostic predictions, and for guidance of the clinical decision-making process. It will also feed the ever-present human appetite for exploring the unknown.

The current bottleneck in achieving these goals is an inability to decipher the sequencing data at the same pace as it’s generation. Here, the challenges are logistical (data storage and distribution), ethical (privacy and identity dilemmas), and conceptional (how to extract valuable information from very large and complex datasets). To overcome this bottleneck, a large-scale collaborative effort is required between biologists, clinicians, bioinformaticians, data scientists, pharmaceuticals, and data support infrastructure, as well as various support organisations to permit such collaborations. It also entails a balancing act between experimentation, innovative application of genomic data science, and the establishment of bioinformatics pipelines for scalability and automation. The Innovation Forum wishes to provide a platform to openly explore and discuss both the challenges the field faces and the vast potential it holds in improving human health in our upcoming event. We will be talking with industry leaders, both from private and public entities, as well as world-renowned academics to gain insights into this exciting area of science.

This event is planned as an in-person event but is subject to revision in line with governmental guidelines concerning the covid pandemic. If you wish to attend this event, register here, or follow our social media channels for updates on the event.

Host or Publisher Innovation Forum Manchester