Centre for Genomic & Experimental Medicine
Centre for Genomic & Experimental Medicine

Clinical Genomics - Collaborative workshop with Karolinska Institute

November 2016: A highly successful and productive workshop was hosted by CGEM, focussing on research, bioinformatics and translational activities in clinical genomics.

clinical genomics workshop

CGEM Director Professor Tim Aitman hosted a workshop on 16th November 2016 at the IGMM which brought together researchers, clinicians and bioinformaticians from across the University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Genomics and the entire Clinical Genomics unit from the Karolinska Institute. The team from Karolinska were led by Valtteri Wirta, Head of Facility and Lars Engstrand, Facility Director.

The workshop focused primarily on areas of synergy between Edinburgh Genomics (Clinical) and the Clinical Genomics Facility at Karolinska, to exchange ideas on how whole genome sequencing (WGS) analyses can be improved and brought into large-scale clinical use. Three sessions were held centred around “Bioinformatics and compute pipelines”, “Wet-lab protocols and logistics” and “Translating research to the clinic”, with an additional break-out session on “ultra-rapid genome sequencing and analysis”.

The workshop generated lively discussion and was well received by the participants who commented on how mutually beneficial it was to share expertise on laboratory protocols, informatics pipelines, and clinical impact. The workshop stimulated an exchange of ideas and working practices and acted as a catalyst for future collaborative working which may begin to bridge the gap between clinical genomics research and routine diagnostics.

Related links

Edinburgh Genomics Clinical Genomics, Karolinska Scottish Genomes Partnership