1 week Ago By By The Newsroom
Sign up to our daily Farming Life Today newsletter Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to Farming Life, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. The ‘Omics Days’ conference was held over three days, with a rich and focused program, covering various Omics research topics at the forefront of AFBI’s current scientific interest and corporate values. The first two days of the conference covered a series of plenary talks and short talks delivered by keynote speakers and experts actively contributing to the development and application of Omics technologies.
Q&A sessions and panel exchanges were led by AFBI’s principal research actors, inducing objective discussions and assessment of the impact of Omics on research and statutory testing. Advertisement Advertisement On Day 1, after plenary talks there was a panel discussion on “How Omics are shaping research on pathogens and statutory efforts” with Dr Ryan Devaney (AFBI), Dr Adrian Allen (AFBI), Dr Richard O’Hanlon (DAFM), and Dr Hadj Ahmed Belaouni (AFBI) taking questions from the in-person and online audience. Following up on questions from attendees, speakers discussed whether TB could be eradicated from Ireland; if there was an increase in virulence of TB over time; a dialog about the challenges of performing high throughput sequencing (and omics more generally) and access to hardware and software necessary to complete analyses; and the potential of Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) to be a leader in Omics.
On the second day, the panel discussion was centred on “How Omics are improving Agri-food systems and environmental research”. This panel discussion included Dr Simon Cameron (Queen’s University Belfast), Dr Adam Gauley (AFBI), and Dr Ozan Gundogdu (The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) taking questions from the in-person and online audience. Speakers emphasized how Omics technologies are getting cheaper & better, bringing a huge benefit at all levels of biological sciences.
The benefits of integrative multi-Omics in answering complex biological questions were also brought to the attention of the audience. The concept of precision breeding was introduced during the discussion as well. There were extensive exchanges and positive feedback on how omics are helping to decipher the origins of pathogens, along with how AI is currently leveraging research in life sciences.
The attendees enjoyed networking during the breaks, filled with informal discussions about how Omics are contributing to understanding living organisms and foster sustainability in agri-food systems. The third day of the Omics Days was dedicated to a workshop on genome-based study of microorganisms’ relatedness, delivered by Dr Hadj Ahmed Belaouni, Dr Michael Stevenson and Mr Andrew McClure. Advertisement Advertisement This conference was driven by the active participation of in person and remote participants, taking part to intense Q&A sessions and panel discussions.
The organizers thanked the attendees and speakers for their continuous focus and engagement throughout the Omics Days. Despite time constraints, the curiosity and genuine attention from participants have established am effective networking atmosphere. Participants have stated their strong interest in potential internal and external collaborations in AFBI, which we believe will undoubtedly foster excellence in the practice of Omics research at AFBI.
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