Australian meeting strengthens international ties in human genomics

Australian BioCommons recently brought together a global group of research infrastructure specialists working at the forefront of genomics data sharing and management. Seizing the rare opportunity to meet face-to-face created by the GA4GH Plenary held in Melbourne, members gathered to explore shared challenges, common interests and opportunities to deepen ties for mutual benefit.

The organisations and projects represented included:

• Australian BioCommons

• Australian Genomics

• BROAD Institute

• Canadian Distributed Infrastructure for Genomics (CanDIG)

• ELIXIR

• EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI)

• European Genomic Data Infrastructure (GDI)

• Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH)

• IT Centre for Science, Finland (CSC)

• McGill University

• Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI)

• National Computational Infrastructure (NCI)

• Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)

• University Health Network

• University of Melbourne Centre for Cancer Research (UMCCR)

The two day meeting opened with presentations detailing the genomics landscapes in Europe, Canada and Australia, showcasing the tools and techniques deployed by each organisation. These presentations uncovered significant convergence on technology solutions across the globe. Dr Mallory Freeberg, Human Genomics Team Lead at EMBl-EBI, noted that:

The chance to meet in person made it abundantly clear that challenges faced in human genomics are shared worldwide, and that we can learn so much from each other through our collaborations. The meeting significantly strengthened our existing relationships, and I look forward to continuing to grow our global human genomics community.

The Australian BioCommons Human Genome Informatics team relished the chance to dive into the finer details. Discussions around common technology solutions, such as GA4GH’s Beacon for handling data discovery, and using metadata standards like HPO and OMOP, were a clear standout that the team will apply to their ongoing work. Dr Conrad Leonard, Technical Lead of the Human Genome Informatics team, said:

I’m very excited for the potential of future collaborations. The opportunity to partner with the worlds’ leading scientists and technologists in this space is invaluable in our efforts to deliver genomic data sharing solutions for Australian researchers.

Overall, the meeting strengthened connections between Australian, European, and North American human genome informatics organisations, and set the stage for potential future partnerships that will drive research progress through provision of critical research infrastructure.

Read more about Australian BioCommons’ human genome informatics activities.