We are Genomics England and our vision is to create a world where everyone benefits from genomic healthcare. Join us every fortnight, where we cover everything from the latest in cutting-edge research to real-life stories from those affected by rare conditions and cancer. With thoughtful conversations, we take you behind the science. You can also tune in to our Genomics 101 explainer series which breaks down complex terms in under 10 minutes.
Episodes
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
Professor Tim Hubbard: Making the impossible possible
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
Wednesday Feb 24, 2021
"Humans are fantastically complicated, with 37 trillion cells and we don’t even know how many different cell types there are. But’s there’s a place to build from now. Having AlphaFold is like having a Rosetta Stone to translate; you couldn’t read the language of proteins - sequence defining structure and function - before."
Tim Hubbard is a Professor of Bioinformatics, Head of the Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at King's College London, and also a Senior Advisor to Genomics England. And no wonder, with so many achievements under his belt; Tim has had a vital role in the Human Genome Project - where the first human genome was mapped and annotated in Ensembl and Gencode - as well as in co-organising Critical Assessment of Structure Prediction (CASP) competitions for several years.
In this episode, Tim tells Chris about how he first got hooked on bioinformatics before it was formalised as a field, and how the breakthrough with AlphaFold means a better understanding between genomics and healthcare.
Find out more about AlphaFold, the AI system that has made a huge scientific breakthrough and solved a 50-year grand challenge.
Wednesday Feb 17, 2021
Dr Charles Steward: Education through discussion
Wednesday Feb 17, 2021
Wednesday Feb 17, 2021
"I would like genomics to be more spoken about. There's still a concern that genomics is going to be used to get rid of certain types of disorders, but it has an enormous potential to make everyone's lives better. Understanding genomics is a really important thing."
Driven by his infant daughter's rare form of epilepsy, Charlie established an international collaboration to investigate with new technology how genetics might be affecting her and other children with severe epilepsy.
Charlie Steward is a passionate patient advocate thanks to where life has led him and his family - starting as an academic researcher in genomics and then, after his children were born, becoming a Patient Advocacy and Engagement Lead at Congenica, ideally putting him in a position to bridge the gap between research and patients.
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Matt Hancock: Using data to improve people's lives
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
Wednesday Feb 10, 2021
"Giving people the confidence and capabilities to use data to find insights that can then improve lives is absolutely central to what we need to do over the years to come."
Chris spoke to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, at the end of 2020, reflecting on the UK's response to the COVID-19 pandemic so far and discussing how data - used appropriately and correctly - is the key to improving mainstream healthcare and, ultimately, people's daily lives.
Wednesday Feb 03, 2021
Professor Anna Middleton: Starting genomic conversations with X-Men
Wednesday Feb 03, 2021
Wednesday Feb 03, 2021
"What is a good deal for both sides? This isn't about science taking from people. This is about science genuinely offering a partnership."
How do we engage people in science and trickier subjects like genomics?
Professor Anna Middleton is a social scientist and genetic counsellor.
In this episode, Chris and Anna explore ways to springboard genomics into people's awareness and engaging in a two-way conversation about it, especially when genomics might already be part of their lives in ways they don't realise.