The Future of Genomics in Agriculture is Already Here! (ONLINE Talk)

Cambridge Judge Business School’s Entrepreneurship Centre invites you to a Guest talk:

"The Future of Genomics in Agriculture is Already Here!" by Dr André Eggen, Agrigenomics Segment Manager at Illumina.

This talk is part of our Venture Creation Weekend focused on Innovation in Food Sustainability which will be running on 5-7 February 2021 in partnership with Illumina and support from Cambridge Food Security Forum. The talk is free and open to the public; however, please note the Venture Creation Weekend is a structured programme and requires prior registration and payment. To find out more about the Venture Creation Weekend and the other programmes at the Entrepreneurship Centre, please visit our website.

About the talk:

Over the past two decades, sequencing technology has experienced an incredible reduction in cost and drastic improvements for producing DNA sequences for all organisms, delivering to each of us a real genomic revolution. This revolution is impacting all domains of life sciences: from cancer research in humans to genetic improvement in livestock, from food testing to tracking, identifying and monitoring dangerous bacteria and viruses …Next Generation Sequencing (also called NGS) is evolving into a molecular microscope, finding its way into many innovative applications.

Agriculture, the science and practice of farming plants and animals for food, fiber, and fuel, that has sustained and enhanced human life for millennia is also impacted by the genomic revolution. Given the changing environment, expanding population, and increasing demands for nutrition, the need to optimize agriculture is of fundamental importance. A new era, the "genomics era", promises to enable the objective prediction of consequences based on direct access to the full DNA sequence of many individuals and therefore a renewed and more objective view of the genetic value of plants and animals that is not limited to a few production traits. Harnessing genomic innovations in agriculture will enable more productive and sustainable practices to address these challenges and ensure global access to an adequate nutritious food supply and a safe sustainable environment!

About the Speaker:

André Eggen graduated from the Federal Institute of Technology (Animal Science) in Zürich (Switzerland) in 1988 and obtained his PhD in Animal Genetics (emphasis on Molecular Genetics) at the Institute of Animal Science in Zürich in 1992.

André Eggen started work as a Research Scientist at INRA in 1992, and was appointed a Research Director in 2004. André was leading the bovine genomics team from INRA in Jouy-en-Josas with research programs on the identification of genes and chromosome regions for economically important traits in cattle, especially dairy QTLs and genetic disorders.

He has published over 130 publications in peer-reviewed journals, participated in several EU funded projects and international consortia and served as Secretary of the International Society of Animal Genetics (ISAG) from 2004-2010. Over the years, André has developed extensive experience within the breeding industry and was leading research programs that paved the way for the implementation of Marker Assisted Selection and Genomic Selection in dairy cattle in France. André Eggen joined Illumina in 2009 where he currently is EMEA Segment Manager for Agrigenomics.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Cambridge Judge Business School, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom