Front Line Genomics
A patient-centered way to keep up with advances in genomics
The online and print magazine Front Line Genomics has the tagline “unzipping genes for humanity.” Richard Lumb, PhD and Founder, created the organization in the UK in 2013.
“In 2009 I lost my father to mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer commonly caused by exposure to asbestos. A year or so later, looking for answers, I started to read about growing evidence that a person’s genetic makeup can increase susceptibility to mesothelioma. That got me interested in the potential of translational genomics in both healthcare and society. It also got me thinking about the role I could play in accelerating the impact of genomic knowledge on people’s lives.”
They are non-profit and focus 100% on genomics with the goal of getting benefits to patients faster. Their self-described role is to support everyone associated with genomic science and technology in their ongoing endeavour to improve the lives of patients, and society in general.
Festival of Genomics
In addition to the publications, the organization runs a free festival in London, Boston, and San Diego focused on Genomics.
- Audience: The audience is typically from industry, government, and healthcare.
- Activities: There is a table discussion ‘Talkaoke’, poster presentations (with prizes), two or three hour long workshops, and a host of talks covering everything -omics: genomic medicine, genetic counselling, drug development, data handling, CRISPR and gene editing.
- Speakers: The most recent festival occurred at the San Diego Convention Center on September 19-21, 2016. Speakers included Michael Weiner (Chief Medical Information Officer, IBM), Abe Heifets (CEO, Atomwise), Alex Dickinson (SVP Strategic Initiatives, Illumina), and Ashley Van Zeeland (CTO, Human Longevity).
Raw Science TV attended the most recent festival in San Diego, CA. The spirit of the initiative is open collaboration for the benefit of humanity. Presentation topics included “A public ledger to share all the world’s cancer mutations” by David Haussler, Scientific Director, USC Genomics Institute. Michael Weiner (CMIO, IBM) presented on the ways IBM Watson is integrating into healthcare in the form of personalized medicine. Alex Dickinson (Illumina) included information on personalized medicine initiatives (PMIs) in 10 countries including 4 of the 6 largest economies.
Hat tip across the ocean from Raw Science TV. The Front Line Genomics team is one to watch for advances in genomics, personalized medicine, and the prevention and treatment of cancer.
Images: Credit, Front Line Genomics
