Last week, I attended the Advances in Medical Genetics conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I was asked to present on “Big Data in DNA Analytics”. The event was hosted by Prof. Dr. Majid Alfadhel of the King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in collaboration with the Postgraduate Training Center. The event was held to discuss the pros and cons surrounding the latest advances in genetics, in regards to patient care as well as to provide updated information on technologies and to provide training on the variant interpretation of whole exome and genome sequencing.
On the first day, speakers from all over the Middle East, Europe and North America contributed with a series of keynote lectures surrounding the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of genetic disorders. Some of the topics included the utility and detection rate of whole genome sequencing compared to whole exome sequencing, the management of big genetic data and the recent advances in Saudi Arabia’s newborn screening program. The second day was comprised of a workshop surrounding variant interpretation.
Overall, I was very impressed with the event. It showed the deep understanding of genomics in this region. Not only did the keynote sessions bring to light some of the very important topics in the genetics field today, but the training session on the second day showed the dedication to teaching bioinformatics skills. This is a very important component to the advancement of precision medicine.
About Andreas Scherer
Dr. Andreas Scherer is CEO of Golden Helix. The company has been delivering industry leading bioinformatics solutions for the advancement of life science research and translational medicine for over a decade. Its innovative technologies and analytic services empower scientists and healthcare professionals at all levels to derive meaning from the rapidly increasing volumes of genomic data produced from next-generation sequencing. With its solutions, hundreds of the world’s hospitals and testing labs are able to harness the full potential of genomics to identify the cause of disease, develop genomic diagnostics, and advance the quest for personalized medicine. Golden Helix products and services have been cited in thousands of peer-reviewed publications. Golden Helix is also on the Inc 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the US.
He is also Managing Partner of Salto Partners, Inc, a management consulting firm headquartered in Nevada. He has extensive experience successfully managing growth as well as orchestrating complex turnaround situations. His company, Salto Partners, advises on business strategy, financing, sales, and operations. Clients are operating in the high-tech and life sciences space.
Dr. Scherer holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Hagen, Germany, and a Master of Computer Science from the University of Dortmund, Germany. He is author and co- author of over 20 international publications and has written books on project management, the Internet, and artificial intelligence. His latest book, “Be Fast Or Be Gone”, is a prizewinner in the 2012 Eric Hoffer Book Awards competition, and has been named a finalist in the 2012 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!
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