AI and Synthetic Biology: Part 1

Health

The final episode of the #GenomicsFutures podcast focuses on how genomics can change patient care over the next 25 years. In the last 100 years, genetics and genomics have transformed our understanding of the human body. We have mapped thousands of genes and discovered the origins of around 80% of rare conditions, yet most insights have not translated into real patient benefit. In this episode, we talk about how this could change, including:  * A move towards pre-emptive and predictive healthcare, where diagnosis will shift from identifying clinical symptoms to defining diseases by their underlying molecular pathology, ending trial-and-error treatments. Technology may also help detect abnormal biological pathways and prompt clinical action before a patient even feels sick. * The need to capture global diversity in our data to ensure that people globally can benefit from advances in genomics.  * How we can use genomics to accelerate the success rate of drug discovery. This episode includes interviews with:  * Professor Carl Anderson, Head of the Human Genetics programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute * Professor Rachel Freathy, Lecturer in Human Genetics at Exeter University  * Professor Soo Teo, Chief Scientific Officer of Cancer Research Malaysia * Dr Alejandra Medina Rivera, Principal Investigator at the Regulatory Genomics and Bioinformatics laboratory in Mexico * Professor Zane Lombard, Academic Head of Human Genetics at the University of the Witwatersrand * Dr Rob Scott, Vice President of Human Genetics at GSK * Dr Gosia Trynka, Science Director at Open Targets and Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute Further information on topics discussed in the episode: * Our Future Health [https://ourfuturehealth.org.uk/] – an ambitious collaboration between the public, charity and private sectors in the UK to build the UK’s largest health research programme * BRCA1/2 – BReast CAncer gene 1 and BReast CAncer gene 2, genes that when altered can significantly increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancers, among other cancers. * Digital twin [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-twin-definition/digital-twin-official] – a virtual replica of a biological entity or process. It can use real-time data to simulate, predict and optimise outcomes. * Human Genome Project – a landmark 13-year international research effort (1990 to 2003) that successfully mapped and sequenced the entire human genetic blueprint. * H3Africa [https://h3africa.org/] – Human Heredity and Health in Africa, was formally launched in 2012 in Addis Ababa [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addis_Ababa] and has grown to include research projects across 32 countries, a pan-continental bioinformatics network, and the first whole genome sequencing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_genome_sequencing] of many African ethnolinguistic groups [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnolinguistic_group]. 25 years on from the release of the first draft of the human genome, the Genomics Futures podcast series explores what the future of genomics will be like in 2050. Across 6 episodes, we explore the themes and topics that arose from discussions that took place during the Genomics Futures workshops, hosted by the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Wellcome in 2025. The aim of these podcasts is not to showcase definitive thoughts, but to explore the possibilities of genomics in twenty five years’ time, hence why some speakers may contradict each other. The views expressed in these podcasts are of the speakers alone. Further information about the workshops including further outputs can be found here: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/ [https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/] This podcast is produced by the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Impact

The fifth episode of the #GenomicsFutures podcast focuses on the impact new technologies could have over the next 25 years, and what is needed to ensure everyone benefits from these. Science is evolving, with things such as AI and other new technologies that could radically reshape the research landscape. This episode dives deeper into what this might lead to, covering topics such as: * Data as the primary substrate: Discovery is no longer just downstream of experiments; foundational data resources (like biobanks) are becoming the place from which all future research flows. * Continuous wearable monitoring: The future of research involves moving away from episodic sampling toward dense longitudinal monitoring through wearables, allowing for predictive and preventative medical interventions. * Decolonising research funding: Equity requires dismantling extractive practices and shifting power so that regional institutions hold the governance for their own programmes and set their own priorities. * Reproducibility through automation: Standardised automation is essential for global reproducibility, ensuring that experiments performed in different parts of the world yield consistent results for AI training. This episode includes interviews with:  * Professor Matt Hurles, Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute. * Dr Tariq Khokhar, Head of Data for Science and Health at Wellcome. * Dr Dana Cortade, Project Manager at the Align Foundation. * Dr Denis Chopera, Senior Programme Manager at the Leadership for African Research Networks (LEARN R&D) * Dr Sophie Gilbert, Programme Lead at the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA). Links to things mentioned in the episode: * GROQ-seq platform [https://zenodo.org/records/15367758] – A project managed by the Align foundation. * UK Biobank [https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/] – A long-term prospective biobank [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biobank] study in the United Kingdom that houses the de-identified biological samples and health-related data of half a million people. * Digital twin [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/digital-twin-definition/digital-twin-official] – A virtual replica of a biological entity or process. It can use real-time data to simulate, predict and optimise outcomes. * MLW [https://www.mlw.mw/] – The Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme (MLW) is built around excellent laboratories, strategically located in the largest hospital in Malawi, Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, which is closely linked with the community and an integral part of the medical school. * Africa CDC [https://africacdc.org/] – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a public health agency of the African Union to support the public health initiatives of member states and strengthen the capacity of their health institutions to deal with disease threats. * NIST [https://www.nist.gov/] – The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Commerce] whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. * LDL – Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is often referred to as “bad cholesterol” because it can build up in arteries if levels are too high, increasing the risk of health issues. 25 years on from the release of the first draft of the human genome, the Genomics Futures podcast series explores what the future of genomics will be like in 2050. Across 6 episodes, we explore the themes and topics that arose from discussions that took place during the Genomics Futures workshops, hosted by the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Wellcome in 2025. The aim of these podcasts is not to showcase definitive thoughts, but to explore the possibilities of genomics in twenty five years’ time, hence why some speakers may contradict each other. The views expressed in these podcasts are of the speakers alone. Further information about the workshops including further outputs can be found here: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/ [https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/] This podcast is produced by the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Life on Earth

The fourth episode of the #GenomicsFutures podcast series focuses on the future of environmental genomics! Genomics could transform how we protect life on Earth, but big challenges remain. This episode covers topics including: * Genomics for climate resilience: Genomic information is seen as a critical catalyst for mitigating climate change impacts, particularly in developing resilient crops to ensure global food security. * Real-time biomonitoring: Future tools, such as handheld "tricorders" or autonomous marine samplers, could provide real-time dashboards of ecosystem health, flagging disease outbreaks or invasive species before they become crises. * Indigenous knowledge and sovereignty: Integrating indigenous knowledge and ensuring data sovereignty are essential, making local communities equal partners in research and benefit-sharing. * Functional biodiversity: Rather than just saving single species, the focus is shifting toward restoring the functions and connectivity of entire ecosystems to make them self-sustaining and resilient. This episode includes interviews with: * Dr Mark Blaxter, Head of the Tree of Life programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, and Dr Alan Dangour, Director of Climate and Health at Wellcome. * Dr Federica Di Palma, Vice President of Genome British Columbia, talks about bioprospecting and data sovereignty. * Professor Rasmus Grondfeldt Winther, from the University of California, Santa Cruz and the University of Copenhagen, speaks about climate resilience and ethics. * Dr ThankGod Ebenezer, Global Engagement Manager at EMBL’s European Bioinformatics Institute, discusses the future of biodiversity and biomonitoring. * Dr Roksana Majewska, marine researcher at Nord University in Norway, and Professor Maui Hudson, co-director of the Te Kotahi Research Institute in New Zealand, explore restructuring degraded ecosystems and the role of indigenous knowledge in science.   More information about things mentioned in this episode: * Earth BioGenome Project [https://www.earthbiogenome.org/] – a project aiming to sequence, catalog and characterise the genomes of all of Earth’s eukaryotic biodiversity over a period of ten years. * African BioGenome project [https://africanbiogenome.org/] – A coordinated pan-African effort to build capacity (and infrastructure) to generate, analyze and deploy genomics data for the improvement and sustainable use of biodiversity and agriculture across Africa. * Ancient Environmental Genomics Initiative for Sustainability (AEGIS) [https://www.sanger.ac.uk/collaboration/ancient-environmental-genomics-initiative-for-sustainability-aegis/] – a global consortium led by the Globe Institute [https://globe.ku.dk/] at the University of Copenhagen. AEGIS aims to develop the essential science and methodology to use ancient environmental DNA (eDNA) – coupled with other ancient and modern biomolecule-based approaches – to identify important organismal associations and genetic adaptations in natural and agro-ecosystems that will improve future food security under climate change. * Conference of the Parties (COP) [https://unfccc.int/process/bodies/supreme-bodies/conference-of-the-parties-cop] – the supreme decision-making body of an international convention. * Benefits sharing – a concept referring to the equitable distribution of advantages derived from the use of resources, particularly in contexts like genetic resources, community projects, and environmental conservation. * European Reference Genome Atlas [https://www.erga-biodiversity.eu/] – a pan-European scientific response initiative to current threats to biodiversity with the mission to sequence reference quality genomes for all European species. * Onso system – a benchtop short-read benchtop DNA sequencing platform. * Moana project [https://www.moanaproject.org/] – an $11 million ocean project funded by the NZ Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment. The project aims to vastly improve understanding of coastal ocean circulation, connectivity and marine heatwaves to provide information that supports sustainable growth of the seafood industry, science research efforts, iwi initiatives and how we manage our marine environments. 25 years on from the release of the first draft of the human genome, the Genomics Futures podcast series explores what the future of genomics will be like in 2050. Across 6 episodes, we explore the themes and topics that arose from discussions that took place during the Genomics Futures workshops, hosted by the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Wellcome in 2025. The aim of these podcasts is not to showcase definitive thoughts, but to explore the possibilities of genomics in twenty five years’ time, hence why some speakers may contradict each other. The views expressed in these podcasts are of the speakers alone. Further information about the workshops including further outputs can be found here: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/ [https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/] This podcast is produced by the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

AI and Synthetic Biology: Part 2

The third episode of the Genomics Futures podcast focuses on AI and synthetic genomics! In part two of this two-part episode, we explore how AI will play a key role in shaping the future of genomics. But progress depends on shared data, sustainable models, and local infrastructure, moving from one-size-fits-all medicine to population-level precision, with equity built in. Topics covered in part two include:  * Precision global health: Instead of a "one-size-fits-all" approach, the future involves "population-level precision". * Democratising infrastructure: True equity requires investing in local data centres and infrastructure in low-resource settings so that data is not just collected locally but also processed and controlled by local researchers. * The AI-automation feedback loop: Lab automation is critical for accelerating the "learning rate" of biology; robots generate the massive datasets needed to train AI, which in turn helps design better experiments, creating a positive feedback loop. * Overcoming the data bottleneck: Biology must focus on creating large, standardised, and quantitative datasets to train reliable predictive models. * Pre-competitive data sharing: To speed up drug discovery for thousands of rare diseases, the industry must move toward publicly sharing data on how small molecules interact with proteins, as "data hoarding" is a primary barrier to progress. This episode includes interviews with: * Professor Kondwani Jambo, Professor of Immunology and Infection at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, who explores the concept of personalised medicine and democratisation of genomics technologies. * Dr Patrick Boyle, an automation and digital data expert, discusses automation in the lab and the possibilities it may offer in twenty-five years.  * Professor Ben Lehner, Head of the Generative Genomics Programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, speaks about the possibilities of engineering biology in the future. Mentioned in the episode: * Vision 2063 [https://www.undp.org/malawi/publications/mw2063-vision] – a vision aiming to transform Malawi into a wealthy and self-reliant industrialized ‘upper middle-income country’ by the year 2063. * AlphaFold [https://alphafold.ebi.ac.uk/] – an artificial intelligence programme, which performs predictions of protein structure. * Protein Data Bank [https://www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe/] – a data bank that collects, organises and disseminates data on biological macromolecular structures. 25 years on from the release of the first draft of the human genome, the Genomics Futures podcast series explores what the future of genomics will be like in 2050. Across 6 episodes, we explore the themes and topics that arose from discussions that took place during the Genomics Futures workshops, hosted by the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Wellcome in 2025. The aim of these podcasts is not to showcase definitive thoughts, but to explore the possibilities of genomics in twenty five years’ time, hence why some speakers may contradict each other. The views expressed in these podcasts are of the speakers alone. Further information about the workshops including further outputs can be found here: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/ [https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/] This podcast is produced by the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

AI and Synthetic Biology: Part 1

The third episode of the Genomics Futures podcast focuses on AI and synthetic genomics! The future of genomics is not just being read, it is also being written, and AI will play a key role. AI will design experiments, labs will automate discovery, and human tissues-in-a-dish will unlock real causality in disease. In this two-part episode, we talk about how this could look, with part one covering a few key topics, including:  * The shift from reading to writing: Genomics is moving from a "reading frame" (sequencing) to a "writing frame" where scientists can synthesise large segments of DNA from scratch to create synthetic cell states or highly efficient artificial systems.  * AI-commissioned research: Future AI models may go beyond data interpretation to actively designing experiments, potentially transforming the role of the researcher into a strategic driver rather than a performer of routine tasks.  * Human proxies and tissues-in-a-dish: A major goal for 2050 is to move beyond simple cell cultures to create complex artificial tissues and organoids that faithfully mimic human systems (like vasculature and immune responses) to derive true causality in disease research.  * Sustainability of business models: Current pharmaceutical business models may be unsustainable for "one-and-done" genomic cures; new systems are needed to amortise the high costs of these therapies over a patient's lifetime. This episode includes interviews with:  * Professor Muzlifah Haniffa, Deputy Director at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Dr Mathew Garnett, Group Leader also at Wellcome Sanger Institute, who speak about synthetic biology and the use of Artificial Intelligence for the advancement of genomics. * Dr Alta Charo, emeritus professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin and Professor Robert Smith, lecturer of Science and Technology Studies at the University of Edinburgh, discuss the ethics around these topics.   25 years on from the release of the first draft of the human genome, the Genomics Futures podcast series explores what the future of genomics will be like in 2050. Across 6 episodes, we explore the themes and topics that arose from discussions that took place during the Genomics Futures workshops, hosted by the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Wellcome in 2025. The aim of these podcasts is not to showcase definitive thoughts, but to explore the possibilities of genomics in twenty five years’ time, hence why some speakers may contradict each other. The views expressed in these podcasts are of the speakers alone. Further information about the workshops including further outputs can be found here: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/ [https://www.sanger.ac.uk/innovation/sanger-genomics-futures-series/] This podcast is produced by the Wellcome Sanger Institute.