Last week, we were delighted to host the first TRAIN Omics Retreat. With this kick-off event, TRAIN Omics coordinator Sara Haag and site spokespersons Thomas Illig (Hannover Unified Biobank, Hannover Medical School), Bernd Wollnik (Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG)) and Karsten Hiller (Institute of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics, Technical University of Braunschweig) wanted to kick off further collaboration and even closer networking between all areas in the #TranslationTriangle Hannover-Braunschweig-Göttingen following the restructuring of our Omics division
Thirty-five representatives from a wide range of institutions accepted our invitation. These included the TRAIN partner institutes University Medical Center Göttingen, University of Veterinary Medicine (TiHo), Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI), Hannover Medical School (MHH), TWINCORE GmbH, Technical University of Braunschweig, Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH (DSMZ), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, PTB (PTB), Fraunhofer ITEM, and the Lower Saxony Center for Biomedical Engineering, Implant Research and Development (NIFE). Representatives of the non-profit biomedical research institute Smatheria gGmbH were also present as guests.
We kicked off the event with a pitch round that gave everyone the opportunity to briefly introduce themselves. This was not only informative, but also very entertaining and provided an opportunity to get in touch with new participants. The rest of the program consisted of presentations and discussions on the topics of genomics/transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and molecular data science.
In addition to infrastructure topics, the content ranged from human genetics to cancer research and cardiovascular diseases to immunology, microbiology, and livestock genomics. New approaches and software developments for omics data analysis and data integration from multi-omics studies were also presented. The presentations, some of which were groundbreaking, including on 3D genomics, generated considerable interest, with lively discussions and exchanges taking place during the breaks. The head of the Center for Individualized Infection Medicine (CiiM), Jennifer Debarry, also provided information about the plans and progress of the new building, which is being constructed in the immediate vicinity of our TRAIN office in TWINCORE. With PTB as a future TRAIN partner, there will be a new focus on standardization and quality assurance in the omics field.
Representing the PTB, Gavin O’Connor gave a presentation entitled “The role of metrology in the future of metabolomics,” in which he provided a brief outlook on how future collaboration might look. O’Connor was delighted with the great interest shown in him and the PTB. The keynote speech by Janine Altmüller, who presented the genomics core facility of the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) and Max Delbrück Center (MDC) in Berlin, provided new inspiration for our region. In particular, the diversity of methods in the field of single cell and spatial transcriptomics provided new impetus.
During this exciting lunch-to-lunch meeting, many new ideas for cooperation emerged. In addition, topics were identified that will be explored in greater depth in the future within the framework of TRAIN Omics. After the restructuring period, it was a great opportunity for everyone involved to meet, exchange ideas, and initiate future projects together. The atmosphere was inspiring and motivating, and there was a clear sense of anticipation for the challenges ahead. With a greater understanding of the opportunities offered by collaboration, the participants left the meeting with a palpable zest for action. Prof. Dr. Thomas Illig, overall spokesperson for TRAIN Omics, summed up the event as a successful new start!