Launch of virtual Sanger Seminar series

Join us for a new series of virtual seminars, open to all, which will present the latest research from the Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Sanger Institute is pleased to launch a new series of virtual seminars, showcasing the diversity of genomic research at the Institute aimed at tackling some of the biggest challenges in human health and disease. From mapping all cell types in the human body, to understanding the evolution of cancer and life on Earth, senior scientists and faculty at the Sanger Institute will present the latest developments in their field

The virtual seminar series will take place monthly and is freely available and open to all who wish to attend. Further details and joining instructions are available here: https://stream.venue-av.com/e/sanger_seminars/login Password (case sensitive): Sanger2020

To launch the seminar series, Dr Sarah Teichmann, Head of Cellular Genetics at the Sanger Institute and Co-Founder of the Human Cell Atlas, will speak on Wednesday 15 July, 16:00-17:00 BST.

Sarah will describe how an international team of scientists is mapping the human body, one cell at a time, to create the Human Cell Atlas (HCA). Sarah will share how the HCA is providing unprecedented understanding of human cells and tissue architecture in health and disease, including reproductive biology, auto-immune disease and COVID-19 infection.

Dr Peter Campbell, Head of Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation at the Sanger Institute, will give the following seminar on 19 August. Peter will discuss somatic mutations, and how researchers are characterising the landscape of mutations in cells to provide insights into normal tissue development and maintenance, cancer evolution, diseases other than cancer, and ageing.

The full programme of seminar speakers will soon be available.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in researchers travelling less and attending fewer scientific meetings. However, Sanger scientists remain eager to communicate their science and there is an appetite from the scientific community to hear Sanger’s latest research developments. The virtual seminar series will reach an even more diverse audience, including researchers from countries where travel to scientific meetings can be more difficult.

“We are thrilled to be able to share the latest research from the Sanger Institute in this new virtual seminar series, and celebrate the diversity and culture of our Institute. Sanger is unique in terms of the scale of research we do. The Institute takes a leading role in international research projects, while maintaining a culture of openness. Our researchers drive innovation and the translation of research to solve the challenges facing society. We hope you can join us for this exciting series of seminars.”

Dr Julia Wilson, Associate Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute

More information

Notes to Editors:

The seminars will be pre-recorded and will be followed by a live Q&A session. Following each seminar, the talk will be available via the Sanger website, for participants to revisit the series: www.sanger.ac.uk

More information on speakers and their seminars:

Dr Sarah Teichmann, FMedSci FRS, Head of Cellular Genetics Wellcome Sanger Institute

Sarah Teichmann is interested in global principles of protein interactions and gene expression. In particular, her research now focuses on genomics and immunity. From 2016, Sarah is the Head of Cellular Genetics at the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Sarah did her PhD at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK and was a Beit Memorial Fellow at University College London. She started a group at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in 2001. In 2013, she moved to the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, Cambridge, where her group was joint between the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Sarah is an EMBO member and fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and her work has been recognized by a number of prizes, including the Lister Prize, Biochemical Society Colworth Medal, Royal Society Crick Lecture and EMBO Gold Medal.

Human Cell Atlas: Mapping the human body one cell at a time

The Human Cell Atlas (HCA) is an ambitious global initiative aiming to create a comprehensive reference map of all human cells—the fundamental units of life—as a basis understanding human health and diagnosing, monitoring, and treating disease.  In this talk you will hear how the HCA is providing unprecedented understanding of human cells and tissue architecture in health and disease including reproductive biology, auto-immune disease and Covid-19 infection.

Dr Peter Campbell, Head of Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation Wellcome Sanger Institute

Peter Campbell’s research programme focuses on the genetic changes our cells acquire as we go through life, and how these mutations are related to ageing, cancer and other disease processes.

Peter’s major interest is in cancer genomics, and in particular genome-wide analyses of somatic mutations in tumours. His major areas of interest have been: the discovery of new cancer genes; the identification of somatic mutation processes operative in tumours; the characterisation of patterns of cancer evolution; and the translation of these fundamental insights about cancer biology into better management of patients. Today he is increasingly interested in the role of somatic mutations outside of cancer. Particular focus areas include how somatic mutations delineate clonal relationships of normal cellular populations and how somatic mutations affect normal cellular behaviour.

Somatic mutations in normal tissues

Somatic mutations occur in all tissues throughout life, providing the substrate for evolution among somatic cells. We are increasingly able to characterise the landscape of mutations in cells, providing insights into normal tissue development and maintenance, cancer evolution, diseases other than cancer, and ageing.