Abstract

Genomic variation is a driving force of animal and human health, and susceptibility to disease. Yet our knowledge rarely spans human ethnic genomic diversity and genomic variation between animal breeds, limiting their translational impact. This symposium aims to: 1. Highlight translational genomics in humans and animals (clinical medicine and animal breeding for health and productivity) 2. Explore synergies and cross-disciplinary learning 3. Explore opportunities to leverage genomic diversity to push the current boundaries to translation 4. Address translation and affordability in low- and middle-income settings. Large-scale genomics initiatives like Genome England, the US Precision Medicine initiative, and the Human Heredity and Health in African Consortium, are providing extraordinarily large data sets to explore useful genotype-phenotype connections. Equivalent initiatives for animal data are starting. This meeting will explore the translation of genomic research in animals and humans; high and low-resourced environments; ethnic diversity; and cultural context. Identifying common strands in animal and human health opens up opportunities for repurposing of ideas and applications, and for finding innovative solutions for translational genomics through cross-boundary communities of practice.