Prof. Arnold Munnich, the Director of the Department of Genetics at Hospital Necker, University Paris-Descartes, gave a lecture on the topic of ‘’ The Challenge of Translating NGS from Bench to Medical Genetic Service’’.
The lecture was held on Sunday, 28th of January 2018, at Alfaisal University, in collaboration with the cultural affairs at the French Embassy, and was attended by Dr. Khaled Al- Kattan Acting Vice President for Administration and Finance / Dean, College of Medicine, alongside members from the French Embassy, Doctors and Genetics Specialists, students and colleagues from Alfaisal University, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and other hospitals.
Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a DNA sequencing technology which has revolutionized genomic research. Using NGS, an entire human genome can be sequenced within a single day. In contrast, the previous Sanger sequencing technology used to decipher the human genome, required over a decade to deliver the final draft. Although in genome research NGS has mostly superseded conventional Sanger sequencing, it has not yet translated into routine clinical practice.
Prof. Arnold Munnich has deeply involved himself in translating NGS from bench to clinical applications. He gave his comment on the challenges he has been facing with, inside his research laboratory and in his out-patient consultation.
The lecture concluded with comments and in-depth discussion between members of the audience and Prof. Munnich about the evolving field of NGS and the potential improvements that could be achieved in the near future.
