NEXUS visits EMBL-EBI

NEXUS visits the European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute

The NEXUS leadership team, Gary W. Miller, PhD, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Rima Habre, ScD, University of Southern California, and Chirag Patel, PhD, Harvard University visited colleagues at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) to discuss how to integrate exposomics into existing genomic databases and workflows. This meeting was coordinated by Helen Parkinson, PhD, Head of the Knowledge Management Section at EMBL-EBI, and Amy Foreman, Senior Scientific Programme Manager, Human Ecosystems TT, EMBL. EMBL has a research program whose mission is well-aligned with exposomics. The EMBL’s Human Ecosystems effort is a research initiative within EMBL that focuses on studying the molecular basis of how environmental factors interact with human genetics to influence health and is also co-led by Dr Parkinson.

Chirag Patel, PhD, Harvard University, opening the meeting at the European Bioinformatics Institute | EMBL-EBI in Cambridge, UK.

Figure 1

They were joined by collaborators involved in the European Strategic Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) project EIRENE, which is helping develop the infrastructure needed for exposomics. Jana Klanova, PhD, Masaryk University, director of RECETOX, and leader of the EIRENE project, was joined by her colleagues Elliott Price, PhD, Helge Hecht, PhD, and Richard Hůlek, Head of RECETOX Data Services Core Facility. Other collaborators in attendance include Etienne Blanc, MCU Paris Cité/INSERM, FR, Stijn Baken, Environmental Health & Chemical Risk Assessment Data, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), and Eva Govarts, VITO.

NEXUS leadership team with delegates from EMBL-EBI and EIRENE

Figure 2

During the meeting, the teams discussed the opportunities and challenges involved with integrating exposomics data with genomics data. In addition to databases and computational tools, the teams also discussed opportunities for collaborating in educational programming.

The team was also able to visit the Eagle Pub, where Francis Crick famously announced the discovery of the structure of DNA on February 28, 1953. Chirag Patel, PhD, Rima Habre, ScD, and Gary Miller, PhD were lucky enough to get the booth where Watson and Crick famously announced their discovery of the structure of DNA on February 28, 1953.

Chirag Patel, PhD , Rima Habre, ScD, and Gary Miller, PhD at the Eagle Pub.

Figure 3

The NEXUS team will continue working with EMBL-EBI over the coming year to forge this important collaboration.