From Sample to Sequence: What Makes Large-Scale Genomics Possible

Would you agree that it was like, is maybe best to sort of think in your local context and maybe if you're a researcher looking at like what you're busy researching to choose a specific technology based on your research question? I mean, that's, I think.

I think that's a

straightforward, yeah, it's a normal thing.

And people like myself and Nadia, that's why we are here.

Yeah.

So that we can advise you on looking at what the objectives of your project are.

And then we're working from the top downwards as to what could be applicable in terms of the technology to use based on your sample types.

So that's basically our role that we do.

And I'm interested, like, you know, if a researcher is approaching the idea of sequencing some samples or whatever, you mentioned earlier that sort of there's some local capacity building that's happening.

And we did sort of touch on it earlier as well, that it's a very fast paced environment to be in, especially with technologies evolving and stuff like that.

So Do you guys have any perspective to share on sort of the South African space that we're in at the moment from a researcher's perspective, maybe looking at the local landscape versus maybe what an international landscape could offer in terms of these services?

You want to go first or first?

Yeah, let me kick us off.

I'm glad you're introducing this sort of vein of discussion because another thing that all of us should be passionate about is keeping sequencing local, keeping... omics development local um i think we have a few excellent centers i want to say in on the continent i'm speaking now for south africa but i think this is true for the rest of the continent building local centers of excellence for sequencing we saw a huge upsurge in infrastructure around omics and sequencing at the end of the pandemic with some pandemic preparedness funds setting up instrumentation sort of around the country.

So that put sequences into hands, right? And a lot of people sort of thought, oh, but there's a lot of machines now.

So do you still need a core facility? And yes, you do.

You need all of it.

More sequences is never going to be.

Exactly.

It's an access thing and it excites us.

So a core facility is something that provides access, capacity building.

We provide infrastructure and access to equipment that a single lab would maybe not be able to procure.

You know, those production scales, things that are very expensive.

I was just going to ask.

Or lack more equipment.