Jon Farrow
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Jon Farrow
@jonfarrow.bsky.social
250 followers 27 following 8 posts
Canadian science communicator in the UK.

Comms Lead in the Genomic Surveillance Unit at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Views my own.
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jonfarrow.bsky.social
This is going to be a great event!
gsugenomics.bsky.social Genomic Surveillance Unit (Wellcome Sanger Institute) @gsugenomics.bsky.social · Feb 11
To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science #IDWGIS, join us for a fireside chat later this month featuring three GSU members from the lab, support, and partnerships teams 🧬🖥️

Register to attend:
sanger.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Meet our inspiring panel 👩‍🔬⤵️
Join us for an exciting webinar! Women in Genomic Surveillance 25th February 3:00pm (UK time, GMT) Zoom Farah Egby Agile Coach Farah excels at galvanising teams to get things done. After completing a PhD in computational chemistry, she has worked at several large scientific companies and start-ups, using Agile and Scrum methodologies to deliver complex projects. Sara Stott Head of Genomic Surveillance Sequencing Services Sara is responsible for the end-to-end sequencing service in the GSU. She brings expertise in quality assurance, process improvement and operational management, which she used during the pandemic to lead the Covid-19 Surveillance Laboratory team at Sanger. Sara holds a BSc double major in Genetics and Microbiology and an MSc in Forensic Science. Ísla O’Connor Partner Engagement and Relations Assistant Ísla supports the management of relationships with new and existing partners of the Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network (MalariaGEN). She holds a master’s degree in Bioethics and Society from King’s College London and a bachelor’s degree in Genetics from University College Dublin.
February 21, 2025 at 3:25 PM
jonfarrow.bsky.social
Cool new project alert! ⚡

Sequencing multiple respiratory viruses across two winters in the same year by working across hemispheres of the globe. 🌍

This is how we get prepared for the next pandemic.
gsugenomics.bsky.social Genomic Surveillance Unit (Wellcome Sanger Institute) @gsugenomics.bsky.social · Feb 5
We're launching a new project!

Through a global collaboration with @ceri-news.bsky.social and the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office, we will leverage genomic surveillance to monitor respiratory viruses in real time and boost pandemic preparedness

Read more: www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/mo...
We’re launching a new project! Collaborative respiratory virus surveillance This new initiative with CERI and the FCDO will enhance North-South collaboration on infectious disease surveillance. Find out more -> Monitoring respiratory threats Influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV, and other respiratory viruses are serious public health problems, especially during the winter. We can now sequence all these viruses from a single sample and spot variants as they emerge. By collaborating with CERI in South Africa, we can track these threats across two countries and get access to two winters in the same year. Combining expertise “Our joint efforts with CERI will enable the development of a robust, integrated surveillance system that will inform public health responses across continents.” John Sillitoe Director of the GSU Learn more about this collaborative effort to advance global genomic surveillance: February 6, 2025 11:00 AM-12:00 PM (SAST) CERI Headquarters, BMRI, Tygerberg campus of Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa Webinar link in the caption Event details: bit.ly/GSUNorthSouth
February 10, 2025 at 2:45 PM
jonfarrow.bsky.social
Today’s highlight of the #FOG2025 was a panel featuring four leaders of incredible bioresources.

I might have expected they’d be competitors, but instead they’re colleagues with a shared mission.
@genomicsengland.bsky.social
@bioresourcencl.bsky.social
@ukbiobank.bsky.social
@Our Future Health
A large group watching a panel discussion on the main stage of the Fesrival of Genomics.
January 30, 2025 at 7:10 PM
jonfarrow.bsky.social
Fascinating to listen to @ewanharrison.bsky.social talk about the microbiome in your nose, and the technology that he’s developing with the @gsugenomics.bsky.social to bring down the cost of sequencing 20+ viruses from the same sample.
January 29, 2025 at 12:19 PM
jonfarrow.bsky.social
As the father of twins, love hearing Tim Spector talk about how important twins are for understanding the interplay between genetics and environment at #FOG2025

@flgenomics.bsky.social
Tim Spector, founder of Zoe, talking about twin studies at the festival of genomics
January 29, 2025 at 10:16 AM
jonfarrow.bsky.social
At the Festival of Genomics with @gsugenomics.bsky.social today!

If you’re here and want to find out more about how the GSU is using genomics to improve global human health, let’s meet up!

#FOG2025 @flgenomics.bsky.social
A packed room at the festival of genomics, listening to a talk
January 29, 2025 at 10:05 AM
jonfarrow.bsky.social
We need "Always On" pathogen surveillance that lets us:

1) Stay prepared for the next pandemic

2) Save lives in the meantime by better targeting our response to threats like flu, RSV, malaria, dengue, etc.

journals.plos.org/globalpublic...
A consensus statement on dual purpose pathogen surveillance systems: The always on approach
journals.plos.org
November 20, 2024 at 4:19 PM