London Calling 2023: Real-time genomics for One Health

The COVID-19 pandemic catapulted the concept of One Health into the center of public attention, showcasing how environmental, animal, and human health are inextricably linked. I will showcase how nanopore sequencing, as the only disruptive technology that currently allows for portable real-time genomic analyses, can enable timely, in-depth ecosystem health assessments, thereby empowering efficient intervention strategies. I will highlight previous and ongoing nanopore-based studies on diverse topics, such as emerging pathogens, food security, the environmental microbiome, as well as wildlife conservation and trafficking. I will then present my own research group’s latest results in the realm of  environmental monitoring for disease detection and classification as examples of One Health applications and will discuss our first steps towards exploring the utility of nanopore squiggle data for pathogen viability and virulence assessments.