Diagnostic testing and surveillance are critical, complementary strategies to combat pathogen outbreaks such as COVID-19. Sequencing-based surveillance helps public health officials track the path of the epidemic, understand transmission routes, determine the rate of viral evolution, and understand if the virus is changing in ways that impact therapeutic effectiveness. As a leader in next-generation sequencing, Illumina is working with practitioners and researchers around the world to provide the vital testing capacity needed for a data-driven response. Three distinguished leaders of Illumina will join SynBioBeta founder John Cumbers for a conversation about sequencing and the novel coronavirus, including:

• How sequencing can be used to combat the pandemic by characterizing the origin, spread, and rate of evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as identifying promising therapeutic targets
• How Illumina and synthetic biologists can support the healthcare community
• The latest technologies and resources available to scientific responders
• How modern sequencing technology is changing the way the science community can respond to pandemic outbreaks
• How the entrepreneurship and VC communities are responding to COVID-19

Dr. Phil Febbo is Chief Medical Officer at Illumina and leads the company’s efforts to drive genomic testing in health care practice. He’s experienced in translational research, clinical practice, and embedding molecular insights into patient care. He previously served as CMO of Genomic Health, and prior to that was a Professor of Medicine and Urology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where his lab focused on using genomics to understand the biology and clinical behavior of prostate cancer.Dr. Gary Schroth is a Vice President and Distinguished Scientist at Illumina in San Diego, where he leads the Emerging Applications Group in Product Development. He has been working in the field of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for over almost 15 years as part of Illumina and Solexa. In his research, Gary uses NGS to study genomics, gene structure, expression and regulation and applies this to projects in the fields of cancer, immunology, microbiology and infectious disease.Dr. Amanda Cashin is Global Head of Illumina Accelerator, leading the SF Bay Area site and currently helping launch the Cambridge, UK site. Illumina Accelerator is the world’s first business accelerator focused solely on creating an innovation ecosystem for the genomics industry. Her scientific expertise and peer-reviewed publications are in the fields of biochemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, pharmacology, electrophysiology, and neuroscience. Previously, Cashin was Senior Vice President of Life Science at Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc./Alexandria Venture Investments.Wednesday, April 8, 8:30 am Pacific