FDA’s Second TechTalk Podcast on Whole Genome Sequencing
What's New
August 11, 2021
Listen to Episode 2 of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety TechTalk podcast on whole genome sequencing.
Original Constituent Update
July 27, 2021
On Wednesday, August 11, 2021, FDA will air the second in a new quarterly podcast series that focuses on the development and use of new technologies to strengthen the ability of FDA, regulated industry, and others to accelerate prevention, speed outbreak response, and more swiftly adapt to crises that could affect the nation’s food supply.
Entitled “Whole Genome Sequencing in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety,” this podcast will explore the potential of this scientific tool to transform food safety. One of the goals of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety blueprint is to facilitate opportunities to speed whole genome sequencing (WGS) of disease-causing bacteria (pathogens) by public and private laboratories.
The podcast will feature food safety and public health experts from FDA, as well as the Association of Public Health Laboratories, which represents state and local government laboratories; Western Growers, which represents farmers in Arizona, California, Colorado, and New Mexico; and the New York State Department of Health, which is responsible for public health in the nation’s fourth most populous state.
FDA has been a leader in the use of WGS to advance its public health mission. The agency initiated the GenomeTrackr network of federal, state, hospital and other labs in the United States and other nations that use WGS for pathogen identification. The potential of WGS to transform food safety for both the public and private sectors, and how the capacity and opportunities for its use can be increased, are among the subjects that will be covered in the podcast.
For more information about how to listen on August 11 and submit questions in advance for consideration by the panelists, visit:
TechTalk Podcast Episode 2: Whole Genome Sequencing in the New Era of Smarter Food Safety