Hall 1

In the last 15 years, there has been a proliferation in the number of potential or realised applications for microbial genome sequencing using single isolate and metagenomic approaches. Existing applications include active surveillance of emerging pathogens and outbreaks, microbiological diagnostics, and personalised medicine approaches to drug treatment. New frontiers for microbial sequencing include microbiome research that builds a catalogue of uses for prevention and risk stratification of a range of non-communicable human diseases, and the bringing together of microbial and human genomes in the search for new insights into the interplay between the two during health and disease. In this talk, I will give a ‘bird’s eye view’ of existing applications and new frontiers and will discuss further actions and decisions that are required in this extraordinary journey if we are to maximise the impact of microbial sequencing on human health.