High-Throughput or Next Generation Sequencing (HTS/NGS) continues to advance and generate profound impacts on many scientific fields. Newer, cheaper and more portable and powerful sequencers with better reagents are being introduced one after another, producing higher throughput, longer reads and better quality. More applications of HTS are being discovered, tested and used. The embrace of HTS by the governmental agencies in the US and beyond has resulted in an upgrade in our knowledge, experience, infrastructure and personnel as well as a safer food safety system for the public. The exploration of other HTS applications has already begun most notably in environmental monitoring where the food is produced, processed, packaged and distributed.

Another important development is an obvious growth in the number of new and existing companies that provide HTS-based services. Consequently, new investigative, diagnostic, analytical and predictive tools, methods and services are being rapidly developed to better harness the power of this new technology. While HTS has experienced a wide acceptance and spread in many fields and sectors, the food industry, in large, remains skeptical about its necessity, utility and profitability.

In our 5^th symposium on Food Safety & HTS, speakers from the FDA, CDC and FSIS/USDA presented the latest results of their scientific research and investigations along with new regulatory information about this new technology. Experts from the food industry, tech and analytical/consulting companies, and researchers from academia presented the news and their views.

Bio Packet

2022 IFSH HTS Symposium Bio Packet

Presentation Materials

The Big Picture by Behzad Imanian

Recent technological advances in whole genome sequencing and the many emerging applications of WGS data in the food safety arena by Marc Allard

Recent international scientific and policy developments surrounding the application of whole genome sequencing for food safety by Eric Stevens

One Health Enteric package: Expanded and standardized metadata for enteric genomic epidemiology in the US by Ruth Timme

Third generation whole genome sequencing and the unique headspace around long-read sequencing for food safety by Narjol Gonzalez-Escalona

How Compliance uses WGS data by Leslie Hintz

Harvesting the low-hanging fruit that WGS provides food safety microbiology: a decade of WGS-based pathogen workflow enhancements by Eric Brown

The use of whole genome sequencing in the PulseNet network by Heather Carleton

The benefits and barriers of Whole Genome Sequencing for pathogen source tracking: a food industry perspective by Adrianne Klijn

An academic perspective on a path forward on WGS use by industry: data sharing and beyond by Martin Wiedmann

WGS and source tracking investigations: Addressing critical knowledge gaps for improved data interpretation by Leen Baert

The use of 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify surfaces at high risk of microbial growth in a low moisture food manufacturing setting by Pablo Carrión

How whole genome sequencing can help to address unanswered questions by Tim Jackson

Moving Industry to WGS Applications by Sanjay Gummalla

Seeing beyond culture, Next generation sequencing for food safety and environmental monitoring by Manoj Dadlani

The application of next generation sequencing in metagenomics by Sam Myoda

Modelling the microbiome: Keeping foods SAFE by Brendan Ring

Oxford NanoPore Technology Updates by Iain MacLaren-Lee

Streamlined processing of sample-to-sequencer workflows on a single instrument through automated liquid handling by Kanhav Khanna

HTS Symposium Sponsor

IFSH thanks the HTS Symposium Sponsor, Clear Labs.  Click here for more information on our sponsor.