On April 29, 2021, Berkeley Lab hosted a second workshop to identify the most pressing barriers to wider adoption of single-cell sequencing and omics technologies, and to discuss solutions to remedy those barriers in order to drive discovery. The workshop built upon findings from a prior workshop and recent progress at Berkeley Lab in single-cell discoveries in model species and bioenergy crops. This event brought together a diverse group of leaders in plant and/or single-cell biology from the national laboratories and domestic and international research institutions and universities.
The workshop included presentations and breakout sessions to brainstorm barriers to wider adoption, prioritize and categorize those barriers, and propose solutions to the most pressing barriers. The findings were divided into three main themes—experimental, computational, and integrative and organizational barriers—described in the workshop report. Participants agreed that most barriers could be overcome with focused, strategic investment and coordinated efforts among institutions leading to significant scientific discoveries that would be difficult to obtain using more conventional technologies.
The scientific organizing committee was co-chaired by Ben Cole, research scientist in the Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology (EGSB) Division, and DOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI) Deputy of Science Axel Visel. Additional committee members were Diane Dickel (EGSB), Chris Mungall (EGSB), Ronan O’Malley (JGI), and Henrik Scheller (EGSB). Strategic Programs Development Group Head Katy Christiansen and Program Developer Lauren Jabusch formed the strategy and logistics organizing committee.
