Abstract

Join us for an exclusive webinar featuring pioneering first users who have evaluated the Ionic® system for automated extraction of ultra-high molecular weight DNA for their optical genome mapping (OGM) workflows. This session will provide an early preview of Ionic® data and experiences from Nikhil Sahajpal, PhD, from Greenwood Genetic Center, and Kornelia Neveling, PhD from the Department of Human Genetics at Radboud University Medical Center, Netherlands. They will share how the Ionic® system can streamline OGM workflows, accelerating insights and improving overall efficiency. Alex Hastie, PhD, Vice President of Clinical and Scientific Affairs at Bionano, will provide an in-depth overview of the Ionic® for OGM system and the entire Stratysphere workflow, showcasing how this application-agnostic solution can transform sample preparation across various genomic applications. The speakers will present case studies, highlighting how the Ionic® system supported their OGM experiments, enabling them to streamline their sample prep workflows and accelerate their OGM workflow. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into how the Ionic® for OGM system can revolutionize your laboratory’s OGM workflow and accelerate your research from sample prep to data analysis. 

Takeaways:  

  • Practical Insights from Early Adopters: Learn how beta users have successfully integrated the Ionic® system for automated UHMW DNA extraction into their OGM workflows, achieving faster, more efficient results.   
  • Comprehensive Overview of Ionic® and Stratysphere Workflow: Gain a deep understanding of the Ionic® system and the Stratysphere workflow and discover how this application-agnostic solution can streamline sample preparation across various genomic applications.   

Alex Hastie, PhD.

Vice President, Clinical Affairs, Bionano

Alex Hastie is a PhD trained scientist who has focused on scientific advances in optical genome mapping for the past 12 years. Alex received training during his PhD in cancer genetics, biochemistry, and biophysics at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute. He focused his research on novel technology and received a patent as coinventor for a method for detection of protein-protein interactions. 
 
After a post-doctoral fellowship at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany, he joined Bionano Genomics as a scientist, where he has been an inventor on multiple patents and coauthored over 90 peer reviewed publications. Currently, Alex serves as vice president of clinical and scientific affairs where he leads clinical trials and the company’s scientific publication portfolio. 

Nikhil Sahajpal, PhD

LGG Fellow, Greenwood Genetics Center

Dr. Sahajpal is a Laboratory Genetics and Genomics (LGG) fellow at the Greenwood Genetic Center. Before joining GGC, Dr. Sahajpal worked as a post-doctoral fellow at Augusta University, GA, US, where he was involved in pioneering optical genome mapping for investigating prenatal, postnatal, and hematological malignancies and solid tumor applications. As the world struggled with the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Sahajpal played a key role in establishing COVID-19 FDA-EUA-approved diagnostic testing and research at Augusta University and is a key contributor to the COVID-19 host genome SV consortium. 

Kornelia Neveling, PhD

Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center

Kornelia Neveling, PhD, is a scientific researcher at the Human Genetics department at the Radboud UMC in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She earned her degree in Biology at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Germany. Subsequently, she performed her PhD in Human Genetics at the Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, Germany, investigating the molecular causes and consequences of genetic instability syndromes, with a special interest in Fanconi anemia. In 2009, she started as postdoc at the Dept of Human Genetics of the Radboud UMC, where she learned all about NGS. From 2011-2018 she worked at the sequencing facility and since 2018 she joined the Translational Genomics group, both at Genome Diagnostics Nijmegen. Kornelia’s main interest is in the implementation of new technologies into diagnostic routine, with long read sequencing and long read optimal mapping being her current passion.