The Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) General Meeting is one of the premier global conferences focused on genomics research, sequencing technologies, and computational biology. The event brings together scientists, technology innovators, and industry leaders to discuss breakthroughs shaping the future of genomic science.
Talk Details
Talk Details
Whole-Exome Sequencing in Idiopathic Female Infertility Identifies Novel Candidate Targets for Non-Hormonal Contraceptive Discovery
Date: 25th February, 2026 at 9:00PM – 9:15 PM
This talk highlights our work on uncovering the genetic basis of unexplained female infertility in India using whole exome sequencing and a gene prioritization platform, and explores the implications for precision reproductive medicine and non-hormonal contraceptive discovery.
Harnessing and standardising metadata from public repositories (like NCBI’s GEO, CellxGene, ArrayExpress etc) can help unlock its potential for a range of research questions. We have developed an automated system based on Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and Large Language Models (LLM) to quickly and accurately (> 95% on average) standardize biomedical terms from real world paragraphs to standard ontologies. Performance of this pipeline is demonstrated on manually curated ground truths from Strand’s scRNA-seq portal and provides ~3x improvements in turn around time compared to manual curation. The LLM pipeline also provides reliable metrics of quality to enable curators to prioritize manual followup checks and corrections.
Watch our team discuss advances in genomics and bioinformatics at AGBT 2026
Meet the team
Meet the team
Aparna Ganapathy
Director, Medical Genetics and Genomics
Dr. Aparna Ganapathy brings over 16 years of expertise in molecular genetics and genomics. She holds a PhD in Human Molecular Genetics from JNCASR, Bangalore, and has extensive experience in clinical genomics in India. At Strand Life Sciences, she plays a key role in medical genetics and genomics programs, with a strong focus on inherited rare disease and prenatal diagnostics. She oversees next-generation sequencing (NGS)–based reporting, combining advanced genomic technologies with in-depth clinical interpretation to support accurate and timely diagnosis. Beyond rare disease and prenatal genetics, her work spans pharmacogenomics, consumer genomics, scientific curation, and precision medicine. A CSIR fellow and gold medallist, she has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and is a regular speaker at national and global genomics forums.
Radhakrishna (RK) Bettadapura
VP, Research Informatics
Dr. Radhakrishna (RK) Bettadapura studied engineering as an undergraduate at RV College of Engineering, Bangalore, and earned a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where he went on to complete a PhD in Computational Biology and Mechanical Engineering. He has worked extensively on GPU–CPU implementations of bioinformatic algorithms to accelerate computation. RK joined Strand Life Sciences over 13 years ago as a Senior Software Engineer and has since held roles including Director of Bioinformatics, Senior Director, and Vice President of Business Development. He is an expert in computational biology and AI-driven foundational model development, with deep experience in building tools, pipelines, and knowledgebases for variant interpretation and oncology applications.
AGBT GM 2026
AGBT GM 2026
Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) General Meeting (AGBT GM) is the flagship conference of AGBT, convening global leaders in genome science, technology, and biotech. The event fosters collaboration among top researchers, industry executives, and decision-makers to share breakthrough discoveries, accelerate innovation, and drive impactful partnerships and investments that advance DNA sequencing technologies and genomic applications across public and private sectors.
Resources
Resources
Single Cell Data Harmonization
Pharma and Biomarker Discovery Applications
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Methylomics
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