Exploiting Context and Increasing Predictive Value in Complex Trait Genetics

Quantitative genetics is the body of knowledge fundamental to the application of genomic and environmental information to feed our growing global population and deliver on the promise of genomics for improved health of people and their associated natural systems. This meeting will bring outstanding new science and scientists into a strong existing community of quantitative genetics researchers. The 16th conference on Quantitative Genetics and Genomics will bring together leaders in quite different fields to discuss areas of shared interest and cutting edge developments with the potential to affect all researchers within the broad field of quantitative genetics. The meeting will integrate theory and experimental approaches to fully leverage large-scale data and expanded capacity for computationally intense data analyses. Increased quality and quantity of collaborations and development of new directions in research are also key goals for this meeting.

A broad perspective on quantitative genetics and genomics will be especially valuable in early 2017. Genomic selection has revolutionized animal and plant breeding and these methodologies are likely to have a major impact in human medicine as well -- yet scientists already face what appear to be potential limitations of the technology. How to overcome these limitations, via a deeper understanding of the interactions between environmental context and the genetic architecture of complex traits, will be one of the major discussion points of the 2017 GRC. Sequencing and precise editing technologies are advancing at an accelerating pace and this is bound to profoundly impact agricultural and medical practices. How best to capitalize on these emerging technologies will also be a focus of discussion.