Major Genetic Research Conference

The Genetics Department of St Petersburg University hosted the event to mark their anniversary, and 1,000 geneticists from 33 countries joined in the busy occasion. Our colleagues presented their research to other delegates, and had a chance to meet other scientists from their discipline. These sorts of events have the potential to spawn joint study and research opportunities. The conference included more than 20 seminar topics, ranging from human and plant genetics, to data processing and biotechnology. The event tackled weighty issues, such as gene editing, stem cell research, and genetic engineering in agriculture, the latter of which is Dr Snegin's speciality. The Vavilov Society of Geneticists and Breeders (VOGiS), is named for the pioneering Russian geneticist Nikolai Vavilov, who studied under the founder of genetic science, Professor William Bateson at Cambridge before WW1. Professor Vavilov did much to promote genetic research in the early Soviet Union, with a view to eliminating world hunger, until his career was cut short in Stalin's purges. Three conferences within conferences were conducted by VOGiS that would have pleased him: 'BiATA-2019' (devoted to biodata); 'Biological Resource Collections and Genomic Biobanks'; and 'Bread of the Future: Genomes, Genetics, and Selection'. These events were sponsored by the National Institute of Plant Genetic Resources, one of the world's leading seed banks, to celebrate their 125^th anniversary. Our colleagues had a chance to survey some modern scientific technology, which may be of use to the University in its role as the hub of agricultural research in the Russian Federation.