Earlham Institute

Formerly The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC), the Earlham Institute is a world-leading research institute focused on exploring living systems with computational science and biotechnology, to answer ambitious biological questions and generate enabling scientific resources for the lifesciences community.

The Institute’s research brings together multidisciplinary expertise in biosciences, bioinformatics, high performance computing and statistics to understand complex biological systems in relation to improving plant, animal and human health.

Their cutting-edge, diverse genomics and computational platforms support data-intensive research that embraces and confronts modern scientific challenges surrounding data scale and complexity.

They host one of the largest computing hardware facilities dedicated to life science research in Europe, and have a unique provision to produce and process biological data efficiently and at a large-scale.

The Earlham Institute’s research priorities align with those of the BBSRC to address the challenges of maintaining food security, life-long health and well-being, energy security and living with environmental change, through the application of genomic technologies. As part of the National Capability in Genomics for BBSRC, the Institute’s state-of-the-art DNA sequencing facility operates multiple complementary technologies for data generation that provide the foundation for analyses furthering the fundamental understanding of genomes and how they function.

Follow them on Twitter: @EarlhamInst

Member's Area/s of Interest

Research

New legislation granted to progress plant gene editing in UK

Following the UK’s departure from the EU, DEFRA has put into place new legislation to cut bureaucracy for gene editing in plant research. The new rules will make it easier for plant scientists to develop more nutritious and resilient crops with less pesticide use - working towards delivering climate change and biodiversity goals.

Barcoding the Norfolk Broads: discovering local biodiversity as part of project to sequence all Eukaryotic species in the UK

The Earlham Institute (EI) in Norwich has launched a public engagement programme to discover the biodiversity on our doorstep, starting with an area of special ecological interest for nature conservation: the Norfolk Broads.

Healthy soil is important, but what does it look like?

Without healthy soils, we’d have precious little food to eat. But this fundamental resource is being eroded by climate change and overuse of agrichemicals. Under severe threat are the communities of microbes which live in and around crops, helping them to thrive, yet we still know precious little about what our treatment of soils is doing to those microorganisms.

Hybrid Wheat Initiative: the ‘holy grail’ of wheat breeding

Connecting academia and the wheat industry to resolve the critical challenge of hybrid wheat and shape the future of crop research.

N is for nitrogen: how can we make our crops sustainable?

Dr Mehmet Tufan Oz speaks to us about how he came to work at Earlham Institute with his research on plant gene regulation and bioengineering advancements which could lead to superior crop genomes.

Pollinating the future of single-cell genomics and crop breeding

With a wealth of experience in genomics and plant biology, Ashleigh Lister is applying her expertise to single-cell genomics - pioneering detailed analysis of pollen grains that can give an unprecedented boost to crop breeders.

Gene editing: why scientists need to be part of the conversation

With the UK no longer a member of the European Union, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has opened a public consultation on the regulation of gene editing in England. We spoke to Synthetic Biology Group Leader, Dr Nicola Patron about her view of the debate and why it’s important for scientists to share their expertise with policymakers.

Machine learning in practice: how machine learning works in data-driven research

A step-by-step guide, with real examples, of how machine learning is used in bioinformatics and data-driven life science research.

Orphan Crops: the neglected side of food security & climate change

When we speak of food security, we often associate that with staple crops such as wheat, rice and maize. But there’s another side to the picture - one that has been largely neglected. For hundreds of millions of people, ‘orphan crops’ are a vital resource, and one that Earlham Institute’s Dr Jose De Vega and Dr Janet Higgins have been working hard to improve.

What makes a plant killer? Meet the scientists hot on the trail of invading pathogens

Most microbes live in and around our crops causing no harm whatsoever, often providing vital nutrients through decomposing organic matter, or symbiosis with plant roots. Yet a sudden event, perhaps just a fateful gust of wind, can turn even the most placid of microbes into a devastating pathogen.

5 ways Earlham Institute is improving global food security

How can food security be improved? That’s one of the major challenges facing science and society. To feed and nourish a rapidly expanding population, crop yields must increase in the face of the threats posed by climate change and once fertile areas of land must be reinvigorated. However we manage it, it’s vital we protect and enhance the biodiversity on which much of our agricultural system relies.

Unlocking the AI algorithm ‘black box’ - new machine learning technology to find out what makes plants and humans tick

We all have an internal clock but what makes us tick? Scientists at the Earlham Institute and IBM Research have developed new artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology to understand how gene expression regulates an organism's circadian clock. The inner 24-hour cycles - or circadian rhythms - are key to maintaining human, plant and animal health, which could provide valuable insight into how broken clocks impact health.

The Bee Trail: What’s a bee’s favourite flower?

What is a bee’s favourite flower, and why should we care? Join us on our journey to answer this question, which might well save our wildlife and our food. As part of the 2021 Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, scientists at the Earlham Institute (EI), University of East Anglia (UEA) and University of Cambridge are helping to answer the seemingly innocuous question of what is a bee's favourite flower, which might well save our wildlife and our food.

‘New’ rice varieties offer potential for greater crop resilience

15 ‘new’ varieties of local rice could be used to help breed improved crops with a higher resilience to climate change, according to a new study. Earlham Institute researchers are part of an international collaboration with genebanks and rice breeders in Vietnam – championed by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to help abolish world poverty and hunger – aiming to identify varieties that can survive an increasingly unpredictable climate.

Sharing information gained from bigger datasets can accelerate plant breeding

Professor Neil Hall, Director of the Earlham Institute, explains that the overarching aim for his institute is to take complex data and deliver something that is directly useful to breeders.

Rapid new automated genomics screening stamps out crop disease

Researchers at the Earlham Institute (EI) have created a new automated workflow using liquid handling robots to identify the genetic basis to prevent plant pathogens, which can be used on a much larger and rapid scale than current methods.

‘Keep off the grass’: the biofuel that could help us achieve net zero

Some grasses are a sustainable energy source that could be a driving force towards achieving net zero carbon emissions, according to new research that demonstrates their resilience to harsh growing environments.

Crops and non-chemical pest control – genetics, environment and biodiversity - Agri-Tech Week 2020

The Norwich Research Park Agri-Tech Week 2020 event explored how harnessing beneficial insects and understanding relationships between microbes becomes increasingly important in the search for non-chemical pest control. Scientists from the John Innes Centre, UEA and the Earlham Institute shared their research.

5 ways Earlham Institute is improving global food security

The Earlham Institute highlights five ways its science is trying to achieve food security for both this generation and those to come.

EI Business Development and Impact team shortlisted for award

The Earlham Institute has been shortlisted for a highly-regarded industry award in knowledge exchange, recognising best practice in national and international research organisations. Dr Liliya Serazetdinova and her Business Development and Impact team were shortlisted for the Internal Initiative of the Year, in recognition of a suite of films created to showcase the expertise and capabilities of the Institute.

Need open-access computational resources for bioinformatics? CyVerse UK is here for you

If you are a life scientist looking for access to additional computational power, virtual machines or a web hosting service, CyVerse UK can help. Not everyone has access to the computational resources such as those here at EI. That’s why we have a National Capability in e-Infrastructure, which ensures that our computational power for bioinformatics is open to those who need it.

How Earlham Institute is tackling the global challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic

At EI we are applying our skills, expertise and resources to tackle many complex challenges resulting from the current pandemic, from ramping up COVID-19 testing capacity, developing systems approaches for tracking the disease, and enabling research with our computational infrastructure, tools and resources.

Applying genomics to the real world – how to innovate with Earlham Institute

Decoding living systems – through research in genomics, bioinformatics, synthetic biology, phenotyping, and high-performance computing – the Earlham Institute’s (EI) science embraces innovation with the development of leading-edge technology for the bioscience community. Applications of its cutting-edge research has the potential to provide solutions to challenges such as ensuring food safety and security; improving human, animal and plant health; and aiding conservation.

Take a look at some of Earlham Institute's videos

Find short 2-minute videos on the Earlham Insitute site (or Vimeo) covering the following topics: Synthetic Biology for the UK bioscience community High-quality genomics data on a large scale Unravelling complex and critical genomes End-to-end single-cell genomics for plant, microbial and animal cells

Opportunity Zone: Digital Website Manager (CD: 09/02/2020)

The Digital Media and Website Manager will oversee development, execution and delivery of digital content across web and social media platforms. They will work collaboratively across EI, and routinely collect, monitor and analyse performance metrics and make improvements.

Which flowers do bees prefer? Portable sequencer provides answers

To understand which flowers are important for bees, scientists from the Earlham Institute (EI), with the University of East Anglia (UEA), have developed a new method to rapidly identify the sources of bee pollen.

New wheat genome sequence is the most accurate yet

A major breakthrough has been made identified complete sets of genes and proteins essential to important agronomic traits in wheat creating a new wheat genome sequence assembly.

From Mobile Phones to Mobile Aircraft: Next-Generation Crop Analysis

Applegate spoke at REAP 2016 about how mobile phones and mobile aircraft can be used in next-generation crop analysis.