Earlham Institute

Join @parker-aim.bsky.social and other experts across the Norwich Research Park in this great course on Histology for Spatial Transcriptomics ⤵️

Training course advert: Histology for Spatial Transcriptomics: A Troubleshooting Toolkit. 17 June 2026, cost is to be confirmed.

Sharing our own experience with #spatial platforms, this course will help you:

🔬 Understand theory of fixation, dehydration, embedding and sectioning
🥼 Gain hands-on experience in handling samples for spatial
🤔 Know how to troubleshoot challenging samples

📅 17 June 2026
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In this new workshop, we're bringing together #spatial and #histology expertise to troubleshoot sample preparation methods that span different species and tissue types, with researchers from Earlham Institute, Norwich Research Park, and @quadraminstitute.bsky.social.

Postdoc researcher Sonia Fonseca in the single-cell labs at EI demonstrating our Vizgen MERSCOPE spatial platform

#Spatialtranscriptomics is a powerful tool to analyse gene expression at a cellular level, with increasing studies in multiple systems.

But traditional histology techniques can focus on the morphology of a sample, often without consideration of maintaining high-quality RNA for secondary analysis.

Dr Simon Griffiths, Group Leader and Delivering Sustainable Wheat Programme Lead, wrapping up the DSW annual meeting for 2026

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the @dsw-isp.bsky.social annual meeting today! From tackling wheat diseases to investigating the building blocks of plant growth, the event has been full of engaging discussion. To find out more about Delivering Sustainable Wheat, visit jic.link/DSW

Threshing out the grains of FAIR data with Grassroots In an era of cheaper and faster sequencing, genomics can mean having to find a needle-sized piece of vital information in a haystack-sized wealth of data. Our Grassroots tool helps you sort the wheat…

As part of this, research software engineers at the Earlham Institute developed Grassroots - an #opensource platform for plant biologists to upload and browse field trial data, search nucleotide queries, and explore pathogenomics. 📲

Discover more here buff.ly/4HYUAsj

@dsw-isp.bsky.social

Sustainable Data Frameworks for Wheat Work Package 4 (WP4) aims to improve data standards and coordination to achieve a cohesive and inclusive data strategy for sustainable wheat.

Led by Prof Diane Saunders at JIC and Dr Richard Leggett at the Earlham Institute, the research focus aims to develop robust and sustainable data frameworks, tools, and standards for #wheat #genomics.

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Close up of a conference poster describing the aims of the DSW research programme. Image focuses in on the logo of DSW and the Earlham Institute and John Innes Centre.

This afternoon at the #DeliveringSustainableWheat conference at @johninnescentre.bsky.social we're discussing a strand of the programme that focuses on developing sustainable data frameworks for the wheat community.

@dsw-isp.bsky.social

Attendees mingling at the DSW annual meeting

Eleri, DSW programme manager, starting the DSW annual meeting 2026

DSW mission statement poster

We are excited to be hosting the Delivering Sustainable Wheat annual meeting at the John Innes Conference Centre today! We’ll be posting about how our scientists are addressing challenges facing global wheat crops, and working with national partners to deliver the @dsw-isp.bsky.social programme 🌾

Innovations in spatial imaging could unlock higher wheat yields Scientists at the Earlham Institute and the John Innes Centre are pioneering powerful single-cell visualisation techniques that could unlock higher yields of global wheat.

And earlier this year, scientists from Earlham Institute and @johninnescentre.bsky.social published a study using #spatialtranscriptomics to map the expression of 200 genes across four stages of wheat development, revealing new insights as to how the wheat spike forms.

#spatial #genomics

New wheat diversity discovery could provide an urgently-needed solution to global food security Newly-discovered diversity in the wheat genome could offer vital new opportunities to improve and ‘climate-proof’ one of the world’s most important staple crops.

A recent study from scientists at EI generated the first wheat pan-transcriptome - a comprehensive map of gene activity that provides a valuable new resource for researchers and #plantbreeders to accelerate yield improvements and develop more resilient wheat varieties.🌾🧬🚜

#PlantScience

Addressing critical challenges in wheat Delivering Sustainable Wheat (DSW) programme is a co-ordinated and collaborative drive to address critical challenges in wheat health, yield and production, and sustain the future of this vital crop.

As part of this, scientists at the Earlham Institute are contributing their expertise in #FAIRdata sharing, plant #pathogens, #genomic analysis, and pangenomes to enable plant breeders to accelerate yield improvements and develop more resilient wheat varieties.

Close up of wheat ears lit up in the background against low sun. Image licensed through Shutterstock.

Across four research themes the @dsw-isp.bsky.social programme is a collaborative initiative to address critical challenges in wheat health and yield, and develop sustainable solutions to increase production.

#wheatgenomics

Delivering Sustainable Wheat The Delivering Sustainable Wheat Institute Strategic Programme aims to develop wheat germplasm containing the next generation of key traits.

Today we're excited to join the Delivering Sustainable Wheat Conference - a @ukri.org cross-institute programme bringing together expertise of 11 organisations and universities - including Earlham Institute, @johninnescentre.bsky.social, @quadraminstitute.bsky.social and @rothamsted.bsky.social.

Detection of DNA base modification using nanopore sequencing 2026 In this comprehensive two-day course, participants will learn how to use nanopore sequencing to detect DNA base modifications.

✅️ Registration is open for our Detection of DNA base modification using #nanopore #sequencing. We'll be covering experimental design, considerations for ultra-#longreads, visualisation of data, and comparison of approaches. 🧬💻

📍 Online (via Zoom)
📅 Register by: 10 April

Black in Plant Science Summer Studentship 2026 For the second time we will be offering Black undergraduate students from universities across the UK the opportunity to undertake a research experience placement at a UK university or research…

📣 Applications are currently open for a @blackinplantsci.bsky.social Summer Studentship working with @cgrandel.bsky.social and the Earlham #Biofoundry team. 🌱

This is a great opportunity for Black undergraduate students to gain experience in #automation and #syntheticbiology in plants. 🧬

🔊 Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn all about annotating eukaryotic genomes in this online course offered by @earlhaminst.bsky.social!
📅 Registration deadline: March 22
More information below 👇
#genome #annotation #workshop #training @ebpgenome.bsky.social

Genome Annotation Workshop 2026 The Genome Annotation Workshop is designed to provide scientists with a comprehensive overview of eukaryotic genome annotation approaches.

Join our online Genome Annotation Workshop, designed to provide you with a comprehensive overview of eukaryotic genome annotation approaches, including tools used in large-scale genome projects such as @ergabiodiv.bsky.social. 🧬💻

📅 Register by: 22 March 2026
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#genomics #annotation

How single-cell genomics is unmasking the hidden diversity of protists From giant kelp forests to the microscopic parasites in a single drop of water, protists represent the vast bulk of eukaryotic phylogenetic diversity.

Discover how scientists at Earlham Institute are adapting #singlecell methods to decode the complex and fascinating diversity of protists directly from from environmental samples.

🧬🦠🔬

#microbialgenomics #protists

Professor Ben Garrod and Dr Jess French in orange and pink lab coats. They are standing in a white laboratory tent, with scientific equipment in the background, and are explaining a dissection to an audience.

Event | What can animals’ bodies tell us about our own? 🥼

Join Prof @bengarrod.bsky.social from @biouea.bsky.social and veterinary surgeon Dr Jess French for a dissection that uncovers the inner workings of an animal’s body.

Sat 11 April | 1pm-5pm
📍The Royal Institution, London

🚀 Registration is now OPEN! longtrec.eu/VALT/
Join us in Valencia, Spain for the first symposium dedicated to #LongReadsTranscriptomics 🧬, with a dream set of keynote speakers.
@pacbio.bsky.social @nanoporetech.com @elixir-europe.org @iscb.bsky.social @hitseq.bsky.social @i2sysbio.es

How single-cell genomics is unmasking the hidden diversity of protists From giant kelp forests to the microscopic parasites in a single drop of water, protists represent the vast bulk of eukaryotic phylogenetic diversity.

From working on the Darwin #TreeofLife project to improving isolation and #sequencing methods, Dr Sally Warring is studying the diversity of #protists from natural environments to generate large-scale data for lineages underrepresented in the tree of life.

#protistsonsky

Read more! ⬇️

#SneakPeek 👀 Step inside the #Microbe Zoo at Norwich Science Festival 🌟🧪

🗓️ 14 - 21 February
📍 @theforumnorwich.bsky.social

Get ready to shrink down to learn some BIG, fascinating facts about microbes 🦠

@norwichmicro.bsky.social @sawtrust.bsky.social

Norwich Single-Cell and Spatial Symposium 2026 Bringing together the international single-cell and spatial community for a two-day discussion across model and non-model systems.

Abstracts open! ✔️

Join a friendly and supportive community at the Norwich #SingleCell and #Spatial Symposium and present your research as a talk or poster to an engaged audience.

More details on submission here -

Maternal wisdom – how mother plants prime their seeds for success A new study in the journal PNAS addresses longstanding questions in biology: Can plants sense the environment directly in their developing seeds, or is seasonal information acquired by their parents…

💬 "We were able to see all the cells which the hormone is in, the movement from maternal tissues to seed, and the response of each seed cell to the maternal hormone."

Scientists apply #singlecell methods to reveal how developing seeds receive recent seasonal information from parent plants.

Here’s a sneak preview of the Microbe Zoo coming to Norwich Science Festival soon 👀

📅14 - 21 February 2026
📍The Gallery, the Forum Norwich

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@norwichmicro.bsky.social @johninnescentre.bsky.social @thesainsburylab.bsky.social @earlhaminst.bsky.social @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social

Connecting communities to empower single-cell genomics in Latin America Latin America (LatAm) holds extraordinary potential for single-cell and spatial genomics research. The region's unique genetic diversity, environments, and endemic diseases present unique…

💬 "What began as a single training event has since grown into a genuinely connected community."

Postdoc researcher Anita Scoones reflects on delivering Latin American's first hands-on #singlecell #genomics course and building a regional research community.

Article out about our work on #protists at the Earlham Institute🦠🧬

#protistsonsky
@earlhaminst.bsky.social
@nrpdtp.bsky.social
@norwichmicro.bsky.social

How single-cell genomics is unmasking the hidden diversity of protists From giant kelp forests to the microscopic parasites in a single drop of water, protists represent the vast bulk of eukaryotic phylogenetic diversity.

In our new blog, Sally and Santa share their insights, technical challenges, and scientific curiosities of working with protists.

Read more below! 👇
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PhD student Santa meanwhile is building on this work, #sequencing and mapping species to enzyme and genome databases to find potential metabolic pathways suited to #biotechnology applications.