EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Welcome to the 2025 Annual Biotechnology Guidebook! Whether you’ve been with us since the first edition in 2010 or you’re discovering the Guidebook for the first time this year, I’m thrilled to have you here. Through the pages that follow, I’ll share some of the most exciting breakthroughs in genomics and biotechnology from the past year. Selecting stories for the Guidebook becomes more challenging each year as the pace of discovery accelerates, driven by the availability of vast datasets, advanced computational tools, and global collaboration across institutions and borders. In the following pages, you’ll explore: l How ancient DNA from preserved samples helped reconstruct the genome of the woolly mammoth and victims of the Mt. Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD. l The groundbreaking work on microRNA that earned a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 40 years after its discovery. l The powerful role of artificial intelligence in accelerating genomic discoveries. l The FDA approval of a new drug targeting amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. l A fascinating type of mouth bacteria capable of dividing into 14 new cells at once. l The impact of long-read genome sequencing in providing answers for more patients with rare genetic diseases than ever before. Educators can use this Guidebook to bring the latest advancements, far too recent for textbooks, into their classrooms. It connects the "why" and the "wow" of life science, enhancing curricula with fresh, real-world stories. But the Guidebook is just one way HudsonAlpha engages with educators. We invite middle and high school life science educators to explore the HudsonAlpha Educator Resource Hub and our suite of hands-on kits, available worldwide through our partnership with Carolina Biological. Additionally, we offer numerous one-day and week-long professional development workshops throughout the year. We're particularly excited to share our latest hands-on activity, How do Polygenic Risk Scores Stack Up, which recently won a “Best in STEM” award. This activity allows learners to delve into polygenic risk scores—a method for quantifying disease risk based on multiple genetic factors. Our mission at HudsonAlpha Educational Outreach is to inspire and prepare the bioscience workforce of tomorrow while fostering a genomically-literate community. This Guidebook is just one of many ways we work towards that goal. There is so much incredible work happening in the fields of genomics and biotechnology. The stories we’ve selected for this Guidebook represent only a glimpse of the remarkable achievements from the past year. I hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as I enjoyed finding and writing about them; and that it leaves you wanting to go and learn more.
Kelly East
This Guidebook would not be possible without the team of HudsonAlpha writers, reviewers, and designer who helped ensure this year’s edition was both readable and visually compelling. I want to extend a huge thank you to Madelene Loftin, Marquasha Carter, Meagan Cochran, Tanner Coleman, Jennifer Hutchison, Whitley Kelley, Nikki Mertz, Malcolm Parker, April Reis, Sarah Sharman, Cathleen Shaw, and Aubri Simpkins.
Kelly East, MS, CGC Vice President for Educational Outreach HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology email: keast@hudsonalpha.org
4
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker