Section “Structural and functional organization of genomes”

The information explosion in genetics, driven by the development of high-throughput omics technologies, has led to the accumulation of massive genomic datasets, growing at a rate of up to 40 exabytes per year. A key tool for processing and analyzing these data is computational genomics, whose constantly expanding range of topical challenges includes:

• de novo genome assembly of humans, animals, plants, microorganisms, and viruses;
• identification of linkage groups and haplotype phasing;
• high-resolution functional genome annotation, including identification and functional characterization of genes, non-coding RNAs, regulatory elements, repetitive sequences, mobile genetic elements, and others;
• whole-genome DNA sequence alignment;
• reconstruction and analysis of pangenomes, including detection of core and unique genes;
• comparative genomics and identification of mutations (SNPs, indels, structural variants);
• GWAS (genome-wide association studies);
• epigenetics of genomic DNA and metagenomics;
• evolutionary, population, and ecological genomics, as well as phylogeography.

The rapid growth of genomic data volumes calls for the development of a new generation of analytical methods based on integrating classical bioinformatics approaches with machine learning and artificial intelligence.

The goal of organizing and holding Section B 1.1 is to discuss these and other issues that are important both for advancing fundamental knowledge about the structural and functional organization of genomes, the codes and mechanisms underlying genome function, and for addressing a broad range of applied problems.