This year’s ASHG 2013 meeting did not disappoint. As expected, while most talks weighed heavily on understanding genome variation, there was certainly a trend in discussion related to the transcriptome. This was nicely summarized by Tuuli Lappalainen, “almost nothing in the genome makes sense, except in the light of the transcriptome.” While the plenary and platform talks were excellent, I’ve found the poster sessions to be the most valuable. They give you an opportunity to really understand the basis for a particular study and usually talk with the person who has designed the experiment or actually held the pipette (or keyboard). This year there were 3,095 posters. While sitting in my hotel room sifting through the abstracts I wanted to attend, I hit Ctrl-F for a few keywords and the results were interesting. There were several graphical depictions of Twitter buzz during the whole meeting and specifically the plenary talks, below are examples of ASHG poster abstract buzz:

Platforms:

Library Preparation Types:

Other Keywords:

As an intelligent marketplace that connects researchers with NGS sequencing service providers, understanding what researchers are looking for when choosing services is a critical component to our business. Having the opportunity to attend the poster sessions at ASHG and learn about the latest eQTL and epigenetic changes, GWAS or SNV study keeps us up to date with the latest genome research, ensuring our consultation services on Genohub stays fresh.  Thanks to all those poster presenters who spent time with us at ASHG!