Advancing medicine through the integration of genomics and exposomics

October 20-21, 2025
Mendel Museum, Brno, Czech Republic

Organized by
Jana Klánová (Masaryk University, EIRENE), and
Gary W. Miller (Columbia University, NEXUS).

Supported by the National Institutes of Health, the European Commission, and EMBL-EBI.

About the meeting

The goal of this meeting is to develop a strategic plan for the advancement of gene by environment studies to better understand human disease. Advances in sequencing technologies have revealed countless discoveries of the genetic drivers of human disease, but for most chronic disease genetics can only account for a portion of the variability. A broad range of environmental factors are known to contribute to human disease. Recent advances in exposomics which is designed to systematically analyze the physical, chemical, biological, and social factors that influence disease, now position the research community to systematically perform gene by environment experiments.

Background

In December, 2023 a group of scientists convened at the Banbury Center of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories for the Integrating Exposomics into the Biomedical Enterprise meeting. One of the key goals of that meeting was to develop a unified definition of the exposome that could be embraced by investigators across the world and to identify key challenges that needed to be overcome. The resulting paper was published in 2025 (Banbury Exposomics Consortium, Integrating Exposomics into Biomedicine, Science 25;388(6745):356-358). The 2025 Mendel Museum Meeting Advancing Medicine through the Integration of Genomics and Exposomics is designed to complement the Banbury Meeting by providing deeper engagement with European scientists to address the critical need of merging methods, techniques, and expertise in exposomics and genomics to provide a foundation for systematic gene by environment studies.

About the organizers

Jana Klánová

Professor of environmental chemistry at Masaryk University in Brno, director of the RECETOX Centre and Coordinator of EIRENE RI


Jana has vast research experience in the field of environmental and health the impacts of toxic substances on external and internal environments, products, and food. Using chemical, biological, and mathematical approaches, and new technologies, she combines data from long-term environmental monitoring and human biomonitoring programs with results of laboratory experiments and mathematical models.

Gary Miller

Professor of Environmental Health Sciences and Vice Dean of Research Strategy and Innovation at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health


Gary is a leader in exposomics, which strives to provide a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the non-genetic contributors to health and disease. Dr. Miller is the founding director of the Center for Innovative Exposomics at Columbia University and is also the contact MPI of the Network of Exposomics in the United States (NEXUS).

Conference programme

Major topics to be addressed include: State-of-the-art methods in genomics and exposomics Data and analytical platforms Computational and statistical approaches Harmonization and standardization Study populations, including biobanks

Rather than a series of lectures, this meeting will focus on brief presentations and small working groups to develop an actionable framework to address key challenges in the field. This meeting is designed to be small and by invitation only, allowing participants to speak freely and engage in extensive discussion and a policy of confidentiality is presumed. Additional details are attached and include information regarding meeting policies, confidentiality, accommodations, and expense reimbursement. Once you have reviewed the invitation, please complete an online response form (link below) to indicate whether you will or will not attend this meeting; the deadline for responses is August 15th.

Attractive venue

The Mendel Museum is home to the Mendel Lecture series, which has hosted many of the world's top scientists including numerous Nobel Laureates. The lectures are held in the Augustinian Abbey in Old Brno where Gregor Mendel conducted his groundbreaking studies two centuries ago. In addition to the Mendel Lecture series, the site is home to a museum dedicated to the history of genetics. The Advancing medicine through the integration of genomics and exposomics meeting will be held on the grounds of the Abbey and Museum, including the newly constructed Mendel Greenhouse which is located precisely where Mendel conducted his pea experiments.

Practicalities and logistics

Meals and refreshments

Lunch, dinner, and coffee/tea breaks will be provided during the meeting. Please indicate any dietary restrictions or preferences via the online form (sent with the invitation by email).

Accommodation 

We recommend to reserve the room in the Barcelo hotel, which is a walking-distance (14 min) from the Mendel's Square where the meeting will take place. Eventually, you may use the tram which goes every 5 minutes in the peak-time and takes about 4 minutes. In the public transportation, you may pay the fare by the debit/credit card. There are many other possibilities to stay, you may use the booking.com or other specialized servers. Popř zde dáme info, že zajišťujeme hromadně někde...

Dress-code

We recommend smart casual or business casual. Please, check the weather forecast and pack accordingly.

Travel guidance to Brno

How to go to Brno

Traveling to Brno

Travel to and from Brno is easy by plane, train, or bus. There are regular flights between Brno Tuřany Airport and London Stansted Airport (via Ryanair). By train, Brno is connected with Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Berlin and Ostrava. Also, regular buses connect Brno with a number of cities across Europe. We advise you to use Brno or Vienna airport unless you have some programme in Prague.

From the Vienna Airport to Brno

There is no direct flight from Vienna to Brno because of too short a distance, but you can get to Brno by bus right from the Vienna International Airport in around two hours. The service is provided by Student Agency / RegioJet, Flixbus and Gepard Express. One-way connection costs 16 – 20 Euro. Some Student Agency / RegioJet and Flixbus connections also leave from Vienna Main train station (there are three regular airport lines connecting the airport and the main transport hubs). If you prefer travelling by train, you can use České dráhy direct connection from Vienna Main train station to Brno, which takes approximately 85 minutes.

Vienna Airport website  

From the Prague Airport to Brno
Easiest transportation from Prague Airport is with bus operator Student Agency / RegioJet with transfer at Bus Station Florenc, though it‘s a bit longer. Alternatively, you can take the special Airport Express bus, which will take you to the main railway station and travel to Brno by train. Travelling from Prague to Brno by train takes a little over three hours, and you can use České dráhy or Student Agency / RegioJet.

Prague airport website

From Brno Airport to the city centre

Brno Airport is located ten kilometres from the city centre. You can take a taxi or bus to the centre, which stops right in front of the airport terminal. Line E76 runs at half-hourly intervals and takes you directly to the main station in 18 minutes. Tram number 1 (direction Řečkovice) will take you from the main station to the Passage Hotel (Antonínská train stop). For planning your way from the airport to the hotel, you can use transport planner IDOS.

Travelling using trains and buses

Trains departing from the Main Station (Hlavní nádraží) connect Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Berlin, and Ostrava. Regular buses leave from the Zvonařka and by the hotel Grand (two minutes walk from the Main Station) stations and connect Brno with several cities across Europe. Student Agency / RegioJet is a reliable bus and train company. You can schedule your trip with České dráhy or Student agency or via the universal search engine and public transport planner IDOS.

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