High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) Symposium
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High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) Symposium
New Developments and Technology in Its Use in Food Safety Systems
May 19 - 20, 2026
|
Chicago Southwest Marriott Hotel
Burr Ridge, IL
|


7th IFSH High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) Symposium & Workshop

Join us for the 7th IFSH High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) Symposium, a two-day event bringing together experts from government agencies, biotech companies, academia, and the food industry to explore the latest innovations shaping food safety.


Whole Genome Sequence Analysis Workshop
Monday, May 18, 2026
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM CDT

Unlocking the Secrets of Bacterial Genomics

Kick off the event with an engaging, skill-building workshop focused on whole genome sequencing. Participants will gain practical knowledge and hands-on insights into how WGS can be applied to better understand bacterial genomics and support data-driven decision-making in food safety and research.


High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) Symposium
May 19 - 20, 2026

New Developments and Technology in Its Use in Food Safety Systems

The symposium will highlight the latest advancements in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technology, including its applications across governmental agencies and industry. Attendees will explore new instruments, emerging applications, analytical tools, and the latest scientific research.

The program will also address key challenges such as implementation barriers, legal considerations, and the future of HTS in food safety systems in the U.S. and globally. Expert-led sessions and panel discussions will provide valuable insights into the evolving role of sequencing technologies.

Agenda
1:00 PM
1:00 PM
Event Start
1:00 PM - 1:10 PM
1:00 PM - 1:10 PM
Welcome!
1:10 PM - 1:30 PM
1:10 PM - 1:30 PM
Artificial Intelligence: Promises and Perils
1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
1:30 PM - 1:50 PM
An Added Value for WGS: Precision Food Safety and the Role of WGS in Exploring Novel Mitigation Steps for Pathogen Control
1:50 PM - 2:10 PM
1:50 PM - 2:10 PM
Coordination of Approaches to Characterize Foodborne Illness Bacteria: The Multiagency Genomics in Food and Feed Safety Work Group (GenFS)
2:10 PM - 2:30 PM
2:10 PM - 2:30 PM
Economic Impact of WGS
2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
2:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Break
2:45 PM - 3:05 PM
2:45 PM - 3:05 PM
Targeted metagenomics approaches for characterizing Salmonella directly from stool
3:05 PM - 3:25 PM
3:05 PM - 3:25 PM
FSIS Laboratory Innovations
3:25 PM - 3:45 PM
3:25 PM - 3:45 PM
Whole Genome Sequencing: The Compliance Perspective
3:45 PM - 4:05 PM
3:45 PM - 4:05 PM
GenomeTrakr Updates: Improving Data Quality, Expanding Surveillance, and Enabling Industry Use
4:05 PM - 4:15 PM
4:05 PM - 4:15 PM
Break
4:15 PM - 5:30 PM
4:15 PM - 5:30 PM
Panel of Experts (Government Agencies): Discussion & QA Session
5:30 PM - 6:45 PM
5:30 PM - 6:45 PM
Reception
8:30 AM - 8:40 AM
8:30 AM - 8:40 AM
Agenda & Logistics
8:40 AM - 9:00 AM
8:40 AM - 9:00 AM
IOWarp: Intelligent Data Management to Accelerate Food Safety Genomic Research
9:00 AM - 9:20 AM
9:00 AM - 9:20 AM
Exploring the Salmonella Mobilome for Source Attribution and Clustering
9:20 AM - 9:40 AM
9:20 AM - 9:40 AM
From Colony to Clarity: Accelerated Salmonella and Escherichia coli ID Using Oxford Nanopore Sequencing
9:40 AM - 9:55 AM
9:40 AM - 9:55 AM
The Research at High Throughput Sequencing Initiative (HTSI)
9:55 AM - 10:10 AM
9:55 AM - 10:10 AM
Probing the Genomic Diversity of Cronobacter sakazakii using Single-nucleotide Polymorphisms
10:10 AM - 10:25 AM
10:10 AM - 10:25 AM
Break
10:25 AM - 10:35 AM
10:25 AM - 10:35 AM
Evaluating the Microbiomes of Enoki Mushrooms
10:35 AM - 10:45 AM
10:35 AM - 10:45 AM
Cronobacter sakazakii Biofilms: Influence of Powdered Infant Formula Microbiomes and Water Activity
10:45 AM - 10:55 AM
10:45 AM - 10:55 AM
Influence of Enrichment Method on the Relative Abundance of Salmonella enterica and Native Microbiota on Peaches
10:55 AM - 11:05 AM
10:55 AM - 11:05 AM
Enrichment Dynamics of Cronobacter sakazakii and Native Microbiota in Powdered Infant Formula
11:05 AM - 11:15 AM
11:05 AM - 11:15 AM
From Isolate to Insight: Results from the Vet-LIRN WGS Proficiency Test
11:15 AM - 11:35 AM
11:15 AM - 11:35 AM
Illumina Innovations: Introducing the MiSeq i100 Series
11:35 AM - 11:55 AM
11:35 AM - 11:55 AM
Transforming food safety with a clearer picture of microbial DNA
11:55 AM - 12:15 PM
11:55 AM - 12:15 PM
Changing the Game with PacBio HiFi long-read Sequencing
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
12:15 PM - 1:15 PM
Lunch
1:15 PM - 1:35 PM
1:15 PM - 1:35 PM
Industry Perspective on HTS Application to Environmental Monitoring
1:35 PM - 1:55 PM
1:35 PM - 1:55 PM
Benchmarking Whole Genome Sequencing Pipelines
1:55 PM - 2:15 PM
1:55 PM - 2:15 PM
WGS: Our “Ultimate” Tool
2:15 PM - 3:05 PM
2:15 PM - 3:05 PM
Foodborne Illness Litigation and Q/A
3:05 PM - 3:15 PM
3:05 PM - 3:15 PM
Break
3:15 PM - 4:25 PM
3:15 PM - 4:25 PM
Panel of Experts (Industry): Discussion & QA Session
4:25 PM - 4:30 PM
4:25 PM - 4:30 PM
Closing Remarks
4:30 PM
4:30 PM
Event End
Hotels
LOCATION
Chicago Southwest Marriott Hotel, 1200 BURR RIDGE PARKWAY,, Burr Ridge, IL 60527
Location: Chicago Southwest Marriott Hotel, 1200 BURR RIDGE PARKWAY,, Burr Ridge, IL 60527
Our Sponsors
HTS Symposium Sponsorship Opportunities

Are you interested in becoming a sponsor for the High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) Symposium We invite you to reach out to us to explore the various sponsorship packages available. 

For more details, please contact our Behzad at bimanian@illinoistech.edu.

We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with you!

To view sponsorship packages, please click here.


DATE

May 19 - 20, 2026

LOCATION

Chicago Southwest Marriott Hotel
Burr Ridge, IL
Chicago Southwest Marriott Hotel, 1200 BURR RIDGE PARKWAY,, Burr Ridge, IL 60527

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