Some scientists consider the biodiversity crisis to be a greater threat than climate change. Over 44,000 species worldwide are at risk of extinction, as indicated by the International Union of Conservation of Nature's Red List.

A reference genome is a digital nucleic acid sequence database assembled by scientists as a representative example of the set of genes in one idealized individual organism of a species. Reference genomes provide the most complete insight into the genetic basis that forms each species and represent a powerful resource in understanding how biodiversity functions. With approximately one-fifth of the ~200,000 European species at risk of extinction, European scientists decided to act fast and together to generate high-quality complete genome resources on a large scale. 

What you'll learn in this session:

  • What the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) is
  • ERGA's impact on the scientific community and beyond
  • Examples of recent genomes completed and how they will improve knowledge and applications
  • Future plans: scaling up genome production for the European biodiversity

Learn more about ERGA

About Dr. Camila Mazzoni

Bioinformatics Leader, Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research (BeGenDiv)

Research Group Leader, Evolutionary and Conservation Genomics, Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW)

Deputy Director, Biodiversity Genomics Europe

Dr. Camila Mazzoni earned her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology in 2006 from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Since 2010, she has been serving as a senior researcher and group leader in Evolutionary and Conservation Genomics at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW). She also co-leads the Berlin Center for Genomics in Biodiversity Research (BeGenDiv), where she is dedicated to developing methods to apply genomics to non-model species.

Dr. Mazzoni has taken on leadership roles in various genomics initiatives in recent years. She chaired the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) until the end of 2023 and continues to contribute as the chair of the Sequencing and Assembly Committee. Additionally, she currently leads the Genome Stream within the European-funded Biodiversity Genomics Europe (BGE) project. Outside of Europe, she co-leads the Genotropics Consortium, focusing on genomic studies of Neotropical species.
Camila Mazzoni