Alka Saxena

Background

About Alka Saxena

I am a scientific expert in Genomics technologies and Bioinformatics data analyses with clinical qualifications and international experience. Currently I hold a joint appointment with Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research (HPIMR) as the Director of Genomics WA, and and Telethon Kids Institute (TKI) as an honorary senior research fellow, and I have an honorary position with the University of Western Australia (UWA) as an Adjunct Associate Professor. I have 10 years of experience in establishing, leading and strategically growing Genomics services. I was Head of the BRC Genomics Research platform at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital and King’s College London from 2013 to 2019, where I not only continued microarray service provision on Illumina’s iScan platform, but also established streamlined, automated short read library preparation services for RNA, and DNA and sequencing services on Illumina platforms. Recognizing data analysis as a major barrier to the uptake of genomics technologies among clinical academics, I strategically implemented bioinformatics data analysis services for all libraries prepared in the laboratory. To remain at the leading edge, I launched single cell profiling services on three platforms in 2016 to suit all types of clinical samples and established long read sequencing services in 2018 to trial quick turnaround times for infection diagnosis and to identify structural variants. In 2019, I returned to Perth to establish Genomics WA, the Western Australian genomics node of NCRIS Bioplatforms Australia. Genomics WA is funded by a partnership between UWA-HPIMR-TKI, the Commonwealth government through NCRIS/ BPA and the State Government of Western Australia. We launched our first service in January 2020 from shared lab benches and since then Genomics WA has grown into a multisite laboratory offering cutting edge genomics services including consultations, short read RNA, DNA, single cell, direct from cell and spatial transcriptomics library preparations and sequencing on 5 Illumina sequencers, long read DNA, RNA and single cell library preparations and sequencing on PacBio Sequel II along with integrated Bioinformatics data analysis. Genomics WA is a certified service provider for PacBio Sequencing and we are in the process of acquiring NATA accreditation for select services. Genomics WA specializes in processing of difficult-to-process samples using bespoke methods.