IGS Pioneers Genomic Science and Innovates Biomedical Technologies to Improve Health
As part of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) since 2007, Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) researchers have contributed significantly to scientific discovery, scholarship, and history.
IGS Director Elana J. Fertig, PhD, FAIMBE, leads our team of 33 faculty members and seven affiliate faculty, whose research ranges from basic evolutionary science and computational biology to human health across the lifespan. The institute's research spans biomedical disciplines, pioneering profiling and computational technologies to gain knowledge of the molecular foundation and systems-level interactions in human health and biology. Multiomics technology development and application aim to better understand health, discover better ways to prevent disease, and to develop new treatments.
The institute's mission is to develop and apply genomics technologies to create a healthier Maryland and world. Our research spans application throughout medicine with teams spanning multiple research areas. Notable areas of excellence include precision medicine, cancer systems biology, microbial systems from parasitic, fungal, to bacterial diseases; sexual and reproductive health; the underpinnings of aging; and neuroscience areas including brain development, addiction, and mental health.
To recognize the extensive expertise in microbial genomics and microbiome research, IGS launched the Center for Advanced Microbiome Research and Innovation (CAMRI) in 2025 to serve as a hub for pioneering microbiome studies. CAMRI’s mission is to advance microbiome science to drive transformative discoveries and improve health outcomes. By bridging fundamental research with translational applications, CAMRI serves as a hub for pioneering microbiome studies, with current strengths in women’s and infant health, as well as the development of novel therapeutics. CAMRI also works closely with the IGS core facilities, Maryland Genomics and the Genome Informatics Core (GIC), to harness cutting-edge technology and integrate sequencing, advanced computational tools, bioinformatics, and epidemiological approaches to understand complex microbiome data.
Through Maryland Genomics, IGS remains at the forefront of high-throughput genomic technologies and bioinformatics analyses. Maryland Genomics provides research scientists cutting-edge, collaborative, and cost-effective sequencing and analysis—all customizable to each project's needs. Maryland Genomics develops methodologies and best-in-class pipelines to quickly navigate the rapidly advancing fields of multiomic, genomic, and computational technologies. In addition to serving IGS faculty, Maryland Genomics offers its global clients a wide range of services, including high-throughput short-read and long-read sequencing; microbiome, metagenome, and metatranscriptome data generation and analysis; single-cell and spatial multiomics; and bioinformatics analysis using a wide array of tools.
The Genome Informatics Core (GIC), working in tandem with Maryland Genomics, provides custom bioinformatics services and compute infrastructure to researchers on campus and beyond. The GIC staff also have built a set of robust data management and visualization tools that are used to democratize bioinformatics and clinical informatics analysis and visualization to researchers within IGS and across the campus. Members of the GIC are advancing cutting-edge data infrastructure and computational technologies, including the latest in artificial intelligence.
An additional important area of our work is focused on training and outreach. IGS trains graduate students throughout the UMB Graduate Program in Life Science (GPILS) Umbrella Program, with particular leadership in the Molecular Medicine Genome Biology Track. In addition to formal graduate training, the institute offers multiple professional development workshops each year on various bioinformatics topics such as microbiome and transcriptome analysis. In addition, IGS has a robust summer internship program and provides various outreach events to school-aged children in West Baltimore .
CONTACT:
Institute for Genome Sciences (Click for Directions)
670 W. Baltimore St.
Baltimore, MD, 21201
(410) 706-1481
igs-info@som.umaryland.edu
Elana Fertig, PhD, FAIMBE, Director; IGSDirector@som.umaryland.edu