BOL: Related items

Interesting Bioinformatics Resources !

Abhi — Fri, 11 Nov 2022 06:30:46 -0600

1. a reproducible workflow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3JldKoA0zw This two minute video will change your mind on reproducible research

2. Parallel sequencing lives, or what makes large sequencing projects successful https://academic.oup.com/gigascience/article/6/11/gix100/4557140?login=false

3. Common-sense approaches to sharing tabular data alongside publication https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666389921002300

4. A Reproducible Data Analysis Workflow with R Markdown, Git, Make, and Docker https://psyarxiv.com/8xzqy/

5. Practical Computational Reproducibility in the Life Sciences https://www.cell.com/cell-systems/fulltext/S2405-4712(18)30140-6

6. A video by Dr.Keith A. Baggerly from MD Anderson [The Importance of Reproducible Research in High-Throughput Biology](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gYIs7uYbMo) highly recommended.

7. Ten Simple Rules for Reproducible Computational Research http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003285)

8. Good Enough Practices in Scientific Computing http://arxiv.org/abs/1609.00037

9. Best Practices for Scientific Computing https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1001745

10. A Quick Guide to Organizing Computational Biology Projects http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.100042 A must read for computational biologists!

11. Reproducibility of computational workflows is automated using continuous analysis https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt.3780

12. Five selfish reasons to work reproducibly https://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13059-015-0850-7

GRAbB: Selective Assembly of Genomic Regions, a New Niche for Genomic Research

Rahul Nayak — Sat, 26 Jan 2019 18:58:16 -0600

GRAbB is shown to be more efficient than MITObim in terms of speed, memory and disk usage. The other functionalities (handling multiple targets simultaneously and extracting homologous regions) of the new program are not matched by other programs. The program is available with explanatory documentation at https://github.com/b-brankovics/grabb. GRAbB has been tested on Ubuntu (12.04 and 14.04), Fedora (23), CentOS (7.1.1503) and Mac OS X (10.7). Furthermore, GRAbB is available as a docker repository: brankovics/grabb (https://hub.docker.com/r/brankovics/grabb/).

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/b-brankovics/grabb

Opportunity at McDermott Center Bioinformatics Lab

Sat, 01 Apr 2023 09:56:39 -0500

Our team, composed of experts from diverse backgrounds including genetics, cancer biology, computer science, bioinformatics, and microbiology, stays current with evolving bioinformatics techniques. We offer consulting, customized service, and collaboration opportunities. We suggest visiting us to discuss your experiment design and results, as we can tailor our assistance to meet your specific research goals.

https://labs.utsouthwestern.edu/bioinformatics-lab/positions

Consed--A Finishing Package (BAM File Viewer, Assembly Editor, Autofinish, Autoreport, Autoedit, and Align Reads To Reference Sequence)

Neel — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 07:16:22 -0600

Supports Illumina, 454, other Next-Gen and Sanger Reads and allows mixtures of these read types
Consed includes BamScape which can view bam files with unlimited numbers of reads. BamScape can bring up consed to edit reads and the reference sequence in targeted regions.
Consed is compatible with Newbler, Cross_match, Phrap, MIRA, Velvet and PCAP output.
Quickly takes the user to each variant site for viewing (also available as an automated report)
Overview of assembly can help detect and fix misassemblies
Editing time reduced by the program's ability to pin-point problem areas
Editing is guided by error probabilities

Address of the bookmark: http://www.phrap.org/consed/consed.html

Bioinformatics Workshops !

Abhi — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 02:16:53 -0500

When delving into bioinformatics, having access to reliable resources is crucial for effective research and analysis. Key online resources include the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which offers tools like BLAST for sequence alignment and comprehensive gene databases. For presentations and educational materials, exploring SlideShare for introductory and advanced bioinformatics topics can provide valuable insights and learning aids.

https://evomics.org/2024-workshop-on-genomics/

Address of the bookmark: https://evomics.org/2024-workshop-on-genomics/

Bioinformatician at QUB, UK

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 21:43:23 -0500

The post-holder will work under the direction of the Precision Medicine Centre of Excellence's (PMC) Bioinformatics lead and collaborate closely with the Scientific and Clinical leads. The primary responsibilities will be to develop, validate and maintain data analysis pipelines and algorithms that enable the comprehensive analysis of genomic information derived from cancer specimens, within the context of clinical studies. The PMC is an ISO 15189:2012 accredited medical laboratory (Ref 20634), providing an integrated cancer diagnostic and clinical research service that combines high throughput genomics and digital pathology (www.qub.ac.uk/research-centres/PMC).

About the person:

Essential criteria:

Hold or be about to obtain* a PhD in Computational biology, Bioinformatics, computing science or related subjects. (*must be obtained within 3 months of the closing date for the post) or MSc equivalent with at least 3 years' work experience in a relevant role.
Significant relevant research experience in genomics or work experience in a relevant technical/scientific role.
Significant experience in managing and analysing NGS data and other big data.
Experience in developing and maintaining analysis pipelines.
Experience working with Linux/UNIX environments.
Proficiency with python, bash, R and/or equivalent languages.
To be successful at shortlisting stage, please ensure you clearly evidence in your application how you meet the essential and, where applicable, desirable criteria listed in the Candidate Information document linked on our website.

More at https://hrwebapp.qub.ac.uk/tlive_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open

CLAW: Chloroplast Long-read Assembly Workflow

LEGE — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:37:46 -0600

CLAW (Chloroplast Long-read Assembly Workflow) is an mostly-automated Snakemake-based workflow for the assembly of chloroplast genomes. CLAW uses chloroplast long-reads, which are baited out of larger read libraries (e.g., an Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION read library derived from photosynthetic tissue), for assembly with Flye and/or Unicycler. CLAW was designed with the novice bioinformatician in mind - it is easy to install and easy to use, requiring only minimal user input.

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/aaronphillips7493/CLAW

A Beginner's Guide to Using Kraken for Taxonomic Classification

Neel — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 11:29:03 -0600

Kraken is a popular bioinformatics tool designed for fast and accurate taxonomic classification of metagenomic sequences. Its efficiency and precision make it a go-to resource for analyzing microbial communities, including bacteria, viruses, archaea, and fungi. Whether you're new to bioinformatics or experienced in the field, Kraken is an indispensable tool for taxonomic analysis.

In this blog, we’ll walk through the basics of Kraken, from installation to running an analysis, and highlight its key features and applications.

What is Kraken?

Kraken is a sequence classification tool that assigns taxonomic labels to DNA sequences using exact k-mer matching. It uses a reference database of genomes, dividing sequences into k-mers and identifying matches in a computationally efficient way.

Key Features of Kraken

Speed: Kraken processes data much faster than alignment-based methods.
Accuracy: It uses a precise k-mer matching algorithm for high-resolution taxonomic assignments.
Scalability: It can handle large metagenomic datasets.
Custom Databases: You can build and use custom databases tailored to your research needs.

Installing Kraken

System Requirements
- A Unix-based operating system (Linux/macOS).
- Sufficient computational resources for database building (RAM and disk space).
Installation Steps
- Clone the Kraken repository from GitHub:
  
  git clone https://github.com/DerrickWood/kraken.git cd kraken
- Compile the Kraken binaries:
  
  make
- Add Kraken to your PATH for easy access:
  
  export PATH=$PATH:/path/to/kraken

Preparing a Database

Kraken requires a database of reference genomes. You can use a pre-built database or create a custom one.

Downloading a Pre-built Database
Kraken offers pre-built databases, such as the MiniKraken database, which is lightweight and suitable for smaller datasets. Download it using:

kraken-build --download-library minikraken
Building a Custom Database
To include specific genomes, download FASTA files and build the database:

kraken-build --download-library bacteria --threads 4 --db my_database kraken-build --build --db my_database

This process may take considerable time and resources, depending on the size of the database.

Running Kraken

Once the database is ready, you can classify sequences.

Basic Usage
Use the following command to classify sequences:

kraken --db my_database --threads 4 --fastq-input input_sequences.fastq --output kraken_output.txt

Key options:
- --db: Specifies the database.
- --threads: Number of threads for parallel processing.
- --fastq-input: Indicates input file format (FASTQ/FASTA).
Interpreting Results
Kraken generates an output file with columns for sequence IDs, taxonomic classifications, and the confidence score.

Visualizing Kraken Results

Kraken results can be visualized using tools like Krona or converted to human-readable reports using kraken-report.

Generate a Report

kraken-report --db my_database kraken_output.txt > kraken_report.txt
Krona Visualization
Install Krona and convert Kraken output for visualization:

cut -f2,3 kraken_output.txt | ktImportTaxonomy -o krona_output.html

Open the HTML file in your browser to interactively explore the taxonomic classifications.

Advanced Usage

Confidence Thresholds
Adjust the confidence threshold for classification using the --confidence option. Higher values reduce false positives but may miss some true positives:

kraken --db my_database --confidence 0.1 --fastq-input input.fastq
Paired-End Reads
For paired-end sequencing data, use:

kraken --db my_database --paired reads_1.fastq reads_2.fastq
Customizing K-mers
Kraken allows you to set custom k-mer lengths during database building for specific applications.

Applications of Kraken

Microbial Ecology: Characterizing microbial communities in soil, water, and the human microbiome.
Pathogen Detection: Identifying pathogens in clinical samples.
Fungal Research: Analyzing fungal diversity in metagenomic datasets.
Environmental Monitoring: Tracking microbial populations in diverse habitats.

Conclusion

Kraken is a versatile and efficient tool for taxonomic classification in metagenomics. Its speed, accuracy, and flexibility make it a favorite among bioinformaticians. By following this guide, you can set up and use Kraken to unlock insights into microbial and fungal communities, paving the way for discoveries in ecology, medicine, and biotechnology.

Mom Knows Best

Jitendra Narayan — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 13:30:43 -0500

We always get instructions to wash our hands, sterilize kitchen stuff and bla bla. However, recent findings suggest something else. Perhaps we can't survive, or will face lots of problems if bacteria’s colonies are absent in mother womb. Please find the detail sources of microbial transmission in humans from mother to child in recently published PLOS paper.

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001631

The Future of Bioinformatics: Innovations and Opportunities

BioStar — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 12:44:53 -0600

Bioinformatics, the interdisciplinary field that merges biology, computer science, and statistics, has transformed the way we understand biological systems. As we stand at the cusp of a new era in scientific discovery, the future of bioinformatics promises even greater advancements, powered by cutting-edge technologies and a growing understanding of life’s complexities.

1. Big Data and Bioinformatics

The exponential growth in biological data, driven by advancements in sequencing technologies and high-throughput experiments, has made bioinformatics an indispensable tool. By 2030, we anticipate:

Petabyte-Scale Data Management: Enhanced storage solutions and cloud computing platforms will allow researchers to handle the vast amounts of data generated from omics studies, including genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics.
AI and Machine Learning Integration: Sophisticated algorithms will uncover patterns and relationships in large datasets, enabling predictions about gene function, disease susceptibility, and therapeutic outcomes.

2. Personalized Medicine and Genomics

Bioinformatics will play a pivotal role in tailoring healthcare to individual patients. Key developments include:

Whole-Genome Sequencing in Clinics: The decreasing cost of sequencing will make it routine in medical diagnostics, enabling personalized treatment plans based on an individual’s genetic makeup.
Drug Repurposing and Development: Computational tools will identify potential new uses for existing drugs, accelerating the development of targeted therapies.

3. Advancing Computational Tools

The future will see the development of more user-friendly and powerful bioinformatics tools:

Graph-Based Approaches: Enhanced algorithms for analyzing complex biological networks, such as protein-protein interaction maps.
Visualization Tools: Intuitive software for visualizing multi-dimensional data, enabling researchers to interpret findings more effectively.

4. Synthetic Biology and Systems Biology

Bioinformatics will continue to drive progress in synthetic and systems biology by:

Gene Circuit Design: Leveraging computational models to design and simulate synthetic biological systems.
Understanding Cellular Pathways: Integrating multi-omics data to model cellular processes with unprecedented accuracy.

5. Bioinformatics in Agriculture and Environmental Science

Beyond healthcare, bioinformatics will revolutionize agriculture and environmental conservation:

Crop Improvement: Genomic studies will help develop high-yield, disease-resistant, and climate-resilient crops.
Microbial Ecology: Metagenomics will enhance our understanding of microbial communities, aiding in bioremediation and ecosystem management.

6. Democratization of Bioinformatics

Open-source software and accessible education will broaden participation in bioinformatics research:

Community-Driven Projects: Collaborative platforms like GitHub will continue to foster innovation in tool development.
Education and Training: Online courses and workshops will bridge skill gaps, enabling researchers from diverse backgrounds to contribute.

Challenges and Ethical Considerations

While the future is bright, challenges remain. Data privacy and ethical concerns surrounding genetic information require careful navigation. Furthermore, addressing the digital divide is critical to ensuring equitable access to bioinformatics resources globally.

Conclusion

The future of bioinformatics is boundless, with opportunities to revolutionize our understanding of life and improve human health. As technologies evolve and collaborations flourish, bioinformatics will undoubtedly remain at the forefront of scientific discovery, unlocking the secrets of life one dataset at a time.