Classificier of reads from metagenomic sequencing experiments.

•  Kawulok, J., Deorowicz, S., CoMeta: Classification of Metagenomes Using k-mers, PLOS ONE, 2015; 10(4):1–23,

CoMSA

Compressor of multiple sequence alignments of proteins.

•  Deorowicz, S., Walczyszyn, J., Debudaj-Grabysz, A., CoMSA: compression of protein multiple sequence alignment files, Bioinformatics, 2019; 35(2):22–234,

DSRC

Compressor of sequencing reads.

•  Roguski, L., Deorowicz, S., DSRC 2: Industry-oriented compression of FASTQ files, Bioinformatics, 2014; 30(15):2213–2215,
•  Deorowicz, S., Grabowski, Sz., Compression of DNA sequences in FASTQ format, Bioinformatics, 2011; 27(6):860–862,

FAMSA

Multiple sequence alignment designed for huge families of proteins (even containing hundreds of thousands of sequences).

•  Deorowicz, S., Debudaj-Grabysz, A., Gudys, A., FAMSA: Fast and accurate multiple sequence alignment of huge protein families, Scientific Reports, 2016; 6(33964):

FaStore

Compressor of FASTQ files.

•  Roguski, L., Ochoa, I., Hernaez, M., Deorowicz, S., FaStore - a space-saving solution for raw sequencing data, Bioinformatics, 2018; 34(16):2748–2756,

FQSqueezer

Experimental high-end compressor of FASTQ files.

•  Deorowicz, S., FQSqueezer: k-mer-based compression of sequencing data, Scientific Reports, 2020; 10(578):

GDC

Compressor of collections of genome sequences.

•  Deorowicz, S., Danek, A., Niemiec, M., GDC 2: Compression of large collections of genomes, Scientific Reports, 2015; 5(11565):1–12,
•  Deorowicz, S., Grabowski, Sz., Robust relative compression of genomes with random access, Bioinformatics, 2011; 27(21):2979–2986,

GTC

Genotype databases compressor with support for fast queries.

•  Danek, A., Deorowicz, S., GTC: how to maintain huge genotype collections in a compressed form, Bioinformatics, 2018; 34(11):1834–1840,

GTShark

Genotypes compressor.

•  Deorowicz, S., Danek, A., GTShark: Genotype compression in large projects, Bioinformatics, 2019; 35(22):4791–4793,

KMC

Memory frugal k-mer counter.

•  Kokot, M., Długosz, M., Deorowicz, S., KMC 3: counting and manipulating k -mer statistics, Bioinformatics, 2017; 33(17):2759–2761,
•  Deorowicz, S., Kokot, M., Grabowski, Sz., Debudaj-Grabysz, A., KMC 2: Fast and resource-frugal k-mer counting, Bioinformatics, 2015; 31(10):1569–1576,
•  Deorowicz, S., Debudaj-Grabysz, A., Grabowski, Sz., Disk-based k-mer counting on a PC, BMC Bioinformatics, 2013; 14():Article no. 160,

Kmer-db

Tool for estimation of evolutionary distances in a collection of genomes.

•  Deorowicz, S., Gudys, A., Dlugosz, M., Kokot, M., Danek, A., Kmer-db: instant evolutionary distance estimation, Bioinformatics, 2019; 35(1):133–136,

MuGI

Index allowing queries for a collection of multiple genome sequences.

•  Danek, A., Deorowicz, S., Grabowski, Sz., Indexes of Large Genome Collections on a PC, PLOS ONE, 2014; 9(10):e109384,

ORCOM

Experimental compressor of sequencing reads.

•  Grabowski, Sz., Deorowicz, S., Roguski, L., Disk-based compression of data from genome sequencing, Bioinformatics, 2014; 31(9):1389–1395,

PgSA

Index allowing queries for a collection of sequencing reads.

•  Kowalski, T., Grabowski, Sz., Deorowicz, S., Indexing arbitrary-length k-mers in sequencing reads, PLOS ONE, 2015; 10(7):1–16,

QuickProbs

Multiple sequence alignment designed especially for GPU.

•  Gudys, A., Deorowicz, S., QuickProbs 2: towards rapid construction of high-quality alignments of large protein families, Scientific Reports, 2017; 7(41553):
•  Gudys, A., Deorowicz, S., QuickProbs – A Fast Multiple Sequence Alignment Algorithm Designed for Graphics Processors, PLOS ONE, 2014; 9(2):e88901,

RECKONER

Read error corrector.

•  Maciej Długosz, M., Deorowicz, S., RECKONER: read error corrector based on KMC, Bioinformatics, 2017; 33(7):1086–1089,

TGC

Compressor of collections of genomes given in Variant Call Format (VCF) files.

•  Deorowicz, S., Danek, A., Grabowski, Sz., Genome compression: a novel approach for large collections, Bioinformatics, 2013; 29(20):2572–2578,

VCFShark

Compressor of VCF files.

•  Deorowicz, S., Danek, A., GTShark: Genotype compression in large projects, biorxiv.org, 2020; ():

Whisper

Experimental mapper of whole genome sequencing data.

•  Deorowicz, S., Gudys, A., Whisper 2: indel-sensitive short read mapping, bioRxiv.org, 2019; :
•  Deorowicz, S., Debudaj-Grabysz, A., Gudys, A., Grabowski, Sz., Whisper: read sorting allows robust robust mapping of DNA sequencing data, Bioinformatics, 2019; 35(12):2043–2050,
•  Deorowicz, S., Debudaj-Grabysz, A., Gudys, A., Grabowski, Sz., Robust mapping of whole genome sequencing data, Poster at The Biology of Genomes Conference, 2017;

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

In an age where pathogens continue to evolve and cross boundaries, understanding what makes them virulent—that is, capable of causing disease—has become a critical focus in modern microbiology and genomics. Virulence prediction bridges computational biology, genomics, and machine learning to forecast the pathogenic potential of microbes before they strike.

What Is Virulence?

Virulence refers to the degree of damage a pathogen can inflict on its host. It is determined by a combination of genetic factors—called virulence factors (VFs)—that allow the organism to attach, invade, evade, and harm the host. These include genes coding for toxins, secretion systems, adhesins, and enzymes that disrupt host defenses.

Understanding virulence factors not only helps in deciphering the mechanisms of infection but also provides early warning signs for emerging threats.

Why Predict Virulence?

Traditional virulence studies relied heavily on experimental infection models, which, although accurate, are time-consuming, expensive, and ethically constrained.
Today, the availability of whole-genome sequences and large-scale pathogen databases has paved the way for in silico virulence prediction—a computational approach that can screen thousands of genomes within hours.

This approach enables researchers to:

• Rapidly identify potential high-risk strains.

• Prioritize pathogens for containment, surveillance, or further study.

• Guide vaccine development and drug target discovery.

• Support One Health frameworks, linking animal, human, and environmental health data.

How Is Virulence Predicted?

Virulence prediction combines bioinformatics pipelines with machine learning and comparative genomics. The process generally involves:

1. Genome Annotation: Identifying genes and coding sequences in microbial genomes.

2. Feature Extraction: Comparing sequences with curated databases like VFDB (Virulence Factor Database), PATRIC, or Victors.

3. Pattern Recognition: Using algorithms (e.g., Random Forest, SVM, or deep learning models) to classify genes or strains as virulent or non-virulent based on sequence patterns, motifs, and protein domains.

4. Scoring and Visualization: Assigning a virulence score or confidence level and visualizing it through heatmaps or genome maps.

Tools and Resources for Virulence Prediction

A number of tools and databases make virulence prediction accessible to the scientific community:

• VFanalyzer – For identifying virulence genes based on VFDB.

• PathoFact – Predicts virulence, antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and toxin genes from metagenomic data.

• Pangenome-based models – Identify virulence-associated gene clusters across strains.

• Machine learning models – Use features like GC content, codon usage bias, or protein domains to predict pathogenicity.

Emerging tools now integrate multi-omic data—including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics—to understand virulence in a systems biology framework.

Applications in the Real World

Virulence prediction has major implications across public health and research sectors:

• Epidemic preparedness: Early identification of virulent strains in outbreak samples.

• AMR surveillance: Linking virulence profiles with antibiotic resistance determinants.

• Environmental monitoring: Predicting pathogenic potential of soil or waterborne microbes.

• Clinical diagnostics: Supporting personalized treatment through pathogen profiling.

For instance, integrating virulence prediction pipelines into national surveillance networks could enable faster risk assessment and response to infectious outbreaks.

The Road Ahead

As machine learning and genomics advance, virulence prediction will evolve from simple gene-based detection to dynamic, context-aware models that account for host–pathogen interactions, environmental signals, and evolutionary adaptation.

Future tools may predict not just if a strain is virulent, but under what conditions it expresses that virulence—bridging the gap between genotype and phenotype.

In Summary

Virulence prediction is redefining how we understand and anticipate infectious diseases. By coupling genomic insights with computational intelligence, researchers can identify potential threats earlier, design smarter interventions, and ultimately, strengthen our preparedness against emerging pathogens.

Following are the comprehensive list of visualization tools for biological pathways:

BiNA

Drawings of metabolic networks supporting hiding of cofactors and drawing of chemical structures

http://bina.unipax.info/

BioTapestry

Interactive tool for building, visualizing and sharing gene regulatory network models over the web

http://www.biotapestry.org/

Caleydo

Visual analysis framework targeted at biomolecular data. Visualization of interdependencies between multiple datasets

http://www.caleydo.org/

CellDesigner

A modeling tool for biochemical networks

http://www.celldesigner.org/

Edinburgh Pathway Editor

Edit and draw pathway diagrams

http://epe.sourceforge.net/SourceForge/EPE.html

GenMAPP

Visualization of gene expression and other genomic data on maps representing biological pathways and groupings of genes

http://www.genmapp.org/

Ingenuity IPA

Data integration platform and manually annotated pathways

http://tinyurl.com/IngenuityPath

JDesigner

Graphical modeling environment for biochemical reaction networks

http://jdesigner.sourceforge.net/Site/JDesigner.html

KaPPA View

Plant pathways

http://kpv.kazusa.or.jp/

KEGG Atlas

Interactive Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways

http://www.genome.jp/kegg/

Omix 

Visualizing multi-omics data in metabolic networks

https://www.omix-visualization.com

PathVisio 

Biological pathway analysis software that allows drawing, editing and analysis of biological pathways

http://www.pathvisio.org/

VitaPad 

Application to visualize biological pathways and map experimental data to them

http://tinyurl.com/vitapad/

Web tools for pathways

ArrayXPath 

Mapping and visualizing microarray gene-expression data and integrated biological pathway resources using SVG

http://tinyurl.com/ArrayXPath/

GEPAT 

Integrated analysis of transcriptome data in genomic, proteomic and metabolic contexts

http://gepat.sourceforge.net/

iPath 

Web-based tool for the visualization, analysis and customization of pathway maps

http://pathways.embl.de/

Kegg-Based Viewer 

KEGG-based pathway visualization tool for complex high-throughput data

http://www.g-language.org/data/marray/

MapMan 

User-driven tool that displays large datasets onto diagrams of metabolic pathways or other processes

http://mapman.gabipd.org/web/guest/mapman

MetPA 

Analysis and visualization of metabolomic data within the biological context of metabolic pathways

http://metpa.metabolomics.ca

Omics Viewer 

Data mapping on BioCyc pathways (collection of 5500 pathway/genome databases)

http://www.biocyc.org/

Pathway Explorer

Interactive Java drawing tool for the construction of biological pathway diagrams in a visual way and the annotation of the components and interactions between them

http://genome.tugraz.at/pathwayexplorer/pathwayexplorer_description.shtml

Pathway projector 

Zoomable pathway browser using KEGG atlas and Google Maps API

http://www.g-language.org/PathwayProjector/

PATIKA 

Integrated environment composed of a central database and a visual editor, built around an extensive ontology and an integration framework

http://www.cs.bilkent.edu.tr/~patikaweb/

Reactome SkyPainter 

Visualization of over-represented pathways and reactions from gene lists

http://www.reactome.org/skypainter-2

WikiPathways

Wiki-based, open, public platform dedicated to the curation of biological pathways by and for the scientific community

http://www.wikipathways.org/

This package is a loose collection of scripts. To run the correction
routine see the section below. Descriptions of the other scripts
are at the bottom of this file.

Contact: gurtowsk@cshl.edu

In short, the correction algorithm takes as input the unitigs from a short read assembly and uses them to correct long read data. More background information for the algorithm can be found:
http://schatzlab.cshl.edu/presentations/2013-06-18.PBUserMeeting.pdf

Address of the bookmark: https://github.com/jgurtowski/ectools

Genome assembly projects typically run multiple algorithms in an attempt to find the single best assembly, although those assemblies often have complementary, if untapped, strengths and weaknesses. We present our metassembler algorithm that merges multiple assemblies of a genome into a single superior sequence. 

Address of the bookmark: https://sourceforge.net/projects/metassembler/?source=directory

Address of the bookmark: https://www.molinspiration.com/

https://function.princeton.edu/