http://www.vanbug.org/2012/william-hsiao/
Abstract:
As DNA sequencing technologies continue to improve, sequencing of
microbial genomes can now be done routinely. We have gone from a group
of researchers spending years to generated and study one bacterial
genome to an individual researcher comparing tens or hundreds of similar
genomes at a time with the help of bioinformatic applications.
Pangenomic analysis allows us to decipher how a bacterium evolves and
how certain small mutations could have a large impact on disease
outcome. In recent years, we have also started to sequence the genetic
material directly isolated from a microbial community (microbiota) in
order to bypass culturing. The International Human Microbiome
Consortium and associated efforts are trying to decipher the
interactions between our bodies and our microbiotas. The metagenomics
approach allows researchers to study an entire microbial community in
relation to health and diseases but new challenges arise on how to
assign taxonomic and functional information to incomplete and sometimes
novel sequences. With the increased scale of sequencing, new
bioinformatics and statistical tools are needed to facilitate data
process and interpretation. In this talk, I’ll discuss the progress and
challenges of microbial genomic analysis with examples drawn from my own
research and from literature. Through this talk, I wish to demonstrate
that microbial genomics has benefit greatly from the technological
improvements over the years and there is a bright future in applying
microbial genomics to improve human health.
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