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Working Group

Bioinformatics Pipelines and Visualization​

As public health bioinformatic workflows become increasingly complicated, efforts are needed to promote sensible standardization, portability and reproducibility of assays and workflows across a range of environments, contexts and resource conditions.

Workflows & Pipelines

Containerization

API's and Interoperability

Validation and Benchmarking

Platform Development

Reporting Standards

Overview

Inception: April 2020

# of Members: 60+

Chairs
Gültekin Ünal
Ankara University, Türkiye

Emily Smith
Theiagen Genomics, USA

Victoria Dyster
Mitra Bio, UK

Contact: [email protected]

Emeritus
Jamie Southgate
Kevin Libuit

Working Group Description

Our Working Group is focused on the establishment of standards and best practices for bioinformatic pipeline development, workflow templating and management, packaging and containerization, code and documentation standards and strategies for support. Well integrated visualization and reporting tools are critical to convey actionable information to a range of stakeholders and decision-makers across multidisciplinary public health teams. 

Virtual meetings are held bi-monthly on Thursdays, with further sub-working group meetings taking place at various times during the month. be used. New members that have signed up are invited to join in the discussions and can participate in volunteering their time on any one of the sub-working group projects:

  • Foodborne Pathogens
  • Influenza
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Antimicrobial Resistance
  • Mpox
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

In an attempt to assist this integration process, the bioinformatics pipeline and visualization working group of the Public Health Alliance for Genomic Epidemiology (PHA4GE) has drafted this living document to help define the major bioinformatics challenges for SC2 genomic analysis and suggest various open-source and freely available bioinformatics resources to address them.

The PHA4GE Pipelines and Visualization Working Group has created this document to highlight critical open-source/accesses resources to aid in the understanding and further analysis of the Omicron variant.

SARS-CoV-2 recombinants have garnered the attention of the public health community largely due to the unknown clinical and epidemiological implications. This uncertainty emphasizes the need to detect and characterize recombinant SARS-CoV-2 genomes, but the ability to do so rapidly and systematically is not without challenges.

In an attempt to assist with quality control (QC) measures, the bioinformatics pipeline and visualization working group of the Public Health Alliance for Genomic Epidemiology (PHA4GE) has drafted this living document to help define the QC challenges for SC2 genomic analysis and suggest a QC systems solutions to address them.

Genomic analysis of Mpox virus (MPXV) samples by public health laboratories is a critical component in understanding the global outbreak. The integration and awareness of appropriate bioinformatics tools to support these endeavours are potential challenges.

The proposed standards aim to provide a guidance framework for development, testing, maintenance of bioinformatics software. By adhering closely to these standards, software developers can enhance the quality, reliability and sustainability of their software, facilitating impact in public health research.

Members

Aaron Petkau

Public Health Agency of Canada

Abel Anzaku

Global Health and Infectious Diseases Control Institute

Abiodun Ojo

Ekiti State Teaching Service Commission

Ahmad Zyoud

EMBL-EBI

Aitana Neves

SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics

Akbar Shoukat

Aga Khan University Hospital

Alice Owiti

University of Nairobi (CEBIB)

Allison Black

Washington State Department of Health

Aloysious Ssemaganda

Uganda National Health Laboratories and Diagnostic

Amadou Diallo

Institut Pasteur Dakar

Amy Gaskins

Public Health Wales

Andrés Carrazco Montalvo

National Reference Center for Genomics, Sequencing and Bioinformatics

Andrew Lang

Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Annelies Van Rie

University of Antwerp

Anton Nekrutenko

Galaxy Project

Arjun Prasad

National Center for Biotechnology Information

Assaf Rokney

Ministry of Health

Awelani Mutshembele

South African Medical Research Council

Babatunde Akeem Saka

Centre for Biomedical Research Initiatives

Bethlehem Adnew

Armauer Hansen Research Institute

Bhagyashree Besra

All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi

Bin Hu

Biodefense and Public Health Group at LANL

Brad Langhorst

New England Biolabs

Brenda Makena-Mugambi

University of Nairobi

Brian Kimutai

WRAIR

Bryan Wee

University of Edinburgh

Caivil Ndobela

South African Medical Research Council

Carlos Flores Infante

Universidad de La Laguna

Catie Williams

University of Liverpool

Charity Wiafe Akenten

Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine

Christhian Ulises Franco Frias

SENASICA

Christian Ndekezi

Makerere University

Christopher Tomkins-Tinch

Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

Cindy Fabiola Hernández Pérez

National Service of Health, Safety and Agrifood Quality

Colman O'Cathail

Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine

Curtis Kapsak

Theiagen Genomics

Dan Knight

PathWest Laboratory Medicine

Daniel Bridges

National Malaria Elimination Centre, Lusaka, Zambia; Malaria Control & Elimination Partnership for Africa

Daniel Park

Broad Institute

Daniel Adediran

Helix Biogen Institute

Daniel Akinyemi

Federal University of Technology, Akure

Darrin Lemmer

Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)

David Aanensen

University of Oxford / Wellcome Sanger Institute

Dejenie Shiferaw

Ethiopian Public Health Institute

Dicko Amadou

Reference Central Laboratory

Dinesh Kumar

Gujarat University, Ahmedabad

Duncan MacCannell

US CDC

Dylan Pilz

Scripps Research

Ege Dedeoğlu

World Health Organization

Elizabeth Neuhaus

US CDC

Emilia Arjona

Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)

Emily Smith

Theiagen Genomics

Emma Hodcroft

Swiss TPH

Emma Doughty

Theiagen Genomics

Emmanuel Lokilo

Research Institute

Emmanuel James San

Kwazulu-Natal Research and Innovation Sequencing Platform (KRISP)

Enock Kofi Amoako

WACCBIP, University of Ghana

Etienne Gnimpieba

University of South Dakota

Evangelos Mourkas

University of Oxford

Fatima Fleitas

Laboratorio Central de Salud Pública

Fatma Guerfali

Institut Pasteur de Tunis

Firas Zemzem

Higher institute of Biotechnology of Monastir

Frank Ambrosio

Theiagen Genomics

Gary Van Domselaar

Public Health Agency of Canada / University of Manitoba

Gerald Mboowa

Africa CDC

Gloria Kirabo

Makerere University

Guerrino Macori

University College Dublin

Gültekin Ünal

National Virology Reference laboratory of Turkey

Heather Carleton

US CDC

Hiba Ben Aribi

National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology

Humble Abel

Institute of Human Virology

Imran Nisar

Aga Khan University

Irene Bassano

UKHSA / Imperial College London

Irina St. Louis

APHL / US CDC

Isabel Cuesta

Institute of Health Carlos III

Ivan Sserwadda

Makerere University

James Osei-Mensa

Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research into Tropical Medicine

James Opoku Frimpong

Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Jamie Southgate

PHA4GE

Jason Caravas

US CDC

Jeff Ram

Wayne State University

Jennifer Spinler

Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine

Jennifer Guthrie

Public Health Ontario

Jennifer Holmes

Ohio Department of Health / CDC Foundation

Jimmy Nkaiwuatei

US CDC

João Andre Carriço

University of Lisbon

Joep de Ligt

Institute of Environmental Science and Research Limited (ESR)

John Juma

ILRI CGIAR

Jose Lorenzo

Institute of Technology and Renewable Energy (ITER)

Joshua Levy

Scripps Research

Julie Chih-yu Chen

National Microbiology Laboratory Branch, Public Health

Julien Alban Nguinkal

Bernard-Nocht Institute for Tropical Medecine

Julio Barrios

LCSP-MSPBS

Kate Baker

University of Liverpool

Katherine Figueroa

Wellcome Sanger Institute

Katrina Kalantar

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Kevin Libuit

Theiagen Genomics

Koketso Morapedi

University of Botswana

Kwame Buabeng

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

Leonard Kingwara

National Public Health Laboratory

Lyndia Effendy

Universitas Airlangga

Marc Stegger

Statens Serum Institut

Marc Niebel

BHSCT Regional Virology Laboratory

Marcelo Pillonetto

Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR)

Marius Van Den Beek

The Pennsylvania State University

Mark Schultz

University of Melbourne

Mark Tefero Kivumbi

Pwani University, Kilifi

Martha Nelson

NIH

Mary Jewell

State Department of Public Health

Maryam Ahmadi Jeshvaghane

Scripps Research

Matthew Wade

Government Agency

Michelle Scribner

Theiagen Genomics

Milka Mputhia

Pwani University

Mo Kaze

University of California, Merced

Moneeb Irshad Bajwa

DPHL

Mpala Pilula

Copperbelt University

Mukhlid Yousif

National Institute for Communicable Diseases

Mykyta Forofontov

Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes

Nadim Rahman

EMBL-EBI

Ndugwa Henry

Pwani University

Nicholas Loman

University of Birmingham

Nicola Mulder

University of Cape Town

Nishat Tamanna

University of Dhaka

Nosihle Msomi

National Institute for Communicable Diseases

Nouhaila En najih

Université Abdelmalek Essaadi

Oluwasegun Babaleye

Nigerian Institute of Medical Research

Orson Mestanza

Instituto Nacional de Salud

Peace Kobusingye

Makerere University

Perceval Maturure

University of Cape Town

Peter van Heusden

SANBI

Philip Ashton

University of Liverpool

Phoenix Logan

Chan Zuckerberg initiative

Pieter Monsieurs

Institute of Tropical Medicine

Rajeev Shrestha

Kathmandu University Hospital

Richard Neher

University of Basel

Rito Mikhari

National institute for Communicable Diseases

Robert Petit

Wyoming Public Health Laboratory

Robert Literman

United States Food and Drug Administration

Rogers Ronnic Omara

Makerere University

Russell Thomas

Yale School of Public Health / SalivaDirect Inc.

Sage Wright

Pennsylvania Department of Health

Samiah Kanwar

The Aga Khan University Hospital

Sara Monzón

Institute of Health Carlos III

Sara Rey

Public Health Wales

Sara Zufan

NIH / USDA

Sarai Varona

Public Health Research Institute

Setshaba Taukobong

National Institute for Communicable Diseases

Sikhulile Moyo

Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership

Simeon Nthuku

Sorbonne University

Simon Harris

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Sion Bayliss

University of Bristol

Sreeram Peela

JIPMER

Stephanie Lunn

Washington State Department of Health

Stephanie Lo

Wellcome Sanger Institute

Stephen Kanyerezi

The Central Public Health Laboratories

Suchitra Thapa

Tribhuvan University

Sumir Panji

University of Cape Town

Sylvester Newton

Kumasi Center For Collaborative Research In Tropical Medicine

Tahsin Khan

icddr,b

Terence Lee

PathWest Laboratory Medicine

Thibaut Armel Chérif Gnimadi

Centre de recherche et de formation en infectiologie de Guinée (CERFIG)

Thomas Connor

Cardiff University

Torsten Seemann

University of Melbourne

Trevor Bedford

University of Washington

Tshepang Motlhoki

South African Research Council

Ugboaja Nkechi Blessing

Institute of Human Virology

Victoria Dyster

Mitra Bio

Vincent Rennie

UAntwerp

Wangun Parfait

Centre Pasteur du Cameroun

Waqasuddin Khan

Aga Khan University Medical College

William Boateng

Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research

Wolfgang Maier

Galaxy Europe / University of Freiburg

Wonderful Choga

Botswana-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership

Yiming Bao

China National Center for Bioinformation

Zamin Iqbal

University of Bath

Zelalem Mekuria

Global One Health Initiative (GOHi) Ohio State University

Alexander Gogoladze

NCDC

Masood Ur Rehman Kayani

National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST)

Aybek Khodiev

CDC

Dorota Julia Buczek

Medical Biology Department

Samantha Chill

Ohio Department of Health

Valeri Mbi

R4DHP

Ryan Hollingshead

Delaware Division of Public Health

Thomas Stark

US CDC

Hervé Raoul Tazokong

University of Yaoundé I

Tahseen Abbas

Private Industry

Kiiza Ronald

MRC / UVRI / LSHTM / Makerere university

Sebastian Musundi

KEMRI | Wellcome Trust Research Program

Related Research

World TB Day is observed on March 24 each year to raise public awareness and understanding about one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers

We are thrilled to announce a PHA4GE Bioinformatics Pipelines and Visualizations Working Group Webinar, featuring a talk by Kevin Libuit from Theiagen Genomics. Kevin shares the progress made by the working group  on "Best Practices for Public Health Bioinformatics Pipelines".

Amidst an atmosphere charged with anticipation and excitement, the first day of the PHA4GE Conference burst onto the scene, igniting minds and sparking conversations that promised to shape the future of pathogen genomics, globally.