Date: Tuesday, 21 June 2016, 10 am (Manila Time
Abstract
Bioinformatics can play an important role in infectious disease surveillance and research from epidemiological data processing with geographic and temporal visualization to comparing genome phylogenies and structural modelling of mutations. As a classical example, interest in new influenza outbreaks as well as regular surveillance of circulating seasonal strains produce a constant flow of influenza genome sequences that need to be analysed and interpreted for epidemiological and phenotypic features. Several steps in typical influenza sequence analysis can be automated and we have been actively developing the free online analysis pipeline FluSurver over the last 6 years to facilitate identification and interpretation of mutations in influenza sequences and link them with possible phenotypic consequences. The tool has already been instrumental in the discovery of new influenza strain variants with altered antiviral susceptibility, host specificity, glycosylation and antigenic properties and is being used by researchers, National Influenza Centres, WHO Collaborating Centres and the GISAID initiative. Following an introduction of the tool and example application successes by Dr. Sebastian Maurer-Stroh, a walkthrough demo will be presented by FluSurver key developer Raphael Tze Chuen Lee.
Sebastian Maurer-Stroh, PhD
Senior Principal Investigator,
Bioinformatics Institute, Singapore
Raphael Tze Chuen Lee, MSc
Research Officer,
Bioinformatics Institute, Singapore
Websites:
http://www.bii.a-star.edu.sg
http://flusurver.bii.a-star.edu.sg
About the Speakers
Coming from Austria, via Belgium to Singapore, Dr. Sebastian Maurer-Stroh leads a group of experts in computational sequence and structure analysis as senior principal investigator in the A*STAR Bioinformatics Institute (BII) since 2007. With more than 100 publications in the field, he is known for leading the team developing the currently most comprehensive influenza mutation analysis tool, the FluSurver, which is used by researchers, National Influenza Centres, WHO Collaborating Centres and the GISAID initiative. He also initiated a cross-division programme at BII combining groups from different backgrounds to extend the range of methods applied to battle Human Infectious Diseases. Mr Raphael Tze Chuen Lee received his MSc in Bioinformatics in 2004. Since joining Dr Maurer-Stroh’s lab in 2008, he has published more than 20 infectious disease related publications with him.
TO JOIN THIS WEBINAR: Send an email to: joeriggo.reyes@gmail.com and ask for the weblink.
