From Sequencing to Solutions: Microbial Metagenomics Support
Advances in next-generation sequencing have revolutionized our understanding of the human microbiome. Translational investigations of microbial communities now permeate nearly every field of medicine; with host-associated bacteria, virus, and fungi, or their downstream metabolites, implicated in numerous disease states. However, incorporating microbiome research into translational research programs presents unique challenges—not only with collecting and sequencing microbial community samples, but also with properly analyzing the large amounts of sparse, compositional, high-dimensional data generated by next-generation sequencing.
The Microbial Metagenomics Analysis Center provides state-of-art-solutions to investigators in the areas of study design, bioinformatic processing of amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing data, integration of metagenomic and clinical data structures, and the statistical analyses of microbial community samples.
We work closely with the Integrated Genomics and Microbiome Sequencing Facility at Cincinnati Children's to streamline workflows for metagenomic sequencing, bioinformatic processing, and statistical analysis of microbiome projects.
Our Services
Study Design
The Microbial Metagenomics Analysis Center provides investigators evidence-based advice on study design considerations, selection of sequencing technology, and analytical approaches for microbiome research. The center also assists in the drafting of study protocols, statistical analysis plans, and grant submissions.
Bioinformatic Processing of Amplicon and Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing Data
There has been an explosion in the development of accurate and efficient algorithms to generate taxonomic and functional profiles from amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequence data. The Microbial Metagenomics Analysis Center serves as a point of reference for current best practices and maintains several best-of-breed algorithms for processing metagenomic data to serve the diverse needs of the research community. The center continually monitors advancements, and conducts independent benchmarking, to provide users with state-of-the-art solutions for processing metagenomic sequence data and possesses the capability to develop bespoke workflows to meet the needs of individual investigators.
Statistical Analyses of Microbial Community Samples
The statistical analysis of microbiome data is inherently complex given next-generation sequencing of community environments returns taxonomic and functional profiles that are high-dimensional (often >1,000 taxa), sparse (most taxa observed in only a subset of samples), and compositional (counts provide no information on absolute abundance). In addition, longitudinal and multiple group study designs introduce analytical challenges. The Microbial Metagenomics Analysis Center provides a single point of entry for investigators requiring rigorous statistical analyses of microbiome data using modern approaches that account for the unique features of these data.
