Microbiome Analysis

Full course description

In the past decade, research has increasingly revealed the importance of relationships between macro-organisms (plants, animals) and complex communities of micro-organisms living inside and on them - their microbiota. Microbiota can consist of hundreds and thousands of distinct microbial species that form complex interactions with each other and their host. Due to the complexity and inability to isolate and culture many microorganisms, we had limited insides in microbiota composition and dynamics. Luckily, development of the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies gave the ability to retrieve an unprecedented amount of genomic information and to get insights into microbiota genetic makeup. However, processing of NGS data and extraction of useful information are not trivial tasks and requires the application of diverse computational and statistical methods. In this skill, you will learn how to process NGS data, extract information, and analyze microbiome datasets. You will also familiarize yourself with the literature in this field in order to explain the applications and importance of microbiome research.