Methods maketh the MAG: towards an improved understanding of genome-resolved metagenomics

Abstract:
Despite several decades of work, and innovations from three generations of DNA sequencing technology, the recovery of accurate whole genome sequence remains far from routine, particularly for the case of metagenome assembled genomes (MAG). I will describe our recent work on this problem, in which we analyse cognate MAGs obtained from short- and long-read sequencing of DNA aliquots from the human dorsal tongue microbiome. We adapt our previously developed methodology (concordance analysis) to identify and document several types of artefacts that effect short read derived MAG sequence. I will also discuss 1) the relevance of these analyses for uncovering strain level variation at an individual host level, and 2) their implications for thinking about genome quality in relation to some extant concepts in data science.

Speaker:
Dr Rohan Williams
Principal Research Fellow, SCELSE-NUS
Head of Integrative Analysis Unit, SCELSE
Life Sciences Institute, NUS

Biography:
Rohan Williams is a bioinformatician, systems biologist and biotechnologist at SCELSE-NUS. He is a Principal Research Fellow at NUS, Head of the Integrative Analysis Unit at SCELSE and a Principal Investigator at the Singapore MIT-Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART). His expertise lies in the development, application and interpretation of multi-omics methods and data, anchored in statistical and machine learning methodologies, with focus on the analysis of microbiomes and complex microbial communities. He is a co-founder of BluMaiden Biosciences Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based biotechnology company.