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Juexin Wang works with Dong Xu and Trupti Joshi doing bioinformatics, you can find Wang at Bond LSC and the Med School. | photo by Erica Overfelt, Bond LSC
This highly animated group can only be talking bioinformatics and data management.. L-R Akinnola Akintunde (GCP data management consultant), Graham McLaren (GCP Crop Information Leader) and Elizabeth Arnaud (Bioversity).
How Honduras managed to carry out genomic sequencing for the first time
June 2023
When microbiologist Soany Ávilez was selected to implement the genomic sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Honduras, she was amazed. In the wake of the pandemic, Soany had started working at the National Virology Laboratory in 2020 performing PCR tests. At that time, genomic sequencing to detect circulating variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 was carried out outside the country. But a project to provide Honduras with the capabilities to do it in situ and obtain faster results was being developed with technical support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and financial support from the United States Government.
Although she lacked knowledge on the subject, Soany remembers that she longed for the opportunity to work in sequencing. "When they chose us (her and her partner Karla Romero) to implement sequencing in the country and move the area forward, I couldn't believe it," she says.
Genomic surveillance allows us to know the evolution of viruses and other pathogens as they change over time. Knowing those changes or mutations that can modify its transmissibility and severity, allows us to guide public health measures. During the pandemic, it was a key strategy to monitor the behavior of SARS-CoV-2 and a technique that is being integrated into the surveillance of other pathogens.
Karla Romero, the other microbiologist in charge of genomic surveillance, acknowledges that the implementation of sequencing in Honduras has been "a great challenge" that required a lot of "sacrifice and commitment" both inside and outside the laboratory.
The sequencing area had to be created from scratch. In 2022, the authorities selected and conditioned a space within the National Virology Laboratory. With the support of PAHO, a sequencer, supplies, reagents, and furniture were purchased, and Soany and Karla were trained in bioinformatics and genomic sequencing at the Gorgas Memorial Institute in Panama.
“All with the aim of strengthening the capacities for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens in Honduras,” says Gabriela Rodriguez Segura, coordinator of the PAHO Project for the Consolidation of Genomic Sequencing Capacities in Honduras. Before these capacities were created at the local level, samples to determine the variants circulating in the country were sent to the laboratories of the Regional Network for Genomic Surveillance of COVID-19 (COVIGEN) created by PAHO to support countries without capacity to carry out sequencing in its territory.
In March 2023, the effort paid off and excitement took over the National Virology Laboratory when, after several attempts, the first sequencing of SARS-COV-2 in the country was successfully carried out. “We couldn't believe it,” says Soany. "We feel very happy because it was a great challenge and the result made us feel fulfilled."
On March 21, 2023, the results were obtained and it was the first time that the XBB sublineage of the omicron variant was detected in the country and by Honduran health professionals. For Karla, the key was “not to give up in the face of the biggest challenge”.
"It is a milestone for the country that genomic sequencing is being carried out," says Dr. Mitzi Castro, head of the National Health Surveillance Laboratory of Honduras. “It is a historic moment because we are starting from here to carry out future genomic surveillance of other pathogens of sanitary interest to the country,” she adds.
According to Dr. Castro, the country now has state-of-the-art technology. "The laboratory is at the forefront, and that is a success and a source of pride, for which we thank all those who have contributed their bit so that Honduras is not left behind."
iMAL, Brussels, May 2014
William Latham is a computer art pioneer, internationally known for his organic artworks based on the processes of evolution. Up to 1993, he was a Research Fellow at The IBM UK Scientific Centre. He then founded Computer Artworks Ltd, a game studio that produced the video game The THING. Since 2007, Latham is Professor of Computer Art at Goldsmiths, where he applies his evolutionary rule-based approach to the domain of protein folding, scientific visualization and gamification in collaboration with the Bioinformatics department, neuroscientists and Prof. Frederic Leymarie.
OK, I confess - I didn't snap these pictures myself. But - I did design the thing :-)
The pro photographer is Sanne Berg - check her pictures out at www.sanneberg.dk
Duolin Wang, a researcher in the Dong Xu lab in Bond LSC, works in bioinformatics. | photo by Allison Scott, Bond LSC
El vice-director del Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO) y Director del Centro Nacional de Bioinformática impartió la conferencia 'La Bioinformática en el Análisis de Genomas y la Medicina Personalizada' en la Facultad de Informática de la Universidad de Murcia.
17 de junio
Dr. Brian Enquist, an expert in ecology and evolutionary biology, brings to life a geographic inventory of forest assets for western North America. When coupled with the latest climate models, a high-resolution picture emerges of the health of our future forests. New advances in bioinformatics and mathematical modeling enable us, for the first time, to answer the question ‘what will the forest in my backyard look like?’ This presentation, produced in concert with the local Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, is cutting edge both in analyses and technological interface, and will demonstrate what we will experience over the coming decades if action on a grander scale is not taken. The science of climate change and forest health is revealing potentially dramatic implications for all of us, whether we be homeowners, recreationists, investors, insurers, or land developers.
The Third Annual Midwest Bioinformatics Conference brought experts in data use and research to Bond LSC in the third day @ Missouri Life Sciences Week. | photo by Roger Meissen, Bond LSC
It has been a busy term for the 49Women in Science Committee, which was formed five years ago after identifying the need for supports and guidance for young women pursuing a career in STEM. Our fall 2022 student event was held on-campus on October 13. Students had the privilege of listening to guest speaker Dr. Fiona Brinkman, SFU professor in Bioinformatics and head of the Brinkman Lab. She shared her educational and career journey, inspiring those in attendance with what is possible.