Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has enabled the rapid, unbiased detection and identification of microbes without pathogen-specific reagents, culturing, or a priori knowledge of the microbial landscape. However, mNGS data analysis requires a series of computationally intensive processing steps, bioinformatics expertise, and access to local server-class hardware resources, which presents an obstacle for many research laboratories, especially those in resource-limited environments.

CZ ID is a free, cloud-based metagenomic platform for researchers (https://czid.org/). It consists of an informatics pipeline as well as an easy-to-use web user interface, which serves to reduce the barrier to entry for mNGS data analysis. CZ ID enables bench scientists, clinicians, and bioinformaticians to gain insight from mNGS datasets for known and novel pathogens. Here we demonstrate the capabilities of CZ ID for the analysis of metagenomic sequencing data, with a specific focus on pathogen surveillance.

The three key things you will learn include:

• How metagenomics can be used for pathogen detection and surveillance
• Best practices for experimental design
• How to use CZ ID for metagenomic analysis

Speaker:

Elizabeth Fahsbender, PhD Application Scientist , Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Liz Fahsbender is an Application Scientist on the infectious disease team at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Her background is in viral metagenomics, pathogen identification, and novel virus discovery.

View all the webinars in the Illumina One Health and Sustained Pathogen Surveillance Webinar Series.