Bioinformatics, an interdisciplinary approach to the life sciences using computer technology, has lots of potential that is yet to be harnessed. Seeking to promote the discipline across the university and beyond, the Institute of Plant Breeding (IPB) teamed up with the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, & Forestry Program, and the Computational Interdisciplinary Research Labs (CINTERLabs) to hold a workshop on “Exploring Genetic Variations using Bioinformatics Tools” on November 15 to 17, at the Physical Sciences Building, UPLB.

The three-day workshop accommodated participants composed of UPLB graduate students, faculty, and research staff from various disciplines.

During Day 1, IPB researcher Mr. Anand Noel Manohar gave an introduction on next-generation sequencing (NGS), basic Linux commands, and pre-processing and cleaning data.

IPB researcher Mr. Darlon Lantican led the discussions in Day 2, including aligning RNA-seq and whole genome sequencing (WGS) data, as well as variant calling using tools like STAR and GATK.

During Day 3, participants immersed in various hands-on activities. IPB researcher Dr. Nelzo Ereful also introduced population structure and diversity analysis.

The team, composed of researchers in the field of genetics, genomics, and computer science, sought to promote bioinformatics as a tool to support research in the university and the country.

“The many applications of this discipline will make an enormous impact on the agricultural and life science research we are doing here at UPLB,” expressed Dr. Ereful, head of the IPB Crop Biotechnology Division who spearheaded the workshop. (Juvelle P. Villanueva)