Submit the metagenome for analysis
Scientists have created a program for analyzing DNA aggregates of pathogenic microorganisms
Scientists from ITMO University, FNCC of Physico-Chemical Medicine and MIPT have developed a program that allows you to quickly compare DNA aggregates of microorganisms living in different environments. The results of the study are published in the journal Bioinformatics (Ulyantsev et al., MetaFast: fast reference-free graph-based comparison of shotgun metagenomic data).
Each person has a genome – a special sequence of genes, according to which an individual develops. However, any living organism contains another gene sequence, which is called a metagenome and is a collection of DNA of various microorganisms living in the same environment: bacteria, fungi, viruses. Metagenome is often an indicator of various diseases and predisposition to them.
A software tool called MetaFast (METAgenome FAST analysis toolkit – VM), developed by scientists, allows for a quick comparative analysis of a large number of metagenomes. "When examining the intestinal microflora of patients, microorganisms associated with a disease, for example, with diabetes or a predisposition to it, can be detected. And these are prerequisites for the use of personalized medicine and the creation of new medicines. Using the results of the program, biologists can draw conclusions about which direction to move in, since the algorithm allows us to explore environments about which we don't know anything yet," says Vladimir Ulyantsev, the chief developer of the algorithm, an employee of the International Laboratory "Computer Technologies" at ITMO University.
Researchers have already proposed several options for applying the new program in practice. So, by comparing the microflora of a healthy person with the microflora of a patient using an algorithm, it is possible to quickly identify previously unknown pathogens, as well as their strains, which will help in the development of personalized medicine.
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15.06.2016