PART 1 Morning

Basics of Molecular Biology for Next-Generation Sequencing

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• Theory: We will leverage on the firm biological background of the students to discuss some of the major questions that current methods in molecular biology and bioinformatics aims to answer. For example, we will cover basic concepts related to genome and transcriptome analysis, as well discuss the role of bioinformatics to give us a better understanding repetitive regions of DNA and what was previously considered "junk" DNA

• Practice: Course exercises will follow all the steps of the comparative analysis of a few selected flavivirus genomes. On day one, we will learn how to read an annotated genome and understand the function of each coding region

PART 2 Afternoon

Next-generation Sequencing Methods, Platforms, Applications and Challenges

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• Theory: Ever since the double helix structure of DNA was first described by James Watson and Francis Crick, decoding the sequence of DNA nucleotides has been a primary focus for biologists. Therefore, methodology for DNA sequencing has undergone rapid development, particularly since the 1970s. Here, we will provide an overview of the majority of sequencing methods including techniques from the first- and next-generation of DNA sequencing

• Practice: We will assembly a small dataset of short sequence reads using both a reference-based and de novo strategy. Students will be asked to comment on the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy