ASAP 2020 update: an open, scalable and interactive web-based portal for (single-cell) omics analyses

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Single-cell omics technologies provide unprecedented resolution for biological system analysis.
• The rapid advancement of single-cell omics has created significant challenges in big data management and complex analytical processes.
• Existing analytical methods require researchers to continuously update their skills due to rapid evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To democratize single-cell omics data analyses, including single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and single-cell ATAC sequencing (scATAC-seq).
• To develop a user-friendly, web-based, and collaborative platform named ASAP (Automated Single-cell Analysis Portal).
• To address the growing demands of big data management in single-cell research.

Main Methods:

• Development of a web-based collaborative portal (ASAP) for single-cell omics data analysis.
• Utilization of Docker system for enhanced reproducibility of analyses.
• Implementation of novel bioinformatics approaches for improved scalability.
• Integration of intuitive tools for synchronous collaboration on projects.

Main Results:

• ASAP successfully handles datasets containing millions of cells, meeting requirements for large-scale projects like the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) and Fly Cell Atlas (FCA).
• The platform provides versioned tools and unique access IDs for storing and reproducing complete analyses.
• ASAP requires no installation and offers a full, modular single-cell RNA sequencing analysis pipeline.

Conclusions:

• ASAP significantly lowers the barrier to entry for complex single-cell omics data analysis.
• The platform fosters collaboration and reproducibility in single-cell research.
• ASAP is freely available, promoting wider adoption and advancement in the field.