NanoGalaxy: Nanopore long-read sequencing data analysis in Galaxy

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Bioinformatics
• Computational Biology

Background:

• Long-read sequencing technologies, such as Oxford Nanopore Technologies, are increasingly popular for generating long contigs and complete genomes.
• The complexity of long-read data necessitates specialized bioinformatics tools for accurate processing and analysis.
• Democratizing bioinformatics requires accessible and user-friendly solutions for researchers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a user-friendly bioinformatics platform for analyzing long-read sequencing data.
• To integrate best-practice tools for genome assembly and analysis into an accessible toolkit.
• To support researchers, particularly those without extensive programming experience, in utilizing long-read sequencing data.

Main Methods:

• Development of NanoGalaxy, a Galaxy-based toolkit specifically for long-read sequencing data analysis.
• Integration of a range of best-practice bioinformatics tools and workflows for genome assembly.
• Leveraging the Galaxy platform's user-friendly interface to manage software dependencies and workflows.

Main Results:

• NanoGalaxy provides a streamlined approach to analyzing diverse long-read data, including genomic, metagenomic, and plasmid sequences.
• The platform facilitates de novo genome assembly from long-read data.
• It offers an accessible solution for researchers to perform complex bioinformatics analyses.

Conclusions:

• NanoGalaxy successfully integrates essential tools for long-read genome assembly, enhancing accessibility for researchers.
• The platform promotes ease-of-use and democratizes complex bioinformatics analyses.
• NanoGalaxy is freely available on the European Galaxy server with supporting training materials.