Human and Vertebrate Genomics: Bioinformatics Tools and Resources (Durban, South Africa)

In collaboration with the 17th
Biennial Congress of the Southern African Society for Human Genetics,
this free-to-attend, 3-day course will provide an intensive introduction
to bioinformatics tools freely available online, focusing primarily on
the Human Genome data.

Participants will be given hands-on training in the use of public
databases and web-based sequence analysis tools. All course materials
will be provided and also made available on the Web. The course has a
strong emphasis on applied training, and practical exercises along with
interaction and discussion between participants and instructors are key
features of the programme.

The course is free to attend amnd will be held at the Southern
Sun Elangeni & Maharani Hotel, Durban, South Africa, prior to the
start of the Congress. Applications are also welcomed from non-Congress
attendees.

Places are limited and will be awarded on merit. Please see “How to
Apply” for more details.

Please note: The course is free to attend.
Travel and accommodation bursaries are not available for this
course. Partcipants will need to provide their own wireless-enabled
laptop computer for practical sessions.

Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, participants can expect to be able to:

• Browse and query genomes, and be able to interpret how genes and other features are displayed. Download data with BioMart and Table browser, upload their own data and interpret different biotypes.
• Identify paralogous and orthologous genes, compare genomes and identify evolutionary conserved sequences.
• Explore and interpret ENCODE data.
• Query protein and domain databases, interpret protein structures, perform basic homology modelling and investigate pathway databases.
• Access non-coding RNA databases, microRNA resources and view and interpret them.
• Query genomic variation resources, integrate variation information and view this in the context of the genome and interpret genotypes and haplotypes.
• Explore variation and the relationship between genotype, phenotype and disease using a variety of tools and databases.
• Evaluate Next Generation Sequencing methods and their applications.

The programme will include lecture and practical computer-based sessions*
covering the following topics:

• Genome browsing
• Comparative Sequence Analysis
• Working with Encode Data
• Proteins, Complexes and Pathways
• ncRNA
• Genomic Variation
• Variation, Function and Disease

*Please note: Partcipants will need to provide their own
wireless-enabled laptop computer for practical sessions.

Timetable

Thursday 10 August:
08:30 – 09:00 Registration
09:00 – 10:00 Participants talks
10:00 – 11:00 Introductory talk
11:00 – 11:30 Coffee
11:30 – 13:00 Module 1(Intro Ensembl)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:00 Module 2 (intro UCSC and other browsers)

15:00 – 15:30 Coffee
15:30 – 17:00 Module 3 (Comparative Genomics)

Friday 11 August
09:00 – 10:30 Module 4 (Working with Encode data)
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee
11:00 – 12:30 Module 5 (Proteins, Complexes and Pathways)
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 15:00 Module 6 (ncRNA)
15:00 – 15:30 Coffee
15:30 – 17:00 Talk Own Research/Ask the instructors

Saturday 12 August
09:00 – 10:30 Module 7 (More Complex Genome Browsing)
10:30 – 11:00 Coffee
11:00 – 13:00 Module 8 (Genomic Variation)
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:00 Module 9 (Variation, Expression and Disease)
15:00 – 15:30 Coffee
15:30 – 16:30 Talk (Next Gen Sequencing)
16:30 – 17:00 Own research / ask the instructors

Course Instructors
Jane Loveland EMBL-EBI, UK
Ben Moore The European Bioinformatics
Institute, UK
Matthew Clark Earlham Institute, UK
Bert Overduin University of Edinburgh, UK
Pablo Rabinowicz Independent Consultant (former
Principal Investigator,  Institute for Genome Sciences, University
of Maryland School of Medicine, USA)
Arox Kamng’ona
University of Malawi College of Medicine, Malawi

Cost

Bursaries (UK and overseas courses – delete as
applicable)
UK: Advanced Courses are subsidised for non-commercial
applicants from anywhere in the world. Additional, limited bursaries are
available (up to 50% of the course fee) and are awarded on merit. If you
would like to apply for a
bursary, please complete the bursary section
of the online application
form.

Please note that both the applicant
and sponsor are required to provide
a justification for the
bursary as part of the application.

Overseas: Overseas courses are free to attend for
non-commercial applicants. Limited bursaries to cover travel,
accommodation and sustenance costs are available and are awarded on
merit. If you would like to apply for a
bursary, please complete the
bursary section of the online application
form.

Please note that both the applicant
and sponsor are required to provide
a justification for the
bursary as part of the application

Bursary terms and conditions

UK Courses (held at the Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton,
Cambridge)
A
limited number of bursaries are available for each course. These are
awarded by the selection committee according to merit. The bursary
covers a maximum of 50% of the course fee, though in exceptional
circumstances an application for the total course fee may be considered.
Where there are many bursary applications, the selection committee may
issue smaller amounts. We cannot assist with travel costs to attend UK
courses.

Overseas Courses (held outside of the UK)
A
limited number of bursaries are available for each course. These are
awarded on merit to cover travel, accommodation and sustenance. The
maximum award for travel (economy class) will be £750.

Bursaries can be applied for as part of the course application form.
Applicants
will be notified of a bursary award along with their place on
the
course, usually within one month of the application deadline. The
decision of the selection committee is
final.