Aim
This course trains participants to perform practical biological sequence analysis using R (with Bioconductor), covering DNA/RNA/protein sequence handling, quality checks, alignment concepts, annotation basics, and reproducible reporting. You’ll learn how to turn raw sequence data into interpretable biological insights using standard workflows and R-driven visualization.
Program Objectives
- Master Sequence Data Basics: Understand FASTA/FASTQ, GenBank, GFF/GTF, and core biological sequence concepts.
- Build an R + Bioconductor Workflow: Set up packages, manage objects, and create reproducible pipelines.
- Handle DNA/RNA/Protein Sequences: Read, clean, transform, and summarize sequences with Biostrings and related tools.
- Apply Core Analyses: Compute composition/GC, k-mers, ORFs, motifs, and simple similarity searches/interpretation.
- Alignment & Interpretation: Understand pairwise/multiple alignment outputs and how to interpret scoring and gaps.
- Communicate Results: Generate clean plots, tables, and reports (RMarkdown/Quarto) suitable for papers and audits.
- Hands-on Application: Complete a mini capstone that analyzes a real gene/protein dataset and produces a report.
Program Structure
Module 1: Foundations of Biological Sequence Analysis
- What sequences tell us: genes, transcripts, proteins, variants (high-level).
- Common file formats: FASTA, FASTQ, GenBank, GFF/GTF (what each contains).
- Key metrics: length, GC%, ambiguous bases, complexity, coverage (conceptual).
- Workflow overview: import → QC → analyze → annotate → visualize → report.
Module 2: R Setup for Bioinformatics (Bioconductor Essentials)
- R project setup: folders, scripts, sessions, package management.
- Bioconductor ecosystem: Biostrings, GenomicRanges, rtracklayer, and friends.
- Reproducibility: set.seed(), session info, renv (conceptual), versioning.
- Working with biological objects safely (strings vs ranges vs annotations).
Module 3: Importing, Cleaning & Summarizing Sequences
- Reading FASTA/FASTQ and building sequence collections.
- Basic QC checks: length distributions, N-content, GC distribution.
- Sequence transformations: reverse complement, translation, filtering rules.
- Creating summary tables for batches (multiple samples / multiple genes).
Module 4: k-mers, Composition, ORFs & Simple Feature Discovery
- k-mer counting and what it indicates (bias, repeats, complexity).
- Nucleotide/amino acid composition and enrichment comparisons.
- ORF basics: start/stop, frames, and interpreting ORF results.
- Primer/amplicon sanity checks: melting/GC screening (intro-level).
Module 5: Sequence Similarity & Alignment (Practical Interpretation)
- Pairwise similarity: identity, mismatch, gaps—reading alignment output.
- Multiple sequence alignment concepts (MSA): conserved regions and variability.
- Alignment-to-insight: consensus, variant positions, conserved motifs.
- Common pitfalls: low complexity, short sequences, over-interpreting matches.
Module 6: Motifs, Domains & Functional Clues
- Motif scanning basics and interpreting motif “hits”.
- From sequence to function: conserved motifs, active sites (conceptual).
- Annotating sequences with external references (IDs, accessions, metadata).
- Building a simple annotation table (gene/protein → features → notes).
Module 7: Genomic Coordinates & Annotation Tables (Intro)
- Coordinate thinking: ranges, exons, transcripts, CDS (intro).
- Working with GFF/GTF-style annotations in R (conceptual + practical parsing).
- Mapping sequence features to coordinates (basic overlap and summaries).
- Creating “publication-ready” tables and export formats (CSV/TSV).
Module 8: Visualization, Reporting & Avoiding Overclaims
- Plots that matter: length/GC, motif hit maps, alignment summaries.
- Reproducible reporting with RMarkdown/Quarto: code + outputs + narrative.
- What you can/can’t claim from sequence analysis without experiments.
- Checklist for transparent assumptions and limitations.
Final Project
- Analyze a curated dataset (DNA or protein sequences; single gene family or small panel).
- Define objective, dataset description, and QC/filters.
- Perform composition + k-mer analysis + motif/feature discovery + alignment interpretation.
- Deliverables: summary report + figures + results table + reproducible R script/notebook.
Participant Eligibility
- UG/PG students and researchers in Biotechnology, Genetics, Microbiology, Bioinformatics, Life Sciences
- PhD scholars working with genes/proteins, molecular biology, omics, or microbial genomics
- Professionals in genomics labs, diagnostics R&D, or computational biology teams
- Anyone with basic biology knowledge who wants to learn sequence analysis workflows in R
Program Outcomes
- Sequence Workflow Skill: Ability to import, clean, summarize, and analyze FASTA/FASTQ datasets in R.
- Interpretation Confidence: Read and explain key outputs (alignment, composition, motifs) responsibly.
- Bioinformatics Readiness: Familiarity with Bioconductor tools and object types used in real pipelines.
- Reproducible Reporting: Generate a clean, shareable report with code, figures, and tables.
- Portfolio Deliverable: A capstone report + script/notebook suitable for academic or job applications.
Program Deliverables
- Access to e-LMS: Full access to course content, templates, and practice datasets.
- R + Bioconductor Starter Pack: Setup guide, package list, import/QC templates, plotting snippets.
- Analysis Worksheets: QC checklist, motif/feature worksheet, alignment interpretation guide.
- Hands-on Project Support: Guided capstone planning, debugging, and interpretation support.
- Final Assessment: Certification after assignments + capstone submission.
- e-Certification and e-Marksheet: Digital credentials provided upon successful completion.
Future Career Prospects
- Bioinformatics Analyst (Entry-level) / Junior Computational Biologist
- Genomics Data Analyst / Sequence Data Associate
- Research Assistant (Genomics / Proteomics / Molecular Biology + Data)
- Bioconductor/R Analyst for Life Sciences Teams
- Omics Support Specialist (Academia / Core Facilities)
Job Opportunities
- Genomics & Diagnostics Labs: Sequence QC, reporting, targeted sequencing interpretation support.
- Biotech & Pharma R&D: Gene/protein sequence analytics, pipeline support, documentation.
- Academic & Research Institutes: Omics projects, gene family studies, microbial genomics support.
- Core Facilities & Service Providers: Data processing, visualization, reproducible reporting.
- Health/Agri-Bio Startups: Rapid sequence analysis prototyping and analytics dashboards.









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