The Francis Crick Institute & Lifebit are co-hosting the London Bioinformatics Frontiers Conference on June 17th & 18th. We’re excited to round up the best of the best in terms of speakers covering a variety of topics, including how to standardise and scale analysis using Nextflow, Containers & Cloud, leading up to the Bioinformatics Innovation Conference.
Join Us at the Bioinformatics Innovation Conference
Join us at the bioinformatics innovation conference to learn more about the latest advancements in the field, and discover how this bioinformatics innovation conference will shape the future of scientific research. Don’t miss the opportunity to engage with experts and peers at the premier event focused on the bioinformatics innovation conference and its impact on the industry.
This year’s Bioinformatics Innovation Conference promises to be more than just a gathering; it’s an opportunity to dive deep into the future of bioinformatics. With innovations emerging rapidly, this event aims to showcase how these advancements can transform research methodologies and outcomes. Attendees will witness presentations from eminent researchers and industry leaders who are at the forefront of bioinformatics.
In addition to talks, there will be workshops throughout the conference that focus on hands-on experiences with cutting-edge bioinformatics tools. These workshops are designed for attendees to engage directly with technologies that are changing the landscape of genomic research and data analysis. Participants will leave not only with knowledge but also practical skills that they can apply in their work.
Furthermore, networking opportunities abound during the conference. Attendees can connect with peers, share insights, and collaborate on projects that can lead to future innovations. The conference will feature dedicated networking sessions and social events designed to facilitate these connections.
We also plan to showcase case studies that illustrate successful applications of bioinformatics across various domains, including clinical research, environmental studies, and pharmaceutical development. These real-world examples will underscore the practical implications of the concepts discussed during the conference.
Day 1 (June 17th) will consist of talks from the experts. And on Day 2, we will be hosting a hackathon which is open to participants who have pipelines they would like to convert to Nextflow, or that have existing Nextflow pipelines that they want to standardise using nf-core guidelines and/or scale over Cloud.
During this conference, speakers will mainly be focusing on the application of these three topics to real-world large-scale bioinformatics challenges rather than covering the basics of the technologies as we believe this will bring conference attendees more actionable knowledge to apply to their own research & work.
Here, we highlight a few of the applications that are tremendously pushing the limits of big data analysis in the Life Science sector.
Nextflow: A Programming Framework That Enhances Pipeline Efficiency
- Challenge: Wasting time waiting for your analyses to finish.
- Solution? By using Nextflow, processes are parallelised and can run at the same time.
- Challenge: Having to run multiple scripts in different programming languages which are difficult to connect.
- Solution? By using Nextflow different processes can be written in different programming languages and seamlessly connected
- Challenge: Not being able to run a script in a different computing environment.
- Solution? Nextflow makes pipelines more portable by providing a level of abstraction between your pipeline’s logic and the execution layer, meaning your pipelines run on the cloud and in HPC with little/no modification
Containers [standardised units of software]
- Challenge: Software sustainability has been identified as one of the key challenges in scientific & engineering software development.
- Solution? Securing software functionality with containers (i.e. Docker) as it ensures that a functional version of the tool can be re-used in the future.
- Challenge: Being unsure about whether a pipeline will work in a certain compute environment.
- Solution? Installing dependencies with Docker. By using Docker, all code dependencies can be installed and the user can benefit from knowing that the pipeline will work regardless of the compute environment.
- Challenge: Being able to reproduce a colleague’s analysis
- Solution? Immutable container tags, along with the ease of portability, allow for an analysis to be quickly reproduced by others, with minimal configuration overhead.
- Challenge: Having different versions of software which leads to run errors.
- Solution? Container modularity ensures that different versions of the same software can be utilised in one unified workflow.
Cloud [on-demand availability of computer system resources]
In addition to Nextflow, the role of containers in bioinformatics cannot be overstated. They provide a standardized way to ensure that software runs the same way regardless of where it is deployed, be it on local machines or in the cloud. As we delve deeper into the applications of containers, we will explore how they enhance reproducibility and collaboration in research.
- Challenge: Having the necessary infrastructure to scale big data analysis.
- Solution? By using Cloud, bioinformaticians can achieve limitless scale on-demand.
Don’t forget to sign up for the conference before places run out!
We look forward to seeing you in June!
The Organising Team
With the ongoing evolution of cloud technologies, bioinformaticians are now capable of conducting analyses that were once deemed infeasible due to resource constraints. The cloud has not only democratized access to computing power but has also paved the way for large-scale collaborative projects that transcend geographical boundaries.
We encourage all attendees to bring their ideas and questions to the conference, as interactive discussions will be a key feature. Let’s explore how we can collectively move forward in this exciting field! Remember, the bioinformatics innovation conference is your platform to contribute to the future of bioinformatics.
As the conference approaches, keep an eye on our website for updates on the schedule, speaker lineups, and special sessions that you won’t want to miss. We look forward to seeing you in June and embarking on this journey of discovery and innovation together!
In closing, be sure to register for the bioinformatics innovation conference soon, as spaces are limited and we expect high demand. This event is not only a chance to learn but also to network and collaborate with leading experts in the field.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to be part of the bioinformatics innovation conference, where the future of scientific research is being shaped. We can’t wait to see you there!