Decoding Transcriptomics: Captivating Webinar Ignites Curiosity for Future Topics

The IMU Division of Applied Biomedical Science and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, in collaboration with Codon Genomics, successfully hosted a public webinar on “Introduction to Transcriptomics: Techniques and Data Processing” on 19 September 2024. The webinar was led by Dr Liew Kok Jun (James), a senior bioinformatician from Codon Genomics, and saw active participation from 64 attendees, including internal and external stakeholders.

Transcriptomics is the study of the complete set of RNA transcripts produced by the genome under specific conditions or in a particular cell type. It plays a crucial role in understanding gene expression patterns and biological processes, offering valuable insights into disease mechanisms, drug development, and personalised medicine. By analysing transcriptomic data, researchers can uncover how genes are regulated and identify potential therapeutic targets, making it a powerful tool in modern biotechnology and biomedical research.

Dr Liew delivered an informative and engaging session, breaking down each step of the bioinformatics workflow in transcriptomics. The webinar covered essential techniques used in data processing and highlighted a practical case study, providing participants with a thorough understanding of transcriptomics and its applications in biotechnology and biomedical research.

Attendees praised the session for its depth of content and practical insights, making it an enriching experience for both beginners and those with existing knowledge in the field.

Feedback from participants indicated high satisfaction with the content and delivery. Suggestions for future events included expanding topics to other omics studies and the application and exploring future topics such as LC/MS or mass spectrometry. Additionally, participants expressed a desire to do more webinars and suggested a workshop focused on discussing prediction models to predict phenotypic expression. There was also interest in covering in-depth topics for the different processes – QC, data processing, and such.

The Division of Applied Biomedical Science and Biotechnology plans to incorporate these suggestions into future educational initiatives. To continue the momentum, an upcoming three-day workshop titled “Transcriptomics Workshop – From Experimental Design to Downstream Analysis and Insights Generation” will offer a deeper exploration of the techniques discussed during the webinar.

“Do more webinars” – Participant

“I think we could have a workshop in discussing prediction model to predict phenotypic expression In-depth for the different processes- QC, data processing and such” – Participant

Prepared by Ts Dr Yeannie Yap Hui Yeng, Ts Dr Tan Boon Hooi, Dr Koh Rhun Yian