In this episode of the Bioinformatics Lab Podcast, Zachary Konkel shares his journey from studying chemistry to specializing in mycology and bioinformatics. He discusses the significance of fungi in medicine, particularly in producing antimicrobial compounds, and the challenges faced in fungal genomics. Zach highlights the development of mycotools (https://github.com/xonq/mycotools) as a solution for analyzing fungal genomes and the importance of phylogenetics in understanding fungal pathogens like Candida auris.
The conversation also touches on the growing concern of antifungal resistance and the potential for next-generation sequencing to improve outbreak detection. Finally, Zach shares his passion for mushroom foraging, connecting his scientific interests with personal hobbies.
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In this episode of the Bioinformatics Lab Podcast, Zachary Konkel shares his journey from studying chemistry to specializing in mycology and bioinformatics. He discusses the significance of fungi in medicine, particularly in producing antimicrobial compounds, and the challenges faced in fungal genomics. Zach highlights the development of mycotools (https://github.com/xonq/mycotools) as a solution for analyzing fungal genomes and the importance of phylogenetics in understanding fungal pathogens like Candida auris.
The conversation also touches on the growing concern of antifungal resistance and the potential for next-generation sequencing to improve outbreak detection. Finally, Zach shares his passion for mushroom foraging, connecting his scientific interests with personal hobbies.
Summary
In this episode of the Bioinformatics Lab podcast, Kevin Libuit and Krisandra Allen discuss the integration of bioinformatics and epidemiology, focusing on the challenges and solutions in utilizing genomic sequencing data for infectious disease surveillance. They explore the roles of epidemiologists and bioinformaticians, the importance of communication and collaboration, and the need for bi-directional learning to enhance public health practices. The conversation emphasizes the significance of building relationships and understanding each other's fields to effectively turn sequencing data into actionable insights for disease control.
Takeaways
Epidemiologists work on the front lines of public health.
Genomic data can help build and confirm hypotheses in investigations.
Integrating genetic data with epidemiological data enhances disease surveillance.
Surveillance systems must be designed to drive public health action.
Communication between labs and epidemiologists is crucial for effective data use.
Bi-directional learning is essential for both epidemiologists and bioinformaticians.
Genomic epidemiologists can bridge the gap between bioinformatics and epidemiology.
Building relationships is the first step towards effective collaboration.
Training opportunities should be available for both sides to learn from each other.
Collaboration is key to successfully integrating bioinformatics into public health.
the bioinformatics lab
In this episode of the Bioinformatics Lab Podcast, Zachary Konkel shares his journey from studying chemistry to specializing in mycology and bioinformatics. He discusses the significance of fungi in medicine, particularly in producing antimicrobial compounds, and the challenges faced in fungal genomics. Zach highlights the development of mycotools (https://github.com/xonq/mycotools) as a solution for analyzing fungal genomes and the importance of phylogenetics in understanding fungal pathogens like Candida auris.
The conversation also touches on the growing concern of antifungal resistance and the potential for next-generation sequencing to improve outbreak detection. Finally, Zach shares his passion for mushroom foraging, connecting his scientific interests with personal hobbies.
