The lecture 'Clinical metagenomics: basic knowledge and techniques for its operationalization', given by researcher Kazuhiro Horiba, head of the Laboratory of Bacterial Genomics at the Japan Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), concluded the program of the 2nd act of the Symposium. IOC Jubilee 125 years, last Friday, August 08th.

Integrated into the traditional Study Center of the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), the activity brought to the debate concepts of clinical metagenomics and the practical application of the technique, which involves a standardized workflow that goes from collection to analysis and interpretation of the genetic material (DNA or RNA) present in clinical samples, without the need for prior cultivation.

During the lecture, Horiba emphasized that clinical metagenomics is a comprehensive diagnostic tool for infectious diseases, highlighting the importance of databases with reference genomes for the expected results, and presented the fundamentals and real-world applications of the technique.

"Larger, high-quality databases offer more comprehensive detection and produce more accurate results. Furthermore, choosing one that matches the specific purpose of the analysis is also important," he commented.

The presentation was mediated by Paola Resende, researcher at the Laboratory of Respiratory and Exanthematic Viruses, Enterovirus of IOC.

Watch the full event broadcast.