Respiratory metagenomics is a powerful approach for identifying bacteria, fungi, and viruses in respiratory samples by directly sequencing their genetic material. While traditional next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods are widely used, Oxford Nanopore sequencing offers significant advantages for rapid and comprehensive pathogen surveillance.

Join this Knowledge Exchange webinar to learn how Oxford Nanopore sequencing can provide a rapid and comprehensive metagenomic approach for characterising bacteria, fungi, and viruses directly from respiratory samples. Participants will learn two sample preparation methods: one for DNA-only targeting of bacterial and fungal pathogens, and the other for both DNA and RNA, focused on viral pathogens. We will cover the necessary reagents for amplification and sequencing using a shotgun approach.

Additionally, we'll demonstrate the powerful bioinformatics tools for taxonomic classification, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) gene identification, and the generation of taxonomic profiles from metagenomic samples. Attendees will learn how to use the EPI2ME metagenomics workflow (wf-metagenomics) for data analysis and generate publication-ready figures, with interactive plots to explore sample data.

The webinar will conclude with a live Q&A from our speakers.

In this webinar, viewers will learn:

• How to extract nucleic acids and prepare sequencing libraries, to explore viral, bacterial, and fungal pathogens.

• An understanding of the technical performance, limitations, and quality control requirements for respiratory metagenomic sequencing.

• An overview of the EPI2ME bioinformatic analysis workflow, wf-metagenomics, as well as the challenges and methods associated with bioinformatic analysis of complex samples.

• The benefits of Oxford Nanopore sequencing to enhance your pathogen surveillance capabilities.