Genomics And Computational Science For Virus Research

A biologically striking and clinically important feature of viruses is their rapid evolutionary dynamics in nature. The continual interactions between viruses and host organisms promote quick changes in virus populations, eventually leading to co-evolution of viruses and hosts for their survival. The structural and functional information on the interactions between viruses and hosts should provide a molecular and biological basis to understand infection, replication, cell/host-tropism, immune escape, pathogenesis, and direction of evolution of viruses. The information is also essential to develop methods to control transmission and replication of pathogenic viruses. However, the integrated information on the structure, function, and evolution of viruses and hosts has remained poorly accumulated, partly due to the limitation of analytical methods. Recent progress in genome science and computational approach may open up a new avenue of research of the interactions between viruses and hosts by integrating information on the structures, functions, and evolution. In this Research Topic, we welcome papers concerning the computer-assisted structural and functional studies based on genomic information, with theoretical or in combination with experimental approaches, for understanding molecules, infection, replication, cell/host-tropism, immune escape, pathogenesis, and evolution of viruses in nature.

Virus bioinformatics is evolving and succeeding as an area of research in its own right, representing the interface of virology and computer science. Bioinformatic approaches to investigate viral infections and outbreaks have become central to virology research, and have been successfully used to detect, control, and treat infections of humans and animals. As part of the Third Annual Meeting of the European Virus Bioinformatics Center (EVBC), we have published this Special Issue on Virus Bioinformatics.

A compendium of readily reproducible and novel methods to manipulate DNA viruses and characterize their varied biological properties. The authors emphasize techniques for viral detection and genetics, but also include methods for structure determination, gene expression, replication, pathogenesis, complex cellular models, recombinant genetics, and computational/systems approaches. Wide-ranging and highly practical, DNA Viruses: Methods and Protocols will stimulate new directions in virology research with its novel strategies for engineering viral vectors in gene therapy, and its advanced approaches for detecting viruses in human disease.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world in an unprecedented way since 2019. However, novel and innovative applications of various omics, computational, and smart technologies have helped manage the pandemic of the 21st century in a very effective manner. Omics approaches and technologies in COVID-19 presents up-to-date knowledge on omics, genetic engineering, mathematical and computational approaches, and advanced technologies in the diagnosis, prevention, monitoring, and management of COVID-19. This book contains 26 chapters written by academic and industry experts from more than 15 countries. Split into three sections (Omics; Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics; and Smart and Emerging Technologies), it brings an overview of novel technologies under omics such as, genomic, metagenomic, pangenomic, metabolomics and proteomics in COVID-19. In addition, it discusses hostpathogen interactions and interactomics, management options, application of genetic engineering, mathematical modeling andsimulations, systems biology, and bioinformatics approaches in COVID-19 drug discovery and vaccine development. This is a valuable resource for students, biotechnologists, bioinformaticians, virologists, clinicians, and pharmaceutical, biomedical, and healthcare industry people who want to understand the promising omics and other technologies used in combating COVID-19 from various aspects. Provides novel technologies for rapid diagnostics, drug discovery, vaccine development, monitoring, prediction of future waves, etc. Describes various omics applications including genomics, metagenomics, epigenomics, nutrigenomics, transcriptomics,miRNAomics, proteomics, metabolomics, phenomics, multiomics, etc., in COVID-19 Presents applications of genetic engineering, CRISPR, artificial intelligence, mathematical and in silico modeling, systems biology,and other computational approaches in COVID-19 Discusses emerging, digital, and smart technologies for the monitoring and management of COVID-19

In the evolving environment of bioinformatics, genomics, and computational biology, academic scholars are facing a challenging challenge – keeping informed about the latest research trends and findings. With unprecedented advancements in sequencing technologies, computational algorithms, and machine learning, these fields have become indispensable tools for drug discovery, disease research, genome sequencing, and more. As scholars strive to decode the language of DNA, predict protein structures, and navigate the complexities of biological data analysis, the need for a comprehensive and up-to-date resource becomes paramount. The Research Anthology on Bioinformatics, Genomics, and Computational Biology is a collection of a carefully curated selection of chapters that serves as the solution to the pressing challenge of keeping pace with the dynamic advancements in these critical disciplines. This anthology is designed to address the informational gap by providing scholars with a consolidated and authoritative source that sheds light on critical issues, innovative theories, and transformative developments in the field. It acts as a single reference point, offering insights into conceptual, methodological, technical, and managerial issues while also providing a glimpse into emerging trends and future opportunities.

Genomic Surveillance and Pandemic Preparedness offers practical, in-depth instruction in where, how, and why genomic surveillance may be applied. Drawing heavily from the learnings during the COVID-19 pandemic, this book covers different aspects of microbes with a focus on viral genome sequencing and analysis, implementation and inference of genomic surveillance, and global data sharing best practices for future pandemic preparedness. Here, more than a dozen international authors consider host and pathogen genome interaction, population-level prevalence, individual disease susceptibility and gene protection, pathogen mutation evolutionary dynamics, RNA modulation of infection, pathogen diversity, and the role of coinfections and comorbidities in disease severity. A wide range of examples, from bacterial pathogens to fungal and viral infections, with an emphasis on recent COVID-19 analysis, are discussed. Finally, the authors provide step-by-step instruction in experimental and computational approaches for genomic surveillance, including nucleic acid isolation, sequencing library preparation, functional sequencing analysis, and bioinformatics pipelines. Throughout this book, importance is placed on inference—moving from genomic sequencing to meaningful genomic surveillance that bolsters pandemic preparedness. Highlights different aspects of genomic surveillance, from theory to implementation to inferences Covers a broad range of infectious diseases, with emphasis on recent COVID-19 studies Shares methods and approaches for sequencing-based pathogen detection, diagnostics, and surveillance Facilitates international collaboration in drug and vaccine development

The genomes in human body programs the blueprint of one’s life but the functions of those genomes nearly three billion genome bases are not known. The genome sequence in human being gives the fundamental rules for human biology. Science makes every effort to reveal the laws of nature and critical understanding of the biology. Scientists in the life-science field are seeking genetic variants associated with multifaceted set of observable characteristics to advance our understanding about genetics. Technological advancements are assisting the scientists to quickly create, store and analyze the data as fast as possible and as efficient as possible. The NCBI and other organizations maintain genome sequences, proteins, RNA, DNA and other information of all species as well as their behavioral data. There is a lot and lot of data. Translating these data into useful insights which can be used for research and innovation is a main concern.

This book introduces the translational informatics applied to most aspects of virus infection, including tracking of virus origin, detection and prevention of infection, drug discovery, and vaccine design as well as smart city-level monitoring and controlling of the virus epidemic by government. It covers the informatics for data mining and modelling at molecular, tissue/organ, individual, and population levels. The informatics for immunological mechanisms and the personalized prediction and treatment of infected patients are also summarized. The perspectives on the application of artificial intelligence to the prevention of virus outbreaks are also given. This book will be helpful to readers who are interested in prevention of virus infection, biomedical informatics, and artificial intelligence in medicine and healthcare.