A0249
Title: Quantifying major sources of technical variability in microbiome sequencing lab protocols
Authors: Ekaterina Smirnova - Virginia Commonwealth University (United States) [presenting]
Abstract: A significant issue with the horizontal harmonization of previously collected microbiome data is the large variation in the data processing through non-standardized methods. Microbiome study is a complex process that starts with sample collection and storage, followed by transportation to a DNA extraction and sequencing lab, running a bioinformatics pipeline to identify microbial taxa, and finally, statistical analysis of a summarized taxonomic table. This leads to large differences in microbial taxa even for the replicate samples. The previously collected Microbiome Quality Control Project (MBQC) data is utilized that process identical stool and artificial communities aliquots by 16 sample handling laboratories to quantify the primary sources of technical variability on downstream statistical analysis. All sequences are re-processed with the identical bioinformatics pipeline and rank the differences in alpha and beta diversity by sample handling protocols. The ultimate goal of this analysis is to inform the harmonization of previously collected microbiome studies and identify the major differences in microbiome sequencing protocols that must be accounted for in the pulled studies analysis.
