Challenge: In-house bioinformatics team lacked bandwidth and specialized expertise to create a needed quality control report
An agricultural technology company had developed a specialized next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based crop assay as part of their R&D platform to identify specific sequences in plant genomes. This assay was designed to support their efforts in developing treatments to improve plant health.
While their internal bioinformatics team created a custom pipeline to analyze assay data, they lacked the bandwidth and specific expertise to build a critical feature: an automated summary and quality control (QC) report. This feature was essential for enabling scientists and management to efficiently review results, interpret findings, and plan the next experiments.
Action: Diamond Age stepped in to address this gap by designing and implementing an interactive QC dashboard
The Diamond Age team collaborated closely with the agricultural technology company’s bioinformatics team to design and implement the solution and:
- Prototyped the Dashboard: Using R, we developed an interactive and customizable report tailored to the client’s specific needs that incorporated NGS sequencing metrics and alignment results which we integrated with a species database.
- Integrated the Solution: The dashboard was seamlessly incorporated into the company’s existing Nextflow pipeline, so a new QC report is automatically generated with every pipeline run.
- Enhanced Usability: The dashboard supports multiple crop species, includes interactive elements, and offers custom graphics. This allows users to gain both a high-level overview of results and the ability to drill down into specific hits or metrics.
- Optimized Workflow: Worked iteratively with the client’s team to ensure the solution aligned with their scientific goals and operational needs.
Result: Filling a critical gap in the client’s workflow led to increased efficiencies, including:
- Time Savings: Analysts now spend far less time manually reviewing and summarizing results–from hours to mere minutes–allowing them to re-direct their efforts toward higher-value, strategic tasks.
- Improved Decision-Making: The dashboard’s interactivity and drill-down features provide scientists and management with actionable insights at both macro and micro levels.
- Enhanced Productivity: The automated integration ensures consistency and scalability across experiments, supporting the company’s ongoing R&D efforts.
By leveraging Diamond Age’s expertise, the client was able to fill a critical gap in their workflow, advancing their ability to analyze NGS data and accelerating their R&D pipeline.
Do you have a question about how to improve your crop growth? Please contact us at contact@diamondage.com or visit https://diamondage.com/contact/.