BioFAIR Data to Discovery: Single-Cell Analysis with Galaxy

Learn how to perform your own single-cell analysis using Galaxy – no programming required.

Data to Discovery is a series of hands-on training events designed to help life scientists move from following tutorials to performing their own single-cell analyses. The programme begins with a series of self-paced tutorials from the Galaxy Training Network (GTN), which will be paired with online troubleshooting and discussion sessions. You will then be supported in finding a public single-cell RNA-seq dataset (if necessary) before you begin your analysis with the support of experienced Galaxy trainers at the in-person Bring Your Own Data (BYOD) event. Support will be available throughout the course, and the training is designed specifically for life scientists who are new to bioinformatics or single-cell analysis. This course is for you if you want to analyse single-cell RNA-seq data but aren’t sure where to start.

This training is limited to a maximum of 20 participants. Registration closes on 5 July or when all places are filled.

By the end of this training, you will be able to:

• Run a complete single-cell analysis workflow in Galaxy
• Cluster and interpret single-cell RNA-seq data
• Find, import, and analyse public datasets relevant to your research
• Adapt existing workflows to your own projects

What to expect from this course

Data to Discovery is composed of three training events that are designed for life scientists who want to run their own single-cell analyses. You will get the most out of this course if you are ready to work independently and participate actively in the discussions.

The training includes:

1. Weekly Workshops (6 July - 14 August, Online)
   • work through selected single-cell tutorials in your own time (approx. 5h per week)
   • get support through the Slack channel
   • join the weekly Teams calls for discussion and troubleshooting
2. Data Preparation Day (25 August, Online)
   • Drop-in to the Teams call for help finding a public dataset to analyse
   • Ongoing support in Slack channel for data preparation
3. Bring Your Own Data Event (15 September, Milton Keynes)
   • Begin analysing your single-cell dataset
   • Option to join extended event on 16-17 September to continue analysis or learn how to contribute to the GTN

Do I have to give up my whole summer?

This training programme is intended to be flexible so that it can fit around other commitments and give you time to think about what you are learning.

The Weekly Workshops will include one live Teams call a week (Fridays from 10-11am BST) where you can ask questions and get advice on adapting the analysis for your own research. Most of the week will be spent working through the tutorials in your own time, with support available via Slack when you need it. If you are busy or away on holiday for a week, you can catch up with the tutorials and still ask questions on Slack - but you will miss out on the live discussions. To get the most out of the course, we recommend attending as many of the discussions as possible.

The Data Preparation Day is optional and support will be available through the Slack channel if you aren’t available on that day.

We highly recommend attending the BYOD event in person as working alongside other learners and experienced Galaxy users will enable you to get the best support with your own single-cell analysis. However, support will continue to be available through the Slack channel until the end of September, so you will still be able to ask questions even if you can’t get to Milton Keynes.

Is this course right for me?

This training has been designed for:

• research students and early career researchers in the UK
• life scientists interested in applying single-cell RNA-seq analysis
• researchers planning to use single-cell analysis in a student project, dissertation, research proposal, or independent project

You do not need to have your own dataset to participate as you will be supported in choosing a suitable public dataset during the programme.

You don’t need any experience of single-cell analysis, programming, or using Galaxy workflows. This course is suitable for you if you’re new to bioinformatics or new to single-cell analysis, even if you find the idea of coding or interpreting single-cell clusters rather intimidating!

You will get the most out of this course if you are ready to work through the tutorials in your own time and actively participate in discussions. We are particularly keen to support researchers whose access to bioinformatics support is limited.

Funding

A small number of travel grants (£150 each) are available to support attendance at the in-person event. Please indicate on the registration form if you would like to be considered. The travel grants are funded by ELIXIR UK.

Data to Discovery is funded through a BioFAIR Fellowship. You can learn more about BioFAIR at biofair.uk BioFAIR is a joint Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) project. It has received funding through the UKRI Infrastructure Fund and UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure Programme.

Who is this course for?

This event is intended for research students and Early Career Researchers (ECRs) in the UK who would like to perform their own single-cell analysis. No programming experience is required.

Event Location

Geocoding via Nominatim, Map data from OpenStreetMap

Organisers & Instructors

This event is brought to you by:

Organiser(s)	Marisa Loach
Instructor(s)	Kevin Rue-Albrecht Pavankumar Videm

BioFAIR