Genefiler: High throughput genetic analysis. Raw data to analysed results with one click
Paul Matthews1, I Findlay2, D Mouradov, BK Mulcahy
1paul@agrf.org.au, AGRF; 2Ian@agrf.org.au, AGRF
Current genotyping analysis platforms such as the AB 3730 and Megabace) can generate ~20-30,000 genotypes per day.
Although the associated software packages such as Genetic profiler and Genotyper & Genemapper rapidly process raw data to obtain a list of loci and alleles, they do not solve the problem of how the user then processes and/or interprets the data downstream.
Given the often vast amount of data generated, manual interpretation is extremely labour intensive, error prone and expensive. Third party programmes are available, but often require a specific format, requiring manual or spreadsheet driven conversions. Again with further user intervention and resultant errors. Laboratories either spend considerable time and resources performing manual analysis, or develop specialised in-house software. This is generally limited in scope and specifically tailored to one particular process.
A powerful yet flexible data analysis system is therefore required. We developed Genefiler software to process extremely large quantities of data quickly, with a high degree of reliability and accuracy with minimal to no user input. The system is sample and run orientated, so tracking individual samples is intuitive, with time from initial data entry to final result minimized. Furthermore the analysis system is modular, allowing flexibility in use and catering for a wide variety of needs. This ensures that Genefiler can be tailored to the needs of multiple users and applications and be easily adapted should those needs change or expand.