Bioinformatics Project Lifecycle at Fios Genomics

As a data analysis partner, our work varies from client to client and the analyses we undertake are project-dependent. However, our analysis projects all follow a similar process that you can discover below.

Initial Interest for Data Analysis

There are two ways that initial interest for an analysis project with Fios arises – inbound and outbound enquiries.

Outbound enquiries start with our Business Development team. This team speaks with those who have needs that we can support. They have meetings to discuss our analysis capabilities and how we can assist the research project in question. Outbound enquiries can start in many places. For example, a meeting with a current client who knows what analysis they require could be the starting point. On the other hand, it could start with an introduction to our services and how we can help. We may then arrange for a follow-up call, with members of our Technical Team to discuss project specifics.

Inbound enquiries, on the other hand, will usually come in through the Fios website. Often they are quite specific, with a project already in mind. This allows for quicker completion of the technical scoping for the study as, often, information such as type of data and sample number is available from the outset.

Technical Scoping of a Data Analysis Project

Once a project discussion has started, the potential study starts to be scoped out to assess what analysis is needed. Members of our Operations team often join discussions at this stage. They join to assist with the scoping, giving accurate timelines and getting to the specific detail of what you require. This enables us to ensure that the analysis solution we propose will support your needs.

Our Operations team have a huge amount of understanding and capabilities in different biological areas, which gives us hands-on experience that we can draw on when scoping out a new project.

Proposal Approval

After scoping a project out, we create a proposal detailing the schedule of work we will undertake. The proposal is an important document; it contains information on the data source, the type of data generated (or that you are interested in analysing) as well as sample numbers and other information relating to the data.

The proposal also helps us to ensure that we understand your project. We include information you have given us such as the purpose of the project.  We then detail our analysis workflow – the steps we will take on the Operations side. This will include quality control of the data and analyses required such as pathway enrichment analyses or data congruence. For data mining and landscaping projects, we also include the scope of the project and parameters we will use to search for data.

Finally, the project proposal includes key information for you on the timeline for analysis completion and the cost.

Once written, the proposal is sent out for approval or necessary updates. Once the proposal is signed, the Business Development Team transfers responsibility for the project to the Project Management Team.

Assess and Assign

At Fios we understand that each project is bespoke. Therefore, we ensure that all the discussions regarding your experiment and data analysis that were held with the Business Development team are passed on to our Project Management team.

Our Operations team have experience across a wide range of data analysis and therapeutic areas, but more than this, all of our bioinformaticians have expertise in a particular area of interest; from studying the microbiome to proteomics. There is very little we cannot handle or have not seen before.

Whilst all of our Operations team have the capabilities to perform all analyses we offer, we like to assign the most suitable analyst to your project based on their skills, interest and experience. We find this ensures you get the most out of your data, and our analysis. Our Technical Director, Team Leaders, and Project Management team discuss projects in detail and assign them to the best-placed analyst.

Data Transfer

To start with, the Project Management team will reach out to you in order to facilitate data transfer. We can accept data in a variety of ways, depending on the data type and size. Our Project Management team will assist you in making any recommendations on how best to send the data. The most common methods of transfer are via an online portal, an sFTP site, or shipping a hard drive.

Once we receive the data, the Project Management team perform an initial quality control check. This is to ensure we have received the data as expected. The Project Management team will then pass the data on to the lead analyst who will perform a more in-depth quality control check. At this stage, we may reach out to ask any initial questions and arrange a kick-off call if required to confirm our analysis plan.

Data Analysis

Each data analysis project is assigned a lead analyst, who performs the bulk of the analysis and writes the report you will receive. Our Team Leaders and Technical Director will be heavily involved throughout the analysis and provide their input and expertise. Communication and collaboration are key at Fios and we have frequent catchups to discuss the analysis and monitor the progress.

Depending on the size and scope of your project, we may have catchup calls to take you through the progress to keep you informed.  Once the report is ready, it is reviewed by at least two of our team members, including our Scientific Editor as part of quality control.

Report Delivery

Once the analyses have been completed and the report has been internally reviewed, you will receive an email letting you know that the report has been released and is ready for your viewing. You will view the report via a link we provide to our secure web portal, alongside credentials to access it.

All of our reports are interactive to ensure you get the most out of the plots and figures. An additional functionality allows you to download the report as a static PDF for archiving purposes. Once you have read it, we arrange a teleconference so that our lead analyst can walk you through their findings demonstrate the full interactivity of the report and answer any questions you have on the analysis.

Project closeout

Our project management team will be in touch after the review call to make sure you have no other questions or feedback regarding your report. After this, we will consider the project closed in our systems. This is purely an administrative exercise and your report will still be available on our online web portal for viewing.

Interested in starting your own bioinformatics project with Fios? Find out more about some of the services we offer and get in contact with us today.

See also:

How bioinformatics can support your clinical trial
Bioinformatics analyses for cell and gene therapy research
The Future of Genomics