From Data to Decisions: Why Genomics and AMR Need Practical Bioinformatics
Genomics has transformed how we study pathogens. Today, sequencing a bacterial genome is faster and cheaper than ever. Yet, despite this progress, one fundamental challenge remains. The real bottleneck is turning raw reads into a decision a lab, clinician, or IPC team can act on fast, reproducibly, and with confidence. From bench to bedside: integrating microbiology, genomics & data analytics to inform AMR decision-making. How do we turn genomic data into decisions that matter for public health? This question sits at the heart of my work, and it’s the reason I started this blog. The data–decision gap In many settings, especially across low- and middle-income countries, we now have access to sequencing platforms, trained personnel, and growing datasets. What often lags behind is the translation layer : How do we ensure data quality before analysis? Which pipelines are reproducible and sustainable (versioned containers, workflow languages like WDL/Nextflow, cle...