Episode 144: Micro binfie Pathoplexus part 1

The microbinfie podcast explores Pathoplexus, an innovative platform designed to facilitate viral genome data sharing while addressing researchers' concerns about publication credit and data accessibility.

Nabil and Lee bring a guest host Clint to talk with some of the people behind Pathoplexus http://pathoplexus.org/

Key Points

1. Pathoplexus Platform

• Virus genome database allowing researchers to share sequences
• Supports both open and restricted-use data sharing models
• Provides immediate pre-processing of uploaded sequences using tools like Nextclade

2. Data Sharing Innovation

• Addresses researchers' fear of being "scooped" through restricted-use option
• Allows public health use of sequences before publication
• Supports aggregate analysis while protecting individual researchers' interests

3. Community-Driven Development

• Currently hosts genomic data for viruses like Ebola, West Nile, mPox, RSV
• Selects new pathogens based on community input and public health needs
• Implements innovative citation tracking through sequence set DOIs

Take-Home Messages

• Pathoplexus revolutionizes viral genomic data sharing
• Balances open science with researchers' publication concerns
• Provides flexible, community-responsive platform for pathogen genomics