The Integrated Microbial Genomes & Microbiomes system (IMG/M) supports the annotation, comparative analysis, and distribution of microbial genome and microbiome datasets. It includes over 200,000 diverse publicly available datasets encompassing 150,000 isolate genomes, 23,000 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), and 40,000 metagenomes along with curated environmental and other metadata to enable comprehensive comparative analysis. Importantly, IMG/M provides data and tools via graphical user interface (GUI), so no programming knowledge and no dedicated compute infrastructure is required to perform computational analysis. IMG/M user interface is designed for use by microbiologists to quickly bridge the gap from sequence to biological inference.

A primary goal of this workshop is to bring researchers from a broad range of disciplines up-to-speed with some of the latest developments in microbial genomics, metagenomics, and computational biology, and to empower them with the knowledge and skills necessary to extract meaningful biological insights from sequence data. Participants will complete hands-on exercises involving comparative analysis, visualization and interpretation using isolate genomes and consider how to leverage uncultivated metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs).

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTOR: Reckha SESHADRI – DOE Joint Genome Institute

Important information:

Session 1
Date: June 5 2025
Time: 2:45 pm – 6:00 pm
Location: La Comédie, Clermont-Ferrand

Session 2
Date: June 5 2025
Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Location: INRAE – Theix Research center

Please note: Since the two sessions are not independent, full participation is required. Spaces are limited, so be sure to register early to guarantee your spot!

Cost: Free registration, but transport to the INRAE center and lunch will not be provided. However, participants will be able to buy their lunch in the canteen.

Prerequisites

This workshop will require a functioning laptop with the latest version of Firefox or Chrome browser installed (IE or Safari not supported).

Attendees are expected to have some basic understanding of microbiology, biochemistry or molecular biology, and computational biology concepts (e.g., multiple sequence alignment, phylogenetic tree construction). Please respond to this survey to allow us adapt the workshop contents : https://gutmicrobiology-2025.symposium.inrae.fr/workshop-bridging-the-gap-from-sequence-to-biology-with-integrated-microbial-genomes-img-m