Researchers from Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena have collaborated with international partners to develop a software that significantly accelerates viral genetic analysis. Named Vclust, the tool can analyze millions of viral genomes within hours and group them based on similarity, according to the university. Until now, there were no efficient methods to reliably compare and classify the massive data generated by metagenomics. Vclust combines three components: it identifies similar genomes, calculates genetic similarity and automatically sorts the genomes into groups. The results aligned well with the official virus classification, as per the university. The software is available as open source and can be accessed through a web service. It could play a crucial role in cataloging new viruses and in medical research. The project was supported, among others, by the Excellence Cluster “Balance of the Microverse” of the University of Jena.
Revolutionary Software Speeds Up Viral Genome Analysis
