GlyGen CFDE Workshop Summer 2023

This workshop provides an opportunity to learn about glycobiology and introduce bioinformatics resources to answer a biological questions.

2-hour GlyGen & NIH Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE) workshop

Date & Time: Monday August 7th, 2023, 1 - 3 pm Eastern Time

Photo & Video Recording Release Form: https://communications.gwu.edu/photo-video-release

Abstract

Glycobiology is the study of the structure, production, biology, and evolution of sugars and glycans, which are found in all cells in nature. Glycans are enzymatically attached to other macromolecules, primarily proteins, and lipids, in a process known as glycosylation. This post-translational modification plays an important role in protein folding, function, and cellular interactions. It is essential to study the dynamic changes in glycosylation and biosynthetic pathways, as glycans modulate normal biological functions and are involved in most major human diseases. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) have provided funding for the worldwide research project GlyGen, which aims to advance glycoscience studies by integrating various multi-omics and glycobiology knowledge. GlyGen exists as an online portal that allows users to browse various glycan and protein data via a wide range of unique yet complementary resources. Users can utilize the portal's features to investigate questions related to biology and glycobiology and examine detailed glycan and protein data.

In addition, Common Fund Data Ecosystem (CFDE) is an NIH funded project that pools all of common fund recipients into one association which compiles resources and databases to enable users to explore and connect bioinformatics knowledge networks. By launching a series of cooperative projects that bring together eight Common Fund Data Coordinating Centers (DCCs), the CFDE took a significant step toward developing this resource. These projects will help create this functional ecosystem for addressing important biological questions, such as locating novel molecular pathways and shedding light on disease mechanisms. A crosscut metadata model (C2M2) is implemented in CFDE to properly integrate all of the input, as well as assist in the standardization of other data from the DCCs.

The purpose of this workshop is to bring together high school students who are interested in developing early-on research knowledge and skills in biochemistry, glycobiology, computer science, and bioinformatics. Each presenter will demonstrate glycan and protein analysis using GlyGen and CFDE tools described above, followed by a Q&A session at the end of the workshop. The attendees will gain basic knowledge on how to efficiently use bioinformatics resources to answer biological questions and provide valuable feedback on the user experience perspective which aids in the continuous development of GlyGen.

Schedule

Time	Duration	Topic	Presenter(s)
1 - 1:15 pm	10 min	Welcome and introduction (to presenters and HIVE Lab)	All
1:15 - 1:35 pm	20 min	Basics of glycobiology	All
1:35 - 1:55 pm	20 min	GlyGen Introduction and GlyGen BLAST	Naina Bethi
1:55 - 2:15 pm	20 min	GlyGen Mapper and Structure Browser	All
2:15 - 2:20 pm	5 min	Break
2:20 - 2:40 pm	20 min	CFDE home page and main portal (chart and data filler demonstration)	Sanvi Desai
2:40 - 3:00 pm	20 min	CFDE data portals and tools (Gene and Drug Landing Page Aggregator; EGFR demonstration)	Nikhil Vattathara
3:00 - 3:10 pm	10 min	Q&A	All

Presentation/Discussion Sessions

Each presentation/discussion session will demonstrate the use and practice of corresponding GlyGen and CFDE portal and tools. Audience are allowed to ask questions during each session by raising hands or posting the questions in the chat. All the unanswered questions will be addressed by the presenters during the Q&A session at the end of the workshop.

Organization Committee

Naina Bethi (ORCID ID: 0009-0005-9409-2739)

Sanvi Desai (ORCID ID: 0009-0009-3376-5708)

Nikhil Vattathara (ORCID ID: 0009-0000-4747-1473)

This workshop is organized by high-school students as part of their eight week internship.

Workshop Testimonials

"Running the workshop was a lot of exposure and experience that I did not think i would get to experience as a high schooler. It taught me a different form of collaboration and team work which was very interesting and fun. I am grateful for the experience, and proud of the work that was put in and the final product." - Summer 2023 intern workshop organizer from Freedom High School

"I am proud of the workshop my team and I were able to able to put together and host. Preparing and conducting this workshop was a learning experience for me as I was never previously given this sort of opportunity. It was fun and interesting to collaborate with the other interns on this, and learn about the topics we discussed as well. I'm very grateful for the experience and the chance to create this workshop." - Summer 2023 intern workshop organizer from Freedom High School

"Conducting this workshop was an amazing and very new experience that taught me so much and gave me so much hands-on experience. It taught me how to effectively communicate and collaborate with a group of peers to produce an amazing end result. The field specifically, glycobiology is very interesting and the tools that we learned about will be very helpful for future research. I am very thankful for the opportunity to learn and conduct a workshop." - Summer 2023 intern workshop organizer from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

"I loved the workshop and thought it was very informative and interactive. Everything was very thoroughly explained and I loved how we were able to explore the website ourselves, as well. I would definitely recommend this to others who want to explore this field, as well as people who know anything about this field yet, because I learned a lot of new information." - Student A from Freedom High School

"I really enjoyed the workshop! I thought it was a great opportunity to get a solid overview about glycobiology. Before this workshop I had no idea about this branch of science. It was super interesting to see the tools and history of glycobiology. I also liked how it was run by interns. I would recommend other to explore this field." - Student B from St. Paul VI Catholic High School

"This workshop provided me with a unique opportunity to learn about the field of bioinformatics, and the role it plays in conducting biomedical research. I liked how everyone explained the topic very thoroughly, and in a very organized manner. I would definitely recommend others to explore this field." - Student C from Freedom High School

Acknowledgement

Raja Mazumder (ORCID: 0000-0001-8823-9945) – Principal Investigator at GW

Jingyue Wu (ORCID: 0000-0001-8523-2676) – Supervisor

Jeet Vora (ORCID: 0000-0002-5317-1458) – Co-supervisor

Supported by the GlyGen team at The George Washington University

Contact

For questions about registration or general inquiries, please contact:

Jingyue Wu: jingyue.wu@email.gwu.edu

Jeet Vora: jeetvora@gwu.edu