Robert Auber

Associate Director of Bioinformatics | PathGroup Tweets are my own and not the position of Pathgroup.

[Albert Vilella @AlbertVilella]

Some more chatter on @UltimaGenomics recently, partly to try and argue that the quality is worse than @illumina $ILMN SBS sequencing, and then take a reverse argument and say that ppmSeq has no merit. Some comments...

[Joe Pickrell @joe_pickrell]

New blog post! "What happens when genome sequencing data is ‘too cheap to meter’?"

Some speculation on the coming changes in the genomics industry as sequencing costs resume their decline
https://t.co/mlPJq96Fjx

[Bionano Laboratories @BionanoLabs]

Congratulations to @AUG_University and Praxis Genomics who completed the gap-fill process for their PLA codes for hematologic malignancy analysis by #OGM at a rate of $1,863!

This approval is an amazing step forward for reimbursement and accessibility of clinical OGM testing!

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@AdrianoAguzzi Given the background, it does not sound like you have a balanced dataset in terms of positives and negatives. I recommend a precision recall plot https://t.co/w6KYjkyzIG

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@GregLarssen Additionally, most clinical labs don’t currently have extraction methods capable of isolating high molecular weight DNA since its not required for NGS or in situ techniques. The biggest barrier to acceptance still lies in the reimbursement landscape however, not marketing IMO.

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@GenomeWeb Wait, the largest department of @bionano is sales and marketing? Without an active reimbursement scheme for clinical laboratories in place?

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

Really highlights the need for robust IT infrastructure and intuitive interfaces ranging from EHRs, all the way down to the level of a single diagnostic test. Especially those as informationally diverse and dynamic as NGS testing.

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

Great preparation for my first @AMIAinformatics conference listening to @FYInformatics. Insightful conversation about common multidisciplinary challenges clinical informatics harbors and also helpful career development content.

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

As a Bioinformatician venturing into development/engineering in a pathology setting, these challenges are unsurprisingly not foreign to me. Diagnostic testing is becoming increasingly complex, as are the interpretation of the results.

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@RobertVisse @GregLarssen This raises the question where are these emerging technologies in their journey to clinical adoption and is more development of the technology needed before an all out push for clinical markets? I think OGM has the least resistance with traditional cytogenetics paving the way.

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@RobertVisse @GregLarssen The more the technology is used in a clinical setting, the more the resulting biomarkers can be correlated with clinical outcomes to facilitate drug development, provide unique diagnostic value, etc. Essentially a exponential level of adoption once that line is crossed. \3

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@GenomicsCow https://t.co/mb9hsEaQvK

CHIP detection in solid tumor testing is a very prevalent example of this.

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@GenomicsCow @OmicsOmicsBlog @sbarnettARK @gbw42 @biodiversityge1 @coregenomics @illumina @SeekingAlpha @MehtaManal @AlbertVilella @olivierlucas29 In an ideal world yes, but in the short term with strictly regulated companion diagnostics and reimbursement guidelines, omic level testing often serves as a ‘screen’ to initiate reflex testing for an approved test.

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@sbarnettARK @GenomicsCow @OmicsOmicsBlog @gbw42 @biodiversityge1 @coregenomics @illumina @SeekingAlpha @MehtaManal @AlbertVilella @olivierlucas29 Not to mention the ability for the technology to serve as an orthogonal approach for other common molecular diagnostic techniques (e.g. cytogenetics)

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

@BrianDilkes Excellent point. Third party recruiters. My initial response is essentially 'sequencing data is sequencing data' but perhaps that may not be enough for recruiters without a deep background?

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

As a PhD who has worked in plant genomics & transcriptomics using NGS, I'm often told by job recruiters I need experience with human datasets. I feel as if my skills should be easily translatable, but are human datasets distinct enough to nullify my experience?

[Clint Chapple @ChappleClint]

We're very excited about this search! Please retweet to help us build a robust and diverse applicant pool!

[Robert Auber @robert_auber]

Great discussion at the @FLGenomics 'Exploring the Current Sequencing Landscape' event today! Natalie Thorne (@MelbGenomics) raised a great point by describing the current state of commercialized post-sequencing analyses as 'non-modular'.