Cancer genomics and transcriptomics

This course will focus on the analysis of data from genomic studies of cancer. It will also highlight the application of transcriptomic analysis and single-cell technologies in cancer. Talks and interactive sessions will give an insight into the bioinformatic concepts required to analyse such data, whilst practical sessions will enable the participants to apply statistical methods to the analysis of cancer genomics data under the guidance of the trainers.

Virtual course

Participants will learn via a mix of pre-recorded lectures, live presentations, and trainer Q&A sessions. Practical experience will be developed through group activities and trainer-led computational exercises. Live sessions will be delivered using Zoom with additional support and asynchronous communication via Slack.

Pre-recorded material may be provided before the course starts that participants will need to watch, read or work through to gain the most out of the actual training event. In the week before the course, there will be a brief induction session. Computational practicals will run on EMBL-EBI's virtual training infrastructure, meaning participants will not require access to a powerful computer or install complex software on their own machines.

Participants will need to be available between the hours of 08:45 – 17:30 BST each day of the course. Trainers will be available to assist, answer questions, and provide further explanations during these times.

Who is this course for?

We welcome applications from PhD students, post-doc researchers, and those working in industry. This course is well-suited for those who are applying, or planning to apply, high throughput sequencing and single-cell technologies in cancer research and wish to familiarise themselves with bioinformatics tools and data analysis methodologies specific to cancer data.

Familiarity with the technology and biological use cases of high throughput sequencing (HTS) is required, as is some experience with R/Bioconductor (basic understanding of the R syntax and ability to manipulate R objects) and the Unix/Linux operating system. There are many tutorials available online and here are some that may be of help:

To complete the following suggested tutorials you may want to install Ubuntu for Windows Users if you are using a computer with a Windows Operating System.

We recommend these free tutorials:

• Introduction to the Unix environment
• Introduction to R
• Introduction to Python

Regardless of your current knowledge, we encourage successful participants to use these, and other materials, to prepare for attending the course and future work in this area.

What will I learn?

Course content

During this course you will learn about: 

• Application of high throughput sequencing (HTS) in cancer
• Introduction to cancer genomics and epigenetics
• Structural variation, SNV and CNV analysis, and data visualisation
• Application of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in studying cancer
• RNA-seq analysis (both short and long reads)
• Single-cell research in cancer

Learning outcomes

After the course you should be able to:

• Evaluate the applications and challenges of HTS in the study of cancer genomics
• Detect, visualise, and annotate copy number variation
• Interpret complex genomic rearrangements such as structural variants
• Explain the principles of tumour purity, heterogeneity, and evolution and how we detect or quantify them using bioinformatic approaches
• Explore the application of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in cancer studies
• Perform alignment and quantification of expression of RNA-seq datasets
• Explore the application of single-cell sequencing in cancer studies

Trainers

Please read our support page before starting your application. In order to be considered for a place on this course, you must do the following:

• Complete the online application form.
• Ensure you add relevant information to the ‘submission details’ section where you are asked to provide information on your:
  • pre-requisite skills and knowledge
  • current work and course expectations
  • data availability
• Upload one letter of support from your supervisor or a senior colleague detailing reasons why you should be selected for the course.

Please submit all documents during the application process by 23:59 on 9 February 2025. Items marked * in the application are mandatory. Incomplete applications will not be processed. 

All applicants will be informed of the status of their application (successful, waiting list, unsuccessful) by 24 February 2025. If you have any questions regarding the application process please contact Anca Belu.

Registration fees

The registration fee includes: 

• access to the full five-day course programme
• access to a bespoke online course handbook
• secure community space on Slack
• virtual machine to work on that is accessed via the internet
• dedicated online support team
• certificate on completion of the course

Financial assistance

Financial assistance is available for a limited number of participants on this course.

Registration fee waivers

We are able to offer a limited number of registration fee waivers for this course. If you receive a waiver, your registration fee will be reimbursed after you have completed the course.

You will need to apply for the fee waiver at the same time as submitting your application for the course, explaining why you require the waiver and how attending this course will benefit your career.

You will be informed about whether you have received the waiver at the same time as you hear about the application outcome for the course. If your course application is successful, you will need to pay the registration fee at the time you register. You will receive the waiver within a month of submitting your form. 

Terms and conditions

The scientific organisers will select the recipients of financial assistance during the course application selection process. Selection for financial support is based on scientific merit, your current work study or location, the reasons for needing financial support and the impact this event will have on your career. Priority will be given to applications from low and middle income countries.

Application for financial support will not affect the outcome of your course application.

Course materials

The 2024 course materials are now live and available for you to use. They provide a mixture of pre-recorded lectures, presentations, and practicals from the course, and will give you a snapshot of what to expect in the 2025 edition.

Flash talks

All participants will be asked to give a short presentation about their research work as part of the course. These provide an opportunity to share their research with the other participants and provide a forum for discussion. Successful applicants will be required to submit their talks upon registration.