Gifford Lab GLUE Projects

Background

The vision for GLUE emphasized synergy between different areas of genomics-related virus research, enabling collaborative use of both data and analytical methods across different usage contexts. The projects listed in this section showcase how GLUE can serve as a foundation for development of wide-ranging kinds of genomics resources.

While the majority of GLUE projects in this collection focus on viral genomics, some have been developed for specific transposon and gene families, highlighting the versatility of GLUE beyond viruses. The virus projects address many of the unusual features of viral genomes, such as circular genomes, segmented genomes, and frameshifting translation mechanisms.

Many of the GLUE projects described here were initially developed to meet specific operational needs or address targeted research questions. However, GLUE’s design structures genomic data and analysis frameworks in a way that promotes adaptability and reusability - the diverse projects showcased here illustrate this principle. These projects, though specialized in origin, provide a robust foundation for developing resources that support a wide range of research objectives and operational applications. By building on this flexible infrastructure, GLUE projects enable versatile tools that can evolve to meet new scientific and public health challenges.

How can the GLUE Projects be Used?

Direct Research Use: With pre-collected, annotated sequences, curated metadata, and ready-made alignments, GLUE projects are ideal for researchers who want to skip the groundwork of data collection and jump straight into analysis. Each project offers a standardized framework, with tools and structures that can be integrated into existing workflows or adapted to new research questions.
Local Processing Pipelines: These GLUE projects either provide pre-built processing pipelines, or can be customised to create them, providing flexible and efficient solutions for various operational contexts of genomic data use. In the GLUE project collection here, genomic epidemiology applications—such as virus surveillance, variant tracking, and antiviral drug resistance monitoring—illustrate how GLUE projects can support public and animal health initiatives. Each project provides adaptable components, from curated reference sequences to automated genotyping tools, enabling users to configure workflows suited to their specific needs. This modular setup not only supports current use cases but also provides preparedness for future demands in pathogen monitoring and intervention planning.
Web Resources: Several of the GLUE projects described here include a web user interface (UI), making it easy to host them as online databases accessible through a web browser. For projects without a built-in web UI, researchers can leverage existing templates or create custom interfaces, ensuring that each project can be tailored to specific user needs, whether in a research lab, a public health setting, or a web-accessible platform.
Foundations for New Resources: Each GLUE project provides a powerful template that can be adapted for new viruses, transposons, or gene families. For researchers aiming to create customized genomic resources or public databases, these projects can serve as a flexible starting point. The modular structure of GLUE allows for expanding the project's scope, whether you need to add new data layers, develop specialized analytical workflows, or integrate with additional bioinformatics tools. This versatility supports resource development for both research-specific investigations and operational applications in public health.
Data Reusability Outside of GLUE: Following a data-oriented programming philosophy, GLUE projects keep raw data intact while organizing it in a relational structure. This means you can reuse the collated data outside of GLUE, ensuring flexibility and reusability across multiple platforms and tools. Researchers and developers can build upon this data without dependency on the GLUE framework itself.

Projects by Category

Projects have been grouped into categories below. Some projects occur in more than one category, and are listed in each.

Warning

Some GLUE projects with web user interfaces are hosted as online databases and analysis tools by third-party institutions (e.g., universities). While links to these instances are provided, they are hosted and maintained independently of the Gifford Lab, and we cannot ensure their ongoing availability or maintenance.