The Lab of applied Biomathematics is focusing on all statistical and bioinformatic questions which are relevant in the Institute of Infectology. The most important tasks are:
- statistical analyses
- multilocus-sequencetyping (MLST) and variant-pathogen-interaction analyses
- analyses of next generation sequencing (NGS) data
- genotype distributions (e.g. analyses of quasispecies)
The occurring questions include a huge range of pathogens (viral and bacterial) as well as different vectors (mosquitoes, midges and ticks) and additionally a diverse host variability from dog and sheep to fish and many others.
Main research topics
The main research tasks of the lab are in the evaluation of metagenomic data of different vectors and their function as a reservoir for many different pathogens. The activities are carried out in close cooperation with other laboratories in the IMED (Laboratory for Bee Diseases, Laboratory for Vector Capacity, Laboratory for Mosquito Monitoring, Laboratory for Molecular Vector-Pathogen Interaction). For data evaluation different tools for bioinformatic purposes are used, but the focus of the lab is on developing new approaches for secondary analyses of sequenced data. One interesting example might be the combination of phylogenetic analyses with nonhierarchical clustering methods to differentiate different viral clusters. The mathematical basics for these analyses are Poisson-, Bernoulli- or Markov Chain Monte Carlo distributions. Additionally, there is another main focus on phylogenetic networks and phylogeography.