Dr Julie Iskander1, Mr Michael Milton1
1WEHI, Melbourne/Parkville, Australia
Biography:
Julie Iskander leads the Research Computing Platform at WEHI, where she brings her background in software engineering, computational biology, and biomedical research to drive infrastructure development and support scalable, data-driven science. Her team helps researchers bridge the gap between scientific questions and computational solutions, with growing emphasis on making AI tools and cloud platforms accessible across disciplines.
Abstract:
Spatial omics has the potential to enable precision diagnostics due to the wealth of information obtained from combining bioimaging, transcriptomic and proteomic technologies. Management and analysis of spatial data has remained a challenge, with large data volumes, numerous technologies and lack of standardised processing pipelines adding to the complexity. The WEHI Spatial Omics Data Analytics (SODA) Hub has been established to provide streamlined environment for users of spatial technology at the institute, from data and metadata management to analysis pipelines.
In this presentation, we will outline how the SODA-Hub will support spatial research at the institute by handling data ingestion and metadata collection, streamlining the movement of large data sets and organising data in a way that is FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable). The OME Remote Objects System (OMERO) image management system serves as the foundational platform of the environment and will provide spatial researchers with the ability to view, analyse and organise their spatial data. To streamline analysis, SODA-Hub will provide a suite of pipelines, including cell segmentation and downstream tools for the MERSCOPE, Xenium and COMET platforms, implemented in performant Nextflow pipelines and accessible via a user-friendly web-interface provided by Seqera Platform. This streamlining of spatial research at the institute will lead to better research outcomes, and ultimately better health outcomes for patients.