Episode 30: Methylation, Metadata, and More

In this episode, David Yarmosh and Briana Benton discuss the future of the ATCC Genome Portal, focusing on upcoming data types and platform enhancements. Benton reveals that by the end of 2025, researchers will gain access to methylation data for the bacteriology collection with future plans to annotate virology genomes, integrate antimicrobial susceptibility data, and enable advanced search features such as taxonomy browsing and gene-based queries. As the portal evolves into a dynamic “digital twin” platform, it will offer more than genome sequences, incorporating valuable metadata like microscopy images and QC results. Benton underscores the pivotal role of customer feedback in driving these innovations and highlights ATCC’s Supporting Membership, which expands data accessibility to researchers beyond those purchasing physical products. With a vision to establish the portal as a trusted, comprehensive reference for authenticated microbial data, ATCC continues to advance reproducibility and innovation in biological research.