High-quality analyses
AltraBio harnesses its renowned expertise in bioinformatics, biostatistics, and biology to offer services in the analysis and interpretation of various omics data types (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc.).
Our team collaborates closely with clients and partners for each project to ensure their goals are met.
Expertise in biostatistics and bioinformatics
Before conducting differential analyses, we implement various methods to assess the data quality and its consistency with the experimental design. We specifically address outliers and effects unrelated to the design to correct them in agreement with of our client/partner. This ensures the relevance of the analysis performed.
Experimental designs may involve multiple factors such as donor, cell type, treatment, dose, and timepoints, allowing for analysis from various perspectives. To address the biological question(s) of the study, AltraBio identifies the most appropriate statistical model (paired design, batch effect correction, estimation of hidden factors, outlier weighting, etc.).
AltraBio has the expertise to integrate various types of data (multi-omics, cytometry, medical data, etc.). We employ supervised and unsupervised machine learning for various applications including biomarker identification, classification, predictive models for diagnostics or treatment response. Our clients benefit from our strong proficiency in utilizing state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms to extract maximum value from their data.
Expertise in biology
Biological processes and pathways are identified through the implementation of various complementary methods of functional category enrichment. These automated results are then reviewed to assess their relevance with the biological context of the study.
Beyond providing lists of molecules and biological pathways, AltraBio’s role is to extract meaning. In the interpretation phase, we consider the biological question(s) that initiated the study and evaluate the results while integrating biological knowledge available in scientific literature and databases. Our goal is to understand the biological mechanisms at play and formulate new hypotheses for validation. Examples of synthetic diagrams produced by AltraBio can be found in figures S8A and S9A of this article).
Reporting
All the work conducted is summarized in a comprehensive report provided to our client/partner and explained during a video conference. This exchange allows us to clarify the chosen methodological approaches and their results, ensuring that our client/partner has the best understanding of their data.
The results of statistical analysis are also accessible through the WikiBioPath web interface, providing our clients/partners with a set of visualisation and analysis tools to continue exploring their data. They can easily visualize volcano plots, generate new heat maps, perform PCA, and conduct enrichment analyses on gene selections.
Our publications in Omics Data Analysis
2016
Blanc, Pascal; Moro-Sibilot, Ludovic; Barthly, Lucas; Jagot, Ferdinand; This, Sébastien; de Bernard, Simon; Buffat, Laurent; Dussurgey, Sébastien; Colisson, Renaud; Hobeika, Elias; Fest, Thierry; Taillardet, Morgan; Thaunat, Olivier; Sicard, Antoine; Mondière, Paul; Genestier, Laurent; Nutt, Stephen L; Defrance, Thierry
Mature IgM-expressing plasma cells sense antigen and develop competence for cytokine production upon antigenic challenge Journal Article
In: Nat Commun, vol. 7, pp. 13600, 2016, ISSN: 2041-1723.
@article{pmid27924814,
title = {Mature IgM-expressing plasma cells sense antigen and develop competence for cytokine production upon antigenic challenge},
author = {Pascal Blanc and Ludovic Moro-Sibilot and Lucas Barthly and Ferdinand Jagot and Sébastien This and Simon de Bernard and Laurent Buffat and Sébastien Dussurgey and Renaud Colisson and Elias Hobeika and Thierry Fest and Morgan Taillardet and Olivier Thaunat and Antoine Sicard and Paul Mondière and Laurent Genestier and Stephen L Nutt and Thierry Defrance},
doi = {10.1038/ncomms13600},
issn = {2041-1723},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-12-01},
urldate = {2016-12-01},
journal = {Nat Commun},
volume = {7},
pages = {13600},
abstract = {Dogma holds that plasma cells, as opposed to B cells, cannot bind antigen because they have switched from expression of membrane-bound immunoglobulins (Ig) that constitute the B-cell receptor (BCR) to production of the secreted form of immunoglobulins. Here we compare the phenotypical and functional attributes of plasma cells generated by the T-cell-dependent and T-cell-independent forms of the hapten NP. We show that the nature of the secreted Ig isotype, rather than the chemical structure of the immunizing antigen, defines two functionally distinct populations of plasma cells. Fully mature IgM-expressing plasma cells resident in the bone marrow retain expression of a functional BCR, whereas their IgG counterparts do not. Antigen boost modifies the gene expression profile of IgM plasma cells and initiates a cytokine production program, characterized by upregulation of CCL5 and IL-10. Our results demonstrate that IgM-expressing plasma cells can sense antigen and acquire competence for cytokine production upon antigenic challenge.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
2015
van Helden, Mary J; Goossens, Steven; Daussy, Cécile; Mathieu, Anne-Laure; Faure, Fabrice; Marçais, Antoine; Vandamme, Niels; Farla, Natalie; Mayol, Katia; Viel, Sébastien; Degouve, Sophie; Debien, Emilie; Seuntjens, Eve; Conidi, Andrea; Chaix, Julie; Mangeot, Philippe; de Bernard, Simon; Buffat, Laurent; Haigh, Jody J; Huylebroeck, Danny; Lambrecht, Bart N; Berx, Geert; Walzer, Thierry
Terminal NK cell maturation is controlled by concerted actions of T-bet and Zeb2 and is essential for melanoma rejection Journal Article
In: J Exp Med, vol. 212, no. 12, pp. 2015–2025, 2015, ISSN: 1540-9538.
@article{pmid26503444,
title = {Terminal NK cell maturation is controlled by concerted actions of T-bet and Zeb2 and is essential for melanoma rejection},
author = {Mary J van Helden and Steven Goossens and Cécile Daussy and Anne-Laure Mathieu and Fabrice Faure and Antoine Marçais and Niels Vandamme and Natalie Farla and Katia Mayol and Sébastien Viel and Sophie Degouve and Emilie Debien and Eve Seuntjens and Andrea Conidi and Julie Chaix and Philippe Mangeot and Simon de Bernard and Laurent Buffat and Jody J Haigh and Danny Huylebroeck and Bart N Lambrecht and Geert Berx and Thierry Walzer},
doi = {10.1084/jem.20150809},
issn = {1540-9538},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-11-01},
urldate = {2015-11-01},
journal = {J Exp Med},
volume = {212},
number = {12},
pages = {2015--2025},
abstract = {Natural killer (NK) cell maturation is a tightly controlled process that endows NK cells with functional competence and the capacity to recognize target cells. Here, we found that the transcription factor (TF) Zeb2 was the most highly induced TF during NK cell maturation. Zeb2 is known to control epithelial to mesenchymal transition, but its role in immune cells is mostly undefined. Targeted deletion of Zeb2 resulted in impaired NK cell maturation, survival, and exit from the bone marrow. NK cell function was preserved, but mice lacking Zeb2 in NK cells were more susceptible to B16 melanoma lung metastases. Reciprocally, ectopic expression of Zeb2 resulted in a higher frequency of mature NK cells in all organs. Moreover, the immature phenotype of Zeb2(-/-) NK cells closely resembled that of Tbx21(-/-) NK cells. This was caused by both a dependence of Zeb2 expression on T-bet and a probable cooperation of these factors in gene regulation. Transgenic expression of Zeb2 in Tbx21(-/-) NK cells partially restored a normal maturation, establishing that timely induction of Zeb2 by T-bet is an essential event during NK cell differentiation. Finally, this novel transcriptional cascade could also operate in human as T-bet and Zeb2 are similarly regulated in mouse and human NK cells.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Bauer, Yasmina; Tedrow, John; de Bernard, Simon; Birker-Robaczewska, Magdalena; Gibson, Kevin F; Guardela, Brenda Juan; Hess, Patrick; Klenk, Axel; Lindell, Kathleen O; Poirey, Sylvie; Renault, Bérengère; Rey, Markus; Weber, Edgar; Nayler, Oliver; Kaminski, Naftali
A novel genomic signature with translational significance for human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis Journal Article
In: Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 217–231, 2015, ISSN: 1535-4989.
@article{pmid25029475,
title = {A novel genomic signature with translational significance for human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis},
author = {Yasmina Bauer and John Tedrow and Simon de Bernard and Magdalena Birker-Robaczewska and Kevin F Gibson and Brenda Juan Guardela and Patrick Hess and Axel Klenk and Kathleen O Lindell and Sylvie Poirey and Bérengère Renault and Markus Rey and Edgar Weber and Oliver Nayler and Naftali Kaminski},
doi = {10.1165/rcmb.2013-0310OC},
issn = {1535-4989},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-02-01},
urldate = {2015-02-01},
journal = {Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol},
volume = {52},
number = {2},
pages = {217--231},
abstract = {The bleomycin-induced rodent lung fibrosis model is commonly used to study mechanisms of lung fibrosis and to test potential therapeutic interventions, despite the well recognized dissimilarities to human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Therefore, in this study, we sought to identify genomic commonalities between the gene expression profiles from 100 IPF lungs and 108 control lungs that were obtained from the Lung Tissue Research Consortium, and rat lungs harvested at Days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, and 56 after bleomycin instillation. Surprisingly, the highest gene expression similarity between bleomycin-treated rat and IPF lungs was observed at Day 7. At this point of maximal rat-human commonality, we identified a novel set of 12 disease-relevant translational gene markers (C6, CTHRC1, CTSE, FHL2, GAL, GREM1, LCN2, MMP7, NELL1, PCSK1, PLA2G2A, and SLC2A5) that was able to separate almost all patients with IPF from control subjects in our cohort and in two additional IPF/control cohorts (GSE10667 and GSE24206). Furthermore, in combination with diffusing capacity of carbon monoxide measurements, four members of the translational gene marker set contributed to stratify patients with IPF according to disease severity. Significantly, pirfenidone attenuated the expression change of one (CTHRC1) translational gene marker in the bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis model, in transforming growth factor-β1-treated primary human lung fibroblasts and transforming growth factor-β1-treated human epithelial A549 cells. Our results suggest that a strategy focused on rodent model-human disease commonalities may identify genes that could be used to predict the pharmacological impact of therapeutic interventions, and thus facilitate the development of novel treatments for this devastating lung disease.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}