Bioinformatics of Viral Evolution: Tracking Mutations and Lineages

How do scientists track the spread and evolution of viruses in real-time? Understanding the genetic changes of pathogens like SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for public health, vaccine development, and epidemiology. This written course guides you through the fundamental principles of viral genomics and evolutionary analysis. You will transition from understanding basic genetic sequences to analyzing real-world mutation data using modern bioinformatics concepts. What you'll learn: - Understand the foundational concepts of viral genomes, mutations, and evolutionary mechanisms. - Analyze genetic sequence data using modern alignment algorithms and tools. - Construct and interpret phylogenetic trees to trace evolutionary relationships and lineages. - Practice extracting and cleaning genomic data from public biological databases. - Apply Python-based bioinformatics libraries, such as Biopython, to automate mutation analysis. - Evaluate how genomic epidemiology informs public health decisions and vaccine updates. We begin with the core terminology of genomics, guiding you step-by-step through sequence alignment, phylogenetic reconstruction, and mutation tracking. Through structured written explanations and practical code walkthroughs, you will build a solid foundation in computational biology. This course is designed for beginners, developers, and science enthusiasts with no prior background in bioinformatics or genetics. Start your journey into genomic epidemiology today.