Conclusion

Human health depends upon our ability to control or eradicate viruses that affect us and the foods we eat. Characterization of viral genomes is critical to the investigation of how viruses spread and mutate. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, virology research has gained both appreciation and increased governmental support around the world.

Improvements in read sequencing technology and analysis software have made the identification and characterization of viruses an everyday event. Nevertheless, our recent survey showed that researchers found several areas in which they would like to see analysis software improve. From non-existent user interfaces to missing features—such as the inability to remove host DNA or align long sequences—poor software can negatively impact the ability to correctly identify and analyze viral strains.

DNASTAR has addressed each of these issues with a fully integrated workflow for viral genome analysis and an intuitive interface that provides guidance each step of the way. We believe Lasergene provides the easiest, fastest and most accurate software solutions for identifying and characterizing viral strains.