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Mining of wastewater metagenomic data to identify population health and disease trends

Tampere University
Duration of project1.9.2023–31.8.2027

Wastewater-Based Epidemiology is a new epidemiological tool that can provide a complementary approach to current infectious disease surveillance and an early warning system for disease outbreaks. Continuous advances in high-throughput sequencing technologies have decreased sequencing costs revolutionizing disease surveillance.

In this project, we will explore total metagenome from wastewater treatment plants, which are a trusted source of community-level population health data. We evaluate the correlation between the health records in a given locality and the corresponding wastewater metagenomic signatures. The project aims to identify disease risk indicators using bioinformatics and data science, including machine learning.

Furthermore, the research produces a cost-effective community-level alternative to generating health information for infection epidemiology and population health research.

Funding

Research Council of Finland

People

Co-operators

Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)

Tarja Pitkänen (projektivetäjä, THL), Karavaeva Anastasia (THL), Elisa Salmivirta (THL), Mikko Määttä (THL), Kristiina Valkama (THL), Aleksi Kolehmainen (THL), Tuija Leino (THL), Oskari Luomala (THL), Aki Havulinna (THL), Ida Holopainen (THL)