SAS Biological and Clinical Interpretation of Sequencing Data, Hochschule für Life Sciences FHNW

You will learn to interpret DNA and RNA sequencing results in biological and clinical contexts, applying statistical and visualisation methods. Topics include differential gene expression, pathway analysis and variant annotation.

After completing the SAS, you will be able to:

• Interpret genomic and transcriptomic data to identify biologically and clinically relevant molecular alterations.
• Assess the statistical significance and robustness of sequencing-derived findings using established analytical methods.
• Annotate and prioritize genetic variants and expression changes based on functional evidence, disease associations, and clinical relevance.
• Integrate sequencing results with biological and clinical information to generate hypotheses and support precision medicine approaches.

This SAS is for you if you work in life sciences, healthcare or research and want to build practical skills in bioinformatics. It is particularly relevant if you:

• Work with or plan to work with next-generation and nanopore sequencing data
• Work in biotech, pharma or a related industry where sequencing analysis is becoming essential

You should have a basic understanding of molecular biology, some hands-on experience with a programming language such as Python, and strong motivation to strengthen your computational skills.

This SAS is the third of three modules within the CAS Applied Bioinformatics: Next- and 3rd Generation Sequencing Data Analysis. It is offered online over three days. You will learn to interpret NGS results in biological and clinical contexts, applying statistical and visualisation methods. Topics include differential gene expression, pathway analysis and variant annotation.

• Databases: Ensembl, ClinVar, Kraken, String
• Network and pathway analysis
• Enrichment analysis
• Assessing clinical relevance

This module builds a solid foundation required for biological and clinical interpretation and visualisation of sequencing data. At the end of the module, a multiple-choice questionnaire (pass/fail) is available, if you would like to receive ECTS credits. The module can be allocated to the CAS Applied Bioinformatics: Next- and 3rd Generation Sequencing Data Analysis within three years. If you have successfully completed all SAS of this CAS programme and wish to receive the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS), please contact us for the final written assignment. ​

• Prof. Dr. Abdullah Kahraman, Programme Manager
• Dr. Thomas Wieland, Sr. Director Strategic Operations, Foundation Medicine

The following programme admission requirements apply:

• Tertiary A: Higher education qualification (at least a Bachelor’s degree) and at least 2 years’ practical experience relevant to the programme,
• Tertiary B: Colleges of Higher Education Diploma (HF), Advanced Federal Diploma of Higher Education (HFP) or Federal Diploma Higher Education (BP), and at least 5 years’ practical experience relevant to the programme,
• Individuals without a Tertiary A or B qualification may be admitted if they cumulatively meet the following admission criteria:
• at least 10 years’ professional experience in a field relevant to the programme, of which at least 5 years in a managerial or senior specialist role
• additional qualifications (various non-formal, extensive further training courses or partial completion (>50%) of a tertiary qualification)
• evidence of knowledge of academic work or a willingness to acquire this in advance.

As the instruction and educational materials are in English, proficiency in English (minimum level C1) is a prerequisite.

A personal notebook/laptop is required for the programme.