Data Processing and Analysis

Once raw data are acquired, the Instrument Control and Robotics system of the Ibis T5000™ Biosensor System automatically triggers data analysis. The analysis server then performs spectral processing, collapsing the raw data into masses. These masses are used to identify a list of possible base compositions, culled with the requirement of paired strands of DNA to impose significant constraints on an otherwise long list of possibilities.

Drawing on the Amplicon Reference Database to relate base compositions to organisms, the processor then hypothesizes potential organisms consistent with the observed masses, and provides statistical measures of the fit of the organism to the data.

After processing, results are imported into the Sample Tracking database and can be viewed in the IbisTrack interface associated with the original sample identifier. Information regarding the quality of the assay, including PCR performance, is also available to determine whether data quality could be improved by re-running a sample. Coupled together, the information system and data flow enable a continuous, automated workflow from physical sample to resulting organism identifications.