Knowledge Exchange within the HERA2 Project: international Log-read Sequencing Workshop
Long-read sequencing is the latest technology in the field of whole-genome sequencing. However, not all partners in the HERA2 project consortium, which consists of the national public health agencies of Greece, Croatia, Austria, and Hungary, have the same access to this methodology. For this reason, AGES organized a hands-on workshop to make this methodological expertise accessible to all partners.
Twenty participants from the public health laboratories of all project organizations, as well as external guests from European sister projects, took part in this three-day laboratory training course. Laboratory and seminar facilities were provided by the University of Crete.
Representatives of the North Carolina Professionals Health Program (NCPHP) and the University of Cologne (UoC) introduced the participants to the library preparation protocols of Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) and generated whole-genome sequencing data from bacterial pathogens directly on site.
The results were subsequently analysed as part of a case study, and the impact of data quality on pathogen identification was discussed.
This mutual exchange of knowledge and cross-project networking are a major benefit to the international consortium.
Last updated: 02.10.2026
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