A two-day hybrid hands-on workshop on R programming and RNA-Seq gene expression analysis was designed and conducted by Dr. Khuram Shahzad at IRCBM, CUI Lahore Campus, on 29–30 July 2026.
A two-day hands-on workshop titled “Introduction to R and Gene Expression Analysis Using Bioinformatics Tools” was designed and conducted by Dr. Khuram Shahzad at the Interdisciplinary Research Center in Biomedical Materials (IRCBM), COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus, on 29–30 July 2026. The workshop was organized in hybrid mode, providing participants with the opportunity to attend either physically at IRCBM or online.
Dr. Shahzad served as the resource person and delivered comprehensive theoretical lectures and hands-on training throughout the workshop, enabling participants to develop practical expertise in bioinformatics and transcriptomic data analysis.
The workshop aimed to equip researchers, postgraduate students, faculty members, and professionals from various institutions with fundamental knowledge and practical skills in R programming and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) gene expression analysis. Participants actively engaged in theoretical discussions and practical training sessions through both physical and online platforms.
The complete RNA-Seq analysis workflow
Training moved step by step from the R environment through to the interpretation of differential gene expression results.
- Introduction to the R programming environment
- Retrieval of gene expression datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO)
- Downloading sequencing data using the SRA Toolkit
- Quality control of sequencing reads
- Genome alignment
- Read counting
- Metadata preparation
- Differential gene expression analysis using DESeq2
- Visualization and interpretation of gene expression results
- Implementing reproducible bioinformatics workflows in R
Resource person and participants
- Dr. Khuram Shahzad (Designer & Resource Person): designed and conducted the workshop, delivering theoretical lectures and hands-on training across both days.
- Prof. Dr. Anila Asif (Head of IRCBM): led the certificate distribution ceremony and presented certificates to participants in recognition of their successful completion of the workshop.
The workshop was open to researchers, postgraduate students, faculty members and professionals from various institutions, with on-site participants at IRCBM and online participants joining remotely.
The workshop concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony led by the Head IRCBM, Prof. Dr. Anila Asif, who presented certificates to the participants in recognition of their successful completion of the workshop. Overall, the hybrid training program was highly successful in strengthening participants’ computational and bioinformatics skills while promoting the application of modern bioinformatics tools in life sciences research. The hybrid format also enabled broader participation by allowing researchers and students from different institutions and locations to join the training remotely.
IRCBM remains committed to organizing similar capacity-building programs to advance bioinformatics education, computational research, and scientific excellence in Pakistan.
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