Tsai-sang Dederichs is using Galaxy at the Heart Center, University of Freiburg (Germany) for DNA and RNA data analysis. This is Tsai-sang’s experience with Galaxy:
Galaxy is a very user-friendly and flexible bioinformatic server. For those who do not have a programming background, Galaxy provides an opportunity to embark on sequencing data analysis with a relatively low starting hurdle. I used Galaxy to start learning the logic of programming and data formatting, which then helped me to have a smooth transition to learning coding. Even though I am now able to code with R, I am still using a lot of functions of Galaxy. The cloud-based server doubles my working efficiency. I can set up my established workflow and let it run in the cloud; meanwhile, I work in parallel with R for other analyses. Not to mention that Galaxy actually allows multiple datasets running in different histories at the same time. I have been using Galaxy to perform DNA mutation detection, bulk-RNA sequencing, single-cell RNA sequencing as well as different ways of data visualization. In addition, the Galaxy team is very supportive and always inform the users regarding any server updates and potential slow-down of the server, which helped me plan my experiments. I highly recommend the Galaxy platform to those who are interested in programming but do not yet have much experience. For those who can program, Galaxy can also provide opportunities to explore different tools/topics you are not aware of as well as speed up your project.
Thank you Tsai-sang for using Galaxy and sharing your experience with us!