A customizable analysis flow in integrative multi-omics

Abstract

The number of researchers using multi-omics is growing. Though still expensive, every year it is cheaper to perform multi-omic studies, often exponentially so. In addition to its increasing accessibility, multi-omics reveals a view of systems biology to an unprecedented depth. Thus, multi-omics can be used to answer a broad range of biological questions in finer resolution than previous methods. We used six omic measurements—four nucleic acid (i.e., genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomics, and metagenomic) and two mass spectrometry (proteomics and metabolomics) based—to highlight an analysis workflow on this type of data, which is often vast. This workflow is not exhaustive of all the omic measurements or analysis methods, but it will provide an experienced or even a novice multi-omic researcher with the tools necessary to analyze their data. This review begins with analyzing a single ome and study design, and then synthesizes best practices in data integration techniques that include machine learning. Furthermore, we delineate methods to validate findings from multi-omic integration. Ultimately, multi-omic integration offers a window into the complexity of molecular interactions and a comprehensive view of systems biology.