OMARU

OMARU performs integrated metagenome-wide association analyses (MWAS) to identify microbial taxa, genes, and pathway-level interactions associated with human disease and to evaluate links with germline genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive analysis workflow: Performs phylogenetic profiling, functional profiling, and case-control metagenome-wide association studies (MWAS).
• Statistical rigor: Corrects hidden confounding factors and applies multiple testing corrections to control false positives.
• Pathway-level interaction analysis: Evaluates pathway-level interactions between the metagenome and germline GWAS and assesses links between taxa and metagenomic genes.
• Customizable workflow: Provides a flexible, configurable analysis workflow that can be tailored to different study designs.

Scientific Applications:

• Type 2 diabetes (T2D) metagenomic analysis: Applied to public T2D metagenomic datasets to identify disrupted microbial diversity and candidate microbial biomarkers.
• Schizophrenia (SCZ) metagenomic analysis: Applied to public SCZ metagenomic datasets and identified increased levels of Streptococcus vestibularis among patient-associated signals and candidate biomarkers.

Methodology:

Performs phylogenetic profiling, functional profiling, and case-control MWAS; corrects hidden confounding factors; applies multiple testing corrections; evaluates pathway-level interactions between metagenome and germline GWAS; and links taxa to metagenomic genes.