Curation of Emerging Pathogen Genomes for FDA-ARGOS Database Expansion

Miao Wang

Mentor: Dr. Raja Mazumder, IBS Director; Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, George Washington University. Dr. Jonathon Keeney, Assistant Research Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, George Washington University. Christie Rose Woodside, Bioinformatician for FDA-ARGOS, George Washington University.

Date/Time: August 21st, 2025 at 2:30 PM.

Abstract: In recent years, numerous microbial genome databases have emerged; however, many contain incomplete or low-quality assemblies, making it difficult for researchers to efficiently identify reliable reference data. The FDA-ARGOS (FDA Database for Regulatory-Grade microbial Sequences) addresses this challenge by providing only high-quality, regulatory-grade genomes with standardized metadata. This project focused on supporting the expansion of ARGOS through the identification, evaluation, and curation of candidate pathogen genomes of clinical and public health importance. Candidate organisms were selected based on emerging threat reports from sources such as CDC, WHO, and CIDRAP. For each candidate, available assemblies and sequencing reads were retrieved from NCBI, and their quality was assessed by examining assembly level, annotation status, and metadata completeness. High-confidence candidates were further evaluated using the HIVE quality control pipeline to ensure they met ARGOS inclusion standards. By filtering and validating these genomes, this work enhances the ARGOS database as a reliable resource for regulatory science, enabling researchers and public health professionals to locate high-quality pathogen genomic data more efficiently