University of Nottingham unlocks rapid viral genotyping with Genome Detective
Patrick McClure, Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham, utilizes the Genome Detective platform in support of his virology research. By complementing traditional bioinformatics pipelines with an efficient, drag-and-drop web interface, McClure's team can rapidly analyze complex multiplex PCR and metagenomic datasets.
The software significantly accelerates turnaround times for tracking respiratory, enteric and emerging infections, working towards bridging the gap between raw sequencing data and actionable clinical insights.
Published June 25, 2026
Shifting focus to emerging viral threats
At the University of Nottingham, Patrick McClure, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, has extended his virology research from blood-borne viruses to the front lines of respiratory, enteric and emerging infections. Operating in both a hospital-based clinical environment and working alongside veterinary groups, McClure manages diverse portfolios detecting and characterising viruses in wildlife, animals, and human patients alike.
While historically relying on an orthodox Sanger approach, the exponential growth of large metagenomic datasets and complex multiplex PCR projects created a bottleneck demanding bioinformatics expertise and high-power computing. "Everyone wants to do sequencing," McClure explains, "but in concert with wet-lab deep-sequencing service providers, Genome Detective takes away the expense, risks, and complications."
Overcoming bioinformatics bottlenecks in the lab
The web-based Genome Detective platform has proven useful in McClure’s laboratory workflow, reducing the duration of certain individual pipeline processes to a matter of minutes. Particularly when evaluating new amplicon sequencing schemes, recently including Sapovirus, Astrovirus, and Adenovirus, the drag-and-drop web interface allows his team and master’s students to rapidly process raw sequencing data and receive comprehensive, reliable typing reports.
"You just drag and drop raw data from commercial sequence providers and you get comprehensive reports," says McClure, highlighting that the platform's speed and reliability are vital for projects with tight turnaround times. Genome Detective's ability to efficiently trim primers and process multiplex amplicons ensures that, even when dealing with limited budgets or overnight sequencing services that yield limited reads, the team is able to acquire the detailed genomic insight they need in a timely manner.
Advancing global enterovirus surveillance
McClure refers to a specific study, mentioning that procedures for the collection of clinical and epidemiological data, and the integration thereof with NGS-generated data, will enhance data sharing and collaborative analysis. Improved accessibility to NGS-based Enterovirus data, for example, will facilitate early outbreak detection, clinical diagnostics, and research on Enterovirus evolution, epidemiology, and disease burden on both regional and global scales:
Read the full study on ScienceDirect
The insightful visual outputs and graphic reports provided by Genome Detective are proving valuable for both academic research and emerging clinical applications. McClure, an active user and advocate who has contributed to position papers on utilizing NGS in clinical environments (such as the above), notes that the platform’s precise range of outputs - including data plots, visualizations, and copiable sequences - strengthens the worldwide reputation of Genome Detective.
Encouraging the use of web-based genotyping tools
While much of his current work revolves around surveillance, the speed of the platform opens doors for rapid, single-day turnaround services that are essential for future clinical management. As McClure concludes when recommending the software to other non-clinical and clinical labs alike: "Use the tools. They tell you what there is and give you a complete report."