Leiden Open Variation Database developer Ivo Fokkema heads home after extensive work on our Genomics Health Alliance projects

For the second time in two years Melbourne Bioinformatics has hosted visiting scholar, Ivo F.A.C. Fokkema, from Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Ivo leaves us this week, having spent the past three months progressing his LOVD database development project.

LOVD is an online platform for storing and sharing genetic variation, as well as software for analysing whole-exome sequencing data. Developed by Ivo and used by the Melbourne Genomics Health Alliance, the platform has potential to be used within the Australian Genomics Health Alliance for sharing of all genetic findings by the Alliance’s members, as well as for the further development of the whole-exome sequencing analysis platform. Ivo’s visit has continued to develop relationships and interest in the use of the platform for this work.

I am very grateful to Melbourne Bioinformatics for once again hosting me here; they provide an excellent network of expertise and a great environment to work in, says Ivo.

We look forward to hearing how this project evolves, with Ivo continuing to progress it from Leiden.