Supporting Developmental Biology Research Through Bioinformatics Mentoring
For developmental biologist Dr. Di Peng, single-cell RNA sequencing opened new possibilities for studying early zebrafish lymphatic development — but it also introduced bioinformatics challenges outside her area of expertise, creating a need for practical support to move a complex project forward. Through Genevia Technologies’ bioinformatics mentoring service, she collaborated with a senior bioinformatician to troubleshoot and refine code and generate results that ultimately became part of a manuscript.
Combining scientific ownership with expert support
Dr. Di Peng’s research in the Kaska Koltowska lab at Uppsala University, Sweden, focuses on the very early stages of lymphatic development in zebrafish; an area where reference datasets and established workflows for single-cell RNA-seq data are still limited.
“We are not a bioinformatics lab, and I have wet lab-based training,” Dr. Peng explains. “The field is still quite new, so there wasn’t much published work or reference data available. That’s why I reached out for help.”
Rather than outsourcing the project entirely, Dr. Peng was looking for a collaborative setup where she could continue leading the scientific work while receiving expert guidance whenever technical bottlenecks emerged.
The project centered on single-cell RNA-seq analysis, including troubleshooting code, choosing appropriate analysis approaches, and improving workflow efficiency. From the beginning, the collaboration was structured as an interactive consultation rather than a traditional service project.
Working closely with Genevia’s senior bioinformatician, Dr. Trish Thomas, Dr. Peng received hands-on support throughout the analysis process. Regular meetings, detailed follow-up summaries, and fast responses made the collaboration feel effortless and efficient.
“I’ve been really happy with the collaboration,” Dr. Peng says. “Trish was very proactive, responded quickly, and really knew what she was doing.”
The support ranged from reviewing and correcting code to discussing suitable analysis strategies for challenging datasets. In some cases, Dr. Thomas also implemented parts of the coding work directly to speed up progress.
Because Dr. Peng already had some familiarity with R scripting, the mentoring model allowed her to stay actively involved while gaining practical bioinformatics expertise along the way.
“The consultation worked out exactly the way I wanted,” she says. “Trish could provide guidance and solutions when I hit a bottleneck, while I was still mainly leading the project myself.”
The collaboration ultimately helped the team generate results that were included in a manuscript.
Faster progress through external expertise
Before working with Genevia, the Koltowska group had primarily relied on internal bioinformatics support services or academic collaborations. Compared to those experiences, one difference stood out clearly: speed and responsiveness.
“With internal platforms, one bioinformatician may be handling a huge number of projects,” Dr. Peng reflects. “For this project we wanted to have the data added to the rest of the manuscript with a short deadline.”
For a fast-moving research project requiring continuous iteration, timely support became especially valuable.
“For a project like ours, where we really needed quick and efficient progress, this was really the way to go,” she says.
The experience also shifted Dr. Peng’s perspective on external bioinformatics collaborations more broadly. While outsourcing bioinformatics support is still less common in many academic research environments, she now sees clear value in the model for projects that require specialized expertise and close interaction, and she recommends it to colleagues as well.
“If I have a similar need in the future, I would definitely consider working with Genevia again,” she says.
Fruitful guidance with lasting impact
For Dr. Peng, one of the biggest advantages of the mentoring approach was that it strengthened the project without taking control away from the research team.
Instead of simply delivering results, the collaboration provided both immediate solutions and transferable knowledge that supported the project over the long term.
“This has been really fruitful for me,” Dr. Peng summarizes. “My supervisor is also happy with the work we’ve done, so it’s been a win-win.”
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