In a recent BioBam article, Fabian Jetzinger, Doctoral Candidate, explains how to overcome the complexities of defining custom transcriptomes using TAMA Merge. While long-read sequencing reveals vast isoform diversity, researchers often struggle to identify rare or sample-specific isoforms that are missing from standard reference annotations.

Key Benefits of TAMA Merge in OmicsBox:

• Unified Transcriptomes: Seamlessly combine condition-specific transcriptomes (e.g., from different tissues) into a single, comprehensive reference.
• Sensitivity for Rare Isoforms: By merging individual samples rather than pooling raw reads, you can capture rarely occurring isoforms that might otherwise be overlooked.
• Precision Control: Users can set specific thresholds for splice junctions and transcription start/end sites, allowing for the separation of true biological novelty from technical artifacts.
• Curated Results: The tool integrates with SQANTI3 for final curation, ensuring your downstream analysis is based on high-quality, trustworthy transcript models.

With TAMA Merge, OmicsBox provides a user-friendly, end-to-end workflow to uncover the subtle biological differences that drive discovery in long-read transcriptomics.