Phages are the most abundant biological entities on the planet and have had tremendous impact on biological sciences; however, phage genomes lag behind bacterial and eukaryotic genomes in the quality of annotation. For this purpose, the PhAnToMe project was launched to establish a phage annotation database, a rapid annotation pipeline for phage genomes (PhiRAST or phage Rapid Annotation Using Subsystem Technology), and a graphic programming interface for biologists (using the BioBIKE interface).

The PhAnToMe project involves multiple research centers in the United States and includes several stages. The SDSU center is in charge of developing phage genomic subsystems, phage protein families (FIGFams), and subsequently the first release of PhiRAST. As a member of this team, I am in charge of building or coordinating subsystems, and of establishing links with the phage research community. In addition, once the PhiRAST is developed, I will also be in charge of coordinating training workshops and developing testable hypotheses based on the PhAnToMe annotations and subsystems.