| FEATURES & INNOVATIONS |
Computing, analyzing and
storing millions of gigabytes of genomic data calls for large-scale collaboration.
next viral pandemic or track down the source of a bacterial outbreak. Ultimately, data- driven genomics could lead to more precise diagnoses and treatments in the clinic.
SINGAPORE SEQUENCED Most genomic analyses rely on a reference genome, a representative assembly of the entire set of nucleotides in the genome of a particular species. For humans, the six-billion-letter refer-
ence has since 2001 been maintained and regularly updated by a small international consortium of scientists. The entire genome of Asian and African individuals has been published, however the current genomic
www.astar-research.com
literature is substantially skewed to represent Caucasian males. c-BIG is supporting the Platinum
Genome Project to construct reference genomes for the Chinese, Malay and Indian populations in Singapore. These genomes will be assembled using sophisticated algorithms that patch together two types of sequencing information — long, but error-prone, DNA fragments containing up to 10,000 base pairs, and concise, precise 150-nucleotide strands. Combining the two formats will offer an extremely accurate representation of genomes in the region, to inform a growing field of medical genomics better tailored to local needs.
“We want to do our analysis locally, and
not have to borrow insights from other pop- ulations. Everything in Singapore is different — from the diets, to the lifestyles, genomes, healthcare systems and compliance to drug regimens,” says Prabhakar. A larger c-BIG project called SG10K is
building a database of 10,000 home-grown genomes to understand the genetic diversity within Singapore. Every section of these genomes will be read and re-read a dozen times. To achieve this, computational engineers at A*STAR, together with several research institutes in Singapore, will need to invent new algorithms. “We are taking the algorithm that many people in the world use
A*STAR RESEARCH 35
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52