• All of Us Returns First Genetic Results To Participants

    Bio-IT World | The All of Us Research Program has begun to return genetic results to participants who have donated biosamples for research, NIH announced yesterday. The program prioritizes information return to its research volunteers. Initially, participants can choose to receive information about their genetic ancestry and traits, with health-related results available at a later date.

    Dec 10, 2020

  • We’re All In This Together: The Integral Role of Animal Biology and Human Health

    Bio-IT World | COVID-19 has brought the link between animals and humans to the forefront, but given that we share more than 97% of our DNA with mammals, it’s time that we begin to consider diverse animal models not from a perspective of simply modeling human disease, but from a perspective of novel discovery and leveraging unique biology to find new pathways for therapeutics.

    Dec 10, 2020

  • GA4GH Incorporates As A Not-for-profit In Canada

    Bio-IT World | The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health announced last week the launch of GA4GH Inc., a not-for-profit organization incorporated under the federal laws of Canada. GA4GH Inc. will serve as a keystone for the Alliance, working alongside existing GA4GH governance structures such as the Standards Steering Committee (SSC), the Strategic Advisory Board (SAB), funders, and Host Institutions, which have supported the organization since its inception in 2013.

    Dec 7, 2020

  • How SARS-CoV-2 Reaches the Brain, Bias in Human Gene Studies, Certain Foods Weaken Virus: COVID-19 Updates

    Bio-IT World I Genetic variations could affect severity, mouse model sheds light on loss of smell, virus mutations may not increase transmissibility, and immune mechanism that triggers cytokine storm. Plus: Chemical compounds in certain foods may weaken SARS-CoV-2, how the virus hijacks human lung cells, and 3D protein modeling shows animal susceptibility.

    Dec 4, 2020

  • The Need for a Resilient Data Foundation for Drug Discovery and Manufacturing

    Bio-IT World | More than any other modern crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the complexity, interconnectedness and global nature of drug development and manufacturing. And it comes at a time when many pharmaceutical companies are in the middle of company-wide digitization initiatives, modernizing their processes to take better advantage of their data. This convergence represents an opportunity to speed up and improve drug discovery but must be considered carefully to ensure that future infrastructure is robust both to increased demand and increased levels of attack.

    Dec 3, 2020

  • DNA Data Storage Alliance Launches With Illumina, Microsoft, Twist Bioscience, Western Digital

    Bio-IT World | Twist Bioscience Corporation, Illumina, and Western Digital announced an alliance last month with Microsoft to advance the field of DNA data storage. These founding companies and member organizations will work together to create a comprehensive industry roadmap that will help the industry achieve interoperability between solutions and help establish the foundations for a cost-effective commercial archival storage ecosystem for the explosive growth of digital data.

    Dec 1, 2020

  • Power of AI With Cloud Computing is “Stunning” to Microsoft’s Nadella

    Bio-IT World | Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said at the AI and the Future of Work Conference from MIT that cloud computing today is massively powerful.

    Nov 30, 2020

  • BERG, AdventHealth Use AI to Scan Patient Records, Improve Outcomes

    Bio-IT World | What started as a collaboration to study non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is shifting gears to tackle COVID-19. BERG and AdventHealth are partnering to apply AI to enhance COVID-19 patient care by rapidly identifying the right path to improve patient outcomes.

    Nov 24, 2020

  • AI, Hybrid Cloud and Quantum Computing Seen by IBMs Krishna as Shaping IT

    Bio-IT World | IBM CEO Arvind Krishna sees AI, hybrid cloud computing, and quantum computing as setting the future of the IT industry.

    Nov 23, 2020

  • New Virtual Reality Tool, Domestic Cats are SARS-CoV-2 Carriers, Combination Therapy Advances: COVID-19 Updates

    Bio-IT World I St. Jude discovers hyperinflammatory pathway, hepatitis C drugs are potential treatment, non-human primate model identifies features of virus, IL-10 production is a marker for severity, recommendations on re-use of data, molecular structure of key E-protein, and early antibody evolution predicts outcomes. Plus: Disrupting SKI complex prevents viral replication, why COVID-19 spares children, and how smoking causes more severe infection.

    Nov 20, 2020

  • Behind the VC Curtain: Investors Talk About Post-COVID Trends and the ‘New’ Healthcare Tech

    Bio-IT World | COVID-19 is switching the risk paradigm for biotech and pharma. It’s too risky, now, not to do something digital. It’s driving changes in investing as well. A recent panel discussion explored how venture capital and new tech companies evaluate technology, invest cash, and plan to move forward.

    Nov 19, 2020

  • Molecular Tagging System With Real-World Potential

    Bio-IT World | A decades-old technology initially used to hide secret messages in dots of DNA—along with Oxford Nanopore sequencing—could get a reboot as a tracking system for commodities that might be too small or numerous for tagging with QR codes or radio-frequency identification, such as experimental drugs and controlled substances.

    Nov 17, 2020

  • Illumina Announces P3 High-Output Flow Cell, NextSeq 1000

    Bio-IT World | Illumina has announced the commercial availability of the P3 high-output flow cell, offering 1.1 billion reads in a single sequencing run. The company also announced the commercial availability of the NextSeq 1000.

    Nov 13, 2020

  • New Rhesus Macaque Model, Six SARS-CoV-2 Strains, the Structure of Dexamethasone with Serum Albumin: COVID-19 Updates

    Bio-IT World | A look at how COVID-19 patients fare after recovery, Mount Sinai’s new ML model analyzes EHRs, overlapping genes in viruses, conferred immunity from other coronaviruses, and a picture of RNA-RNA interactions. Plus a new Intel system at LLNL for COVID-19 research, Baylor’s coronavirus curriculum, and a recommended vaccine distribution framework.

    Nov 13, 2020

  • Big Data, Supercomputing Deployed For Disease Risk Prediction Models

    Bio-IT World | The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have teamed up to develop disease risk prediction models using deep learning, according to Ravi Madduri, a computer scientist at the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory and co-lead of the collaboration.

    Nov 12, 2020

  • Fall New Products, News From DNAnexus, Immunai, Thermo Fisher, More

    Bio-IT World | New products, collaborations and deployments from the past two months from Quantum, Mission Bio, Seqster, Takeda, Optibrium, the Pistoia Alliance, Caris Life Sciences, Genomenon, and more.

    Nov 11, 2020

  • Bryn Roberts: Reflections on Pharma’s Scientific Computing Journey

    Bio-IT World | Pharma has had a long history with data. Of course, it wasn’t always digital but there’s always been a data trail. We asked Bryn Roberts from Roche for insights gleaned from his nearly three decades in the pharma industry, mainly in roles related to data science, information technology, and automation. Generating and collecting data has never really been a problem, he said. Managing it, however, has always been a challenge.

    Nov 10, 2020

  • Synthetic Nanobody Potential Treatment, Red Marrow Main Target, Europe Source Of Spread: COVID-19 Updates

    Bio-IT World I Isolated cannabis compounds decrease cytokines, spike protein disrupts blood-brain barrier, aprotinin potential treatment, D614F mutation made virus more contagious, seven forms of disease identified, and new nanoparticle vaccine a promising candidate. Plus: Cornea of the eye may be resistant, propranolol reduces inflammation, autoimmune antibody culprit for blood clots, and lung damage found in ‘long COVID’.

    Nov 6, 2020

  • Setting Your Group Up For Data Governance Success

    Bio-IT World | Data governance is a somewhat fluid term, encompassing all aspects of making sure our data are accurate, consistent, current, and secure. Successful data governance relies on input from scientists, IT teams, and executives, and it must remain flexible as stakeholders change, business interests evolve, and collaborations mature.

    Nov 5, 2020

  • Real Progress In Crowdsourcing Scientific Tasks To Gamers

    Bio-IT World | Gaming and science—two seemingly incompatible areas of activity—have come together nicely in the case of citizen science games such as Foldit, Phylo, and Borderlands Science, as reported by academics close to the action who presented at the recent Bio-IT World Conference & Expo Virtual. The games are all played online, involve analyzing large sets of data, and endeavoring to solve real scientific problems. And players get credit individually (when willing) or as a crowd when findings appear in scholarly, peer-reviewed publications.

    Nov 4, 2020