As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, one of the great aspects of our scientific community is the sharing of public data. With a mission of providing powerful and accurate tools to researchers, we at at Golden Helix especially appreciate the value of having rich and extensive public data to test and calibrate those tools. Public data allow us to… Read more »
A GPU can produce an enormous boost in performance for many scientific computing applications. Since we announced the availability of SNP & Variation Suite’s incorporation of GPUs to dramatically speed up copy number segmentation, we’ve received numerous inquiries on recommendations for what GPU to purchase. Unfortunately the technical terminology and choices can be a bit confusing. In this article I… Read more »
Our recent blog post about the release of SNP & Variation Suite v7.4 gave you a sneak peek into what can be achieved with the revamped SVS/Python integration, which includes the incorporation of NumPy and SciPy libraries and new graphical layout capabilities. A Python package (such as SciPy) is similar to an R package, which you may be more familiar… Read more »
The advances in DNA sequencing are another magnificent technological revolution that we’re all excited to be a part of. Similar to how the technology of microprocessors enabled the personalization of computers, or how the new paradigms of web 2.0 redefined how we use the internet, high-throughput sequencing machines are defining and driving a new era of biology. Biologists, geneticists, clinicians,… Read more »
Let’s kick off this month’s recognition with Audrey Papp and Wolfgang Sadee at Ohio State University for their work on “Flavopiridol Pharmacogenetics: Clinical and Functional Evidence for the Role of SLCO1B1/OATP1B1 in Flavopiridol Disposition” just published in PLoS ONE. (All abstracts below.) Also in pharmacogenetics (albeit in mice) this month is Tristan Sissung at the NIH National Cancer Research. His… Read more »
Recognition this month begins with Eric Londin at Coriell Institute for Medical Research for his publication in PLoS ONE: “CoAIMs: A Cost-Effective Panel of Ancestry Informative Markers for Determining Continental Origins.” (Abstract below). Also recently published in PLoS ONE is Chiara Magri with Brescia University School of Medicine on her study locating new CNVs in schizophrenia. (Abstract below) Skipping over… Read more »
Why should a genetic researcher care about the latest in video gaming technology? The answer is video graphics cards or Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). For certain computational tasks, a single GPU can perform as well as an entire cluster of CPUs for only a fraction of the cost. And because video gaming has grown into a highly competitive multi-billion dollar… Read more »
The scripting environment in SVS 7 allows for cross-communication between the powerful Python scripting language and the tools used in data analysis. Scripting is often the most effective way to make new features available to customers prior to new software releases. We often write scripts based on a specific customer’s need and then expand availability to all customers, many who… Read more »
Over the past 3 years, Golden Helix has analyzed dozens of public and customer whole-genome and candidate gene datasets for a host of studies. Though genetic research certainly has a number of complexities and challenges, the number one problem we encounter, which also has the greatest repercussions, is born of problematic experimental design. In fact, about 95% of the studies… Read more »
How much fun is a person allowed to have when going to a conference? That kind of sums up my personal experience going to the first ever Capita Selecta in Complex Disease Analysis (bi-annual) conference in Leuven, Belgium. Not only was it fun, but the conference program was packed with interesting talks and short courses. Dr. Kristel van Steen and… Read more »
As Andy Ferrin and I drove the five-hour car ride home from a cytogenetics conference, we had a lot of time to reflect on the persistent themes we heard in presentations and dialog among conference attendees. Taking somewhat of an outsider view, we traced each complaint, each sigh of frustration, and the unverbalized assumptions behind opposing viewpoints, and they all… Read more »
