In addition, studies requiring the integration of data collected at multiple institutions means each institution must download its own copy while ensuring that patient-data security is maintained. It is our hope that AnVIL levels the playing field, so that everyone has equal access to make discoveries,' Schatz said. 'AnVIL will be transformative for institutions of all sizes, especially smaller institutions that don't have the resources to build their own data centers. The raw data for a single human genome comprises about 40GB, so downloading thousands of genomes to conduct such research can take takes several days to several weeks. Genetic risk factors for ailments such as cancer or cardiovascular disease are often very subtle, so researchers must analyze thousands of patients' genomes to discover new associations. Typically, genomic analysis starts with researchers downloading massive amounts of data from centralized warehouses to their own data centers, a process that is not only time-consuming, inefficient, and expensive, but also makes collaborating with researchers at other institutions difficult. 'AnVIL is inverting the model of genomics data sharing, offering unprecedented new opportunities for science by connecting researchers and datasets in new ways and promising to enable exciting new discoveries,' said project co-leader Michael Schatz, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of computer science and biology at Johns Hopkins. The work, a project of the National Human Genome Institute, appears today in Cell Genomics. Known as AnVIL (Genomic Data Science Analysis, Visualization, and Informatics Lab-space), the new platform gives any researcher with an Internet connection access to thousands of analysis tools, patient records, and more than 300,000 genomes. A team co-led by a Johns Hopkins University computer scientist has leveled the playing field by creating a cloud-based platform that grants researchers easy access to one of the world's largest genomics databases. Harnessing the power of genomics to find risk factors for major diseases or search for relatives relies on the costly and time-consuming ability to analyze huge numbers of genomes.

Anvil software download