Advancing RNA and DNA genome sequencing for
infectious disease diagnostics
VANCOUVER, Nov. 16, 2017 /CNW/ - IBM (NYSE: IBM) today
announced that Vancouver-based
company Fusion Genomics selected IBM's cloud capabilities to help
advance Fusion's ability to detect pandemics before they happen.
Fusion Genomics has developed disruptive DNA and RNA technology
that it believes can positively identify infectious diseases and
enhance the surveillance of emerging pathogens like MERS, SARS,
avian flu, and swine flu.
According to Fusion, Fusion Genomics' technology when employed
for pre-emergence surveillance can help proactively identify
threats, like swine flu, by taking aerosol samples in high risk
areas, then analyze the sample to determine if there is potential
to affect humans. If there is a risk, Fusion Genomics can help
groups like governments and hospitals make rapid and informed
decisions for the health and safety of those that rely on them
before an outbreak occurs.
Requiring a cloud platform tuned for machine learning workloads,
which also provides secure infrastructure capable of hosting
sensitive genomic data, Fusion Genomics determined that the IBM
Cloud was the ideal solution. The global infrastructure footprint
of the IBM Cloud helps Fusion Genomics create a more coordinated
and efficient delivery system that can scale up or down as needed.
In addition, IBM Cloud positioned the company to analyze genomic
data in minutes.
The IBM Cloud enables Fusion Genomics' system to gather and
process four core elements in unison:
- Beginning with testing, the sample genome is captured and DNA
sequenced.
- Fusion Genomics' machine learning algorithms then analyze the
genomic data to identify the presence of a pathogen, including any
forms that could cause public harm.
- Once identified, physicians using Fusion Genomics' technology
can provide appropriate therapeutics; thus, treatment can be
determined while tracking the transmission dynamics of the
pathogen.
- Since the system is delivered via the IBM Cloud, Fusion
Genomics can easily run analytics and share information across
boundaries.
"With a quickly growing global population, potential outbreaks
of infectious diseases pose an increasingly pressing threat to our
public health," said Mohammad Qadir,
CEO of Fusion Genomics. "We chose IBM over other cloud
providers because of its ability to quickly scale up or down while
ensuring that sensitive data is protected with one of the most
secure clouds available. This accelerates our capacity to react to
infectious diseases that can pose dangerous threats to both the
economy and human life."
"Together with Fusion Genomics, IBM continues its commitment to
drive innovation in Canada that is
making a real difference in key industries," said Allen Lalonde, IBM Canada's senior innovation
executive with the IBM Canada Research & Development Centre.
"IBM Cloud is designed to help meet the evolving needs of all
scopes of businesses and technology challenges and can deliver a
security minded end-to-end system that provides an environment,
data governance, auditability, and interfaces for health data
standards and systems."
Organizations around the world are working with Fusion Genomics
to access their DNA and RNA technology system built on IBM Cloud,
including government agencies in both Canada and the European Union.
IBM Cloud offers a growing catalogue of services including AI,
Internet of Things, analytics, blockchain, serverless and more.
With nearly 60 cloud data centres in 19 countries worldwide, IBM is
helping companies manage and gain insight from their data when and
where they need.
For more information about IBM Cloud, please visit
https://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/.
About Fusion Genomics
Fusion Genomics in Vancouver BC, is developing Advanced Molecular
Diagnostics tests for pathogens using their proprietary
technologies in combination with Next Generation Sequencing. Their
ONETest™, in combination with FUSIONCloud™ their data analysis
platform, is designed to identify accurately, rapidly and
economically, the genetic signatures of all known pathogens. FUSION
Genomics ONETest™ is currently being tested at various key opinion
leaders in Canada and the European
Union.
SOURCE IBM Canada Ltd.