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Tech giant Lenovo announced its fourth-generation Genomics Optimization and Scalability Tool, GOAST v4.0, which reduces genome processing to as few as 24 minutes per whole genome sequence.
"With each human genome comprising around 3 billion DNA base pairs, GOAST v4.0 is literally decoding trillions of cells to power breakthroughs in science and medicine," the company said in a statement.
Genome sequencing is a laboratory technique that unveils the whole sequence of DNA base pairs in an organism's genome, creating a map of its genetic blueprint.
The information can help scientists understand disease diagnosis, personalize treatments, identify genetic variations, predict health risks, explore ancestry and identify pathogens in outbreaks.
Lenovo says GOAST v4.0 cuts genome processing time from 68-150 hours to 24 minutes, allows a single node to process approximately 22,000 genomes annually and utilizes water-cooled HPC systems to reduce power consumption by up to 40%.
"GOAST v4.0 breaks bioinformatics bottlenecks by combining Lenovo's HPC expertise with genomics innovation," Sumir Bhatia, president of Lenovo ISG Asia Pacific, said in a statement. "With this leap in performance and efficiency, we are enabling real-time discoveries that can save lives and advance global health equity."
THE LARGER TREND
Advancements in genome sequencing "hold great promise for unlocking new insights into genomics and improving our understanding of diseases and personalized healthcare," according to a review article published in the international and peer-reviewed journal Biology.
"Next-generation sequencing has enabled the development of targeted therapies, precision medicine approaches, and improved diagnostic methods."
Lenovo's work in healthcare expands beyond genomics.
The company also offers tools to help providers with the prior authorization process, telehealth and remote patient monitoring services, ransomware and data breaches, chip-to-cloud to infrastructure modernization and data analysis.
