June 24, 2015
By Mark Terry, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
Google Inc. today announced a partnership with the Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University to launch a version of Broad Institute’s Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) on Google’s Cloud Platform.
According to the Broad Institute the deal will “explore how to break down major technical barriers that increasingly hinder biomedical research by addressing the need for computing infrastructure to store and process enormous datasets, and by creating tools to analyze such data and unravel long-standing mysteries about human health.”
In short, Broad Institute will focus on genomics and while Google handles the computer and bioanalytics end of things.
Broken down into steps, GATK will be offered as a service on Google Cloud Platform as part of Google Genomics. With that step, genetics and genomics researchers will be able to upload, store and analyze data in a cloud-based platform that leverages the Broad Institute’s genomic analysis tools with the scale and raw power of Google.
Interestingly, GATK is already available for free to academic and non-profit users. Businesses can license the platform from the institute, and so fare more than 20,000 researchers have worked with GATK.
So what’s new, other than the strong arm, sticky fingers and cachet of Google?
“Large-scale genomic information is accelerating scientific progress in cancer, diabetes, psychiatric disorders, and many other diseases,” said Eric Lander, president and director of the Broad Institute in an statement. “Storing, analyzing, and managing these data is becoming a critical challenge for biomedical researchers. We are excited to work with Google’s talented and experienced engineers to develop ways to empower researchers around the world by making it easier to access and use genomic information.”
It’s fairly easy to see how this benefits the Broad Institute, but what does Google gain? Google’s track record in life sciences is a bit hit-and-miss, with the big miss being Google Health, which was to compete with Microsoft’s HealthVault, a electronic medical record designed for patients. Google Health lasted about three years.
Google also founded Calico in 2013. Calico is one of Google’s many so-called “moonshot” projects, and is focused on extending and controlling lifespan and other age-related diseases, including neurodegeneration and cancer. In September 2014 BioSpace.com reported that Calico signed a major collaboration agreement with Chicago-based AbbVie , which would include a new R&D facility in the San Francisco Bay area. Not much is known about what Calico is doing, although in March 2015 it entered into a partnership with QB3, a University of California institute that focuses on biotechnology.
One possibility is that as life science and genomics research becomes more mainstream, its overall computing requirements are growing and the bigger players in the industry are choosing tech companies to team with, such as Amazon.com Inc., Microsoft Corp. and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) to host and assist in analyzing all the genetic data. Analysts predict the sector will be worth $1 billion by 2018.
It also provides Google with access to an enormous amount of genomic data--and data is Google’s primary aim.
As Rumors Swirl About GlaxoSmithKline Bid, Who Could Suitors Be?
Rumors are swirling that Swiss-based Roche and U.S.-based Johnson & Johnson are eying the U.K. company for approximately $143 billion. But Roche and J&J aren’t the only companies though who have been thought could go after the elephant that is Glaxo.
Last month there was buzz that Pfizer Inc. was considering acquiring Glaxo, a year after it failed to acquire AstraZeneca PLC . Just this month over a third of respondents in a poll conducted by BioSpace believe that AstraZeneca PLC could be in the running to acquire struggling GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
So BioSpace wants to ask our readers again what they predict for this new dealmaking bonanza. Will Glaxo go—and if so, to whom?
