above: The computational power and storage capacity of the Ohio Supercomputer Center support the implementation of a cuttingedge HiSeq 2000 sequencing system by Peter White at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
The first human genome took 15 years and about $3 billion to complete. Soon, doctors at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital will be able to sequence two human genomes in just over one week for a fraction of that cost. The institute’s recent acquisition of a next-generation HiSeq 2000 sequencing system supports whole-genome DNA sequencing analysis, transcriptome and epigenome analysis, along with multiple other genomic applications.
“We are among the first laboratories in the nation to establish this new instrumentation,” said Dr. Peter White, director of the insitute’s Biomedical Genomics Core. “This will allow us to enhance the health of children by continuing to expand our programs in areas of strategic emphasis, namely, perinatal research, infectious diseases, congenital and acquired heart conditions, digestive diseases and childhood cancer. Access to this instrument will be particularly helpful for young investigators, postdoctoral research scientists, physician scientists and clinical fellows.”
In support, the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) provides additional mass storage for the sequencer’s immense data needs. Each eight-day run requires the computational power to align 2,000,000,000 x 100 base-pair reads, using six terabytes of disk space and 600 gigabytes of storage space, plus two additional terabytes if the raw input data is retained.
“OSC also will provide computational backup for local pipeline analysis and resources for more advanced analysis of the datasets that require multi-node support,” added Don Stredney, senior research scientist for biomedical applications and director of OSC’s Interface Lab.
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Project lead: Peter White, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Research title: Establishing next-generation sequencing technology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Funding source: National Institutes of Health, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
