Partnership with India’s leading genome sequencing research institute leverages Lenovo high-performance Genomics Optimization and Scalability Tool (GOAST) architecture
Bengaluru, India, July 06, 2022: Lenovo, the global technology leader, is collaborating with the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), the most prestigious genome sequencing research institute in India, in a unique partnership to advance cancer research by digging deeper into the genetic roots of disease.
A vital part of the institute’s work revolves around human genetics research, which plays a critical role in identifying genetic disorders, characterizing the mutations that drive cancer progression, and tracking disease outbreaks. This partnership uses Lenovo’s high-performance Genomics Optimization and Scalability Tool (GOAST) architecture, featuring 2nd Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors, to power through ultra-intensive genomic sequencing workloads and help researchers find insights faster. Lenovo’s GOAST is a high-performance computing (HPC) architecture engineered specifically for demanding genomics workloads that is a significant contributor to this initiative.
Dr. Anurag Agrawal, Former Director, CSIR-IGIB said, “Computing speed and scale are both critical to genetic sequencing. Our goal is to help researchers analyze more samples faster, and we needed high-performing technology to achieve this. The higher computing throughput and capacity delivered by Lenovo GOAST is helping accelerate the pace of research and increase our output, thereby helping us drive scientific progress that makes a real impact on people’s health and lives. Lenovo has truly optimized both hardware and software for genomics analysis, and it pays dividends in terms of performance and efficiency.”
Working closely with Lenovo’s high-performance computing services, CSIR-IGIB deployed a 28-node system—the largest GOAST installation in India to date. By leveraging an optimized architecture and efficient open-source software, GOAST offers GPU-level performance at CPU-level costs, making it an attractive proposition for a public sector body such as CSIR-IGIB.
CSIR-IGIB has seen a significant performance impact from the Lenovo GOAST system for both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole exome sequencing (WES) workflows. On latency runs—where all resources of one node are assigned to executing a single job—the institute can complete a typical WGS and WES workflow 6.5 times faster.
Accelerated execution speeds enable researchers to process more samples and answer more complex questions in less time – from 60.5 hours to 9 hours. By sustaining a more rapid pace of research, CSIR-IGIB is able to push vital scientific work further, driving the breakthroughs needed to improve their understanding of diseases like cancer and find better treatments that improve patient outcomes and even save lives.
“It is through institutions like IGIB that decisive advances in healthcare are being achieved – from treatments and vaccines for acute diseases, to strategies for managing and overcoming chronic conditions. We are glad to partner and provide crucial technical support to IGIB’s new Center of Excellence. It is likely to become the largest site for GOAST in Asia Pacific,” said Sinisa Nikolic, Director, HPC-AI, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Lenovo Asia Pacific.
This Lenovo architecture will support an array of research initiatives, including ones focused on exploring the potential genetic roots of cancer. For example, researchers can compare cancer genomes against a standard reference genome to identify potential germline mutations (passed directly from a parent to a child) that can trigger or advance cancer development in humans. This would also enable improving our understanding of the genetic changes that can contribute to cancer; such analysis can also offer valuable insights into how an individual’s cancer might progress and its likely response to treatment.
As the global leader in high performance computing, Lenovo works closely with key industry partners to develop, integrate, and deploy the technologies of exascale-level computing to organizations of all sizes.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$70 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #159 in the Fortune Global 500, employing 75,000 people around the world, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s leading PC player by expanding into new growth areas of infrastructure, mobile, solutions and services. This transformation together with Lenovo’s world-changing innovation is building a more inclusive, trustworthy, and sustainable digital society for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit https://www.lenovo.com, and read about the latest news via our StoryHub.
About IGIB
CSIR- Institute of Genomics & Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), a constituent laboratory of Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), is a premier Institute, carrying out research leading to generation of new knowledge and development of technologies in various areas of Biotechnology with special focus on Genomics and Genome Informatics. With a mission: “To translate concepts developed in basic biological research to commercially viable technologies for health care”
CSIR-IGIB brings together rich expertise in applied genomics, sequencing technology, informatics, computation biology, artificial intelligence, biological data interpretation, systems biology and molecular biology for undertaking genomic research, particularly disease-centric genomics research, in close partnership with several hospitals in India. The vision of CSIR-IGIB in the ensuing years will be translation of fundamental biological discoveries to clinical applications with the goal of enabling affordable, accessible and equitable diagnosis to reduce the disease burden of a significant proportion of the Indian population.
