Google This: Labs Partner with Tech Giant

In recent months, several diagnostic companies have announced alliances with Google, and all involve Google Cloud Platform.

Here is how four companies are using Google’s technology.

Genomenon
Genomenon, a genomic search company, is partnering with Google to offer genomic data technology on Google Cloud Platform. Genomenon’s Cited Variants Reference (CVR) data will be a public dataset available in BigQuery, Google Cloud’s big data and machine learning data warehouse, for use in genomic applications.

The Cited Variants Reference is generated from Genomenon’s Mastermind genomic database, a comprehensive index of genomic literature. With more than 4.1 million genomic variants found in medical literature, each variant is annotated with a citation count based on the number of scientific publications mentioning the variant, along with a link into the Mastermind Genomic Search Engine to view full search results for those articles. The CVR is designed to help clinicians and researchers prioritize and scale their genomic interpretation.

Parabricks
Parabricks, a provider of GPU-based bioinformatics software solutions for analyses of next-generation sequencing data, recently collaborated with Google as a tech partner and launched its accelerate, deep learning based product suite for primary and secondary analysis on Google Cloud Platform.

The Parabricks solution reduces the time and cost required to go from raw sequencing data to variants for a whole genome, producing variant calls in less than an hour compared to the standard 30 hours when running the same industry standard pipeline on HPC CPU clusters. The suite provides push-button operation, 100% reproducibility, and containerization of the latest secondary analysis tools by bioinformaticians worldwide.

WuXi NextCODE
WuXi NextCODE, a genomic information company using sequence data to improve health, has partnered with Google to deliver comprehensive genomics capabilities to partners and customers worldwide.

The alliance calls for Google to host WuXi NextCODE’s core suite of capabilities, including GORdb, WuXi NextCODE secondary analysis, its Sequence Miner case-control research application, and its Clinical Sequence Analyzer clinical interpretation system. At the same time, key Google genomics and research tools will be integrated and deployable in tandem with the WuXi NextCODE platform, beginning with the DeepVariant secondary analysis pipeline, alongside other open-source analysis pipelines and tools available through Google Cloud Platform.

IntegraGen
IntegraGen, a company specializing in the decoding of the human genome with a focus on producing interpretable genomic analysis for academic and private laboratories, is collaborating with Google to integrate its advanced genomic analysis tools, Sirius and Mercury, into Google Cloud Platform.

The arrangement will enable widespread online availability of data, rapid data transfer, and enhanced data security to clinicians and researchers utilizing these analytical tools.

Why Google Cloud Platform

Best known for its search capabilities, Google has, with relatively little fanfare, been building a presence in healthcare, including the lab industry.

Google’s strength in search, security, and compliance makes partnerships a natural fit. Speed also makes the solution attractive.

Companies in a wide range of industries are using Google Cloud Platform in myriad ways, and speed is a factor for companies in many industries.

However, for labs, as for healthcare in general, speed has the potential to result in more lives saved. Given the importance of speed in this regard, along with time-to-market financial advantages, it’s likely other diagnostics companies searching for an alliance will turn to the tech giant. Indeed, the outlook for Google Cloud Platform and the lab industry appears bright.