2013 Release: NIH Launches First Phase of Microbiome Cloud Project

2013 Release: NIH Launches First Phase of Microbiome Cloud Project

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NIH Launches First Phase of Microbiome Cloud Project

New Public Resource to Help Researchers Explore Data from the NIH Human Microbiome Project

WHAT:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched the first phase of the Microbiome Cloud Project (MCP), a collaboration with Amazon Web Services that aims to improve access to and analysis of data from the Human Microbiome Project (HMP). Five terabytes of genetic information on the microbes that naturally colonize our bodies-enough information to fill more than 1,000 standard DVDs - are now available as a free public dataset, allowing users to access and analyze the data online. This cloud, or internet-based, storage facilitates analysis by reducing the need for time-consuming downloads.

Mining HMP data promises to help researchers understand the role of the microbiota in health and disease and uncover new targets for drugs and vaccines. However, exploration of such large, complex datasets can be challenging for scientists who do not have the necessary computing infrastructure, analysis tools or technical expertise. To help researchers overcome these obstacles, the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) assembled a team of experts from academia and industry to develop the MCP. NIH-funded scientist Owen White, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the University of Maryland School of Medicine led the first phase of the project.

The team currently is developing the next phase of the MCP, which will add more datasets, analysis tools and supporting documentation. By bringing together data and tools in the cloud, this initiative promises to encourage greater scientific collaboration and inform NIH best practices for using cloud technologies for biomedical research.

WHO:
Maria Giovanni, Ph.D., Director, Office of Genomics and Advanced Technologies in the Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, NIAID; Yentram Huyen, Ph.D., Chief, Bioinformatics and Computational Biosciences Branch in the Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology, NIAID; and Vivien Bonazzi, Ph.D., Program Director, Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, NHGRI, are available to discuss the Microbiome Cloud Project.

CONTACT:
To schedule interviews, please contact Hillary Hoffman, (301) 402-1663, niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov.

NIAID conducts and supports research-at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide-to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at www.niaid.nih.gov.

NHGRI is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the NIH, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The NHGRI Division of Extramural Research supports grants for research and training and career development at sites nationwide. Additional information about NHGRI can be found at its website, www.genome.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.