Leveraging the national cyberinfrastructure for biomedical research

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Informatics
• Computational Science
• Cyberinfrastructure

Background:

• National cyberinfrastructure, comprising supercomputers and high-speed networks, is underutilized by biomedical researchers.
• Existing cyberinfrastructure has been extensively used in fields like physics, astronomy, and climatology.
• The medical informatics community faces significant 'Big Data' challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose the utilization of national cyberinfrastructure for addressing big data challenges in medical informatics.
• To demonstrate the potential of existing resources like Extreme Science and Discovery Environment, Open Science Grid, and Internet2.
• To illustrate how specialized support structures can facilitate access for biomedical applications, particularly genomics.

Main Methods:

• Identifying underutilized national cyberinfrastructure resources.
• Highlighting successful applications in basic biology as a model.
• Proposing the development of specialized web portals, support centers, and virtual organizations.
• Focusing on genomics as a key area for application.

Main Results:

• National cyberinfrastructure offers economical and proven solutions for big data problems.
• Existing resources can be adapted to meet specific computational needs in biomedical research.
• Specialized interfaces and support systems are crucial for accessibility.

Conclusions:

• National-scale cyberinfrastructure presents a viable and efficient solution for big data in medical informatics.
• Adapting cyberinfrastructure through targeted support can bridge the gap for biomedical researchers.
• Genomics and other data-intensive biomedical fields can benefit significantly from these resources.