DNAnexus is a leading bioinformatics company offering a cloud-based, flexible, genomic data management system. Although not currently blockchain-based, their platform is part of a growing landscape of healthcare IT innovation that is making sweeping changes to the healthcare industry. Healthcare organizations and genomic researchers are using the DNAnexus platform to store and deliver value-added DNA sequence data to clients; to discover new drugs through genomic R&D; and to share and collaborate with other genomic researchers online. Most recently, the bioinformatics company announced the launch of a collaborative platform (MOSAIC) for genomic researchers across the globe to work together toward new breakthroughs in bioinformatics that could in turn lead to new healthcare solutions.

The platform

The primary DNAnexus product is a cloud-based genomic data management system with several key component that help researchers in the following areas:

• Uploading and securely storing their genomic data
• Scaling their DNA sequencing processes
• Building, porting, reproducing and testing pipelines
• Maintaining clinical data compliance (e.g. HIPAA compliance)
• Sharing and collaborating with other bioinformatics researchers and organizations
• Controlling genomic data access
• Integrating with partners

Use cases

Companies and researchers are currently applying the flexible DNAnexus platform to a wide variety of use cases.

Value-added DNA sequencing data delivery

The DNAnexus platforms integrates directly with an organization’s sequencing instruments, and can handle multiple simultaneous upload streams. Once uploaded to the cloud, DNAnexus can then deliver the DNA sequencing data to the organization’s clients as part of a larger, value-added bioinformatics solution that expands the original organization’s data offering.

R&D toward drug discovery

By using the DNAnexus platform, researchers can more easily identify the sources of disease in the human genome and address them.

Collaborative bioinformatics research

DNAnexus has designed its platform around APIs, making it flexible enough to handle the needs and requirements of a wide variety of genome centers. The cloud-based platform can also scale as projects grow, and organizations can add hundreds of collaborators.

MOSAIC: Collaborative microbiome research space

On June 27th, 2017, in conjunction with their partner Janssen Research & Development (including the Jansen Human Microbiome Institute), DNAnexus announced the release of the MOSAIC research collaboration platform. MOSAIC helps genomic researchers to more easily organize, manage and share their data.

Organizing and analyzing bioinformatics data

To help researchers organize and analyze their genomic data, MOSAIC provides collaborative workspaces; “studies and runs” to help with sequencing and metadata; and an advanced search feature that returns data from workspaces, studies, runs, executions and apps.

Support for data interaction

To help with data interaction, the MOSAIC platform runs microbiome apps that have already been made publicly available by the greater bioinformatics community and require no installation. MOSAIC also enables researchers to create their own private apps. Once researchers have selected their apps, they can chain them together into a complete workflow. Finally, MOSAIC provides an execution-tracking feature that enables researchers to monitor the performance of their apps and processes at a granular level.

Sharing and collaboration

To enhance sharing and collaboration, the MOSAIC platform includes groups, discussions and bioinformatics data sharing. However, to access workspaces, assets and apps, users must accept licensing terms.

Company overview

Launched in 2010, DNAnexus has grown into the worldwide leader in genomics data management. The Mountain View, California-based company offers an advanced, cloud-based bioinformatics platform that enables organizations to more easily handle their genomic data by making the bioinformation management process more secure, accessible, manageable, scalable and collaborative. The global company has operations in North America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The DNAnexus team is composed primarily of experts from two fields: cloud computing and computational biology.